Earned Media Strategy: How Boutique Wineries Can Get Noticed Without Paying for Ads
In an age where the wine world is saturated with new labels, promising pitches, and eager millennials clicking “like,” boutique wineries face a more fundamental challenge than quality of grapes or finesse in blending: visibility.
Many produce fine wine — but too few get tasted. For small-scale producers with limited budgets, media coverage has quietly become one of the most effective levers to build credibility, broaden reach, and drive growth.
What is Earned Media, Anyway?
Simply put, earned media is the press, blogs, magazines, podcasts, or social posts that cover your brand because your story, your wine, or your events are worth talking about. Unlike ads or sponsored posts, it comes with a third-party stamp of approval — essentially, someone else saying, “This is worth your attention.”
For wineries, this can take many forms:
Editorial coverage in trade magazines like Wine Business Monthly, Wine Industry Advisor, Beverage Trade Network, The Drinks Business
Features in lifestyle outlets such as Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, VinePair, Decanter, Wine Enthusiast
Mentions on popular wine blogs and podcasts
Coverage of tastings, launches, or trade show appearances
It’s credibility you can pour over your marketing strategy — and it doesn’t cost a bottle of Merlot per click.
Media Coverage: Credibility That Advertising Can’t Buy
One of the biggest strengths of earned media is trust. Unlike ads or social media promos, editorial content — reviews, features, interviews — comes from third-party sources, which gives it an authenticity that marketing messages rarely match.
Indeed, studies suggest that brands with positive media exposure see measurable benefits. According to a recent public relations market report:
“Positive media coverage increases brand trust by an average of 35%.” (Worldmetrics)
For wineries — where reputation, perceived quality, and story matter — that kind of lift can make a meaningful difference.
Strategic Media — Not Random Press Releases — Drives Results
Not all media coverage is created equal. Wineries that treat press outreach as a random “send press release and pray” exercise often see little return. The brands that benefit are those that approach media coverage with strategy. Key success factors include:
Audience alignment — send your story to publications whose readers match your ideal customer (wine lovers, connoisseurs, lifestyle-oriented drinkers), or to trade outlets where distributors and importers look for new labels.
Story value / newsworthiness — unique production methods, terroir stories, limited edition releases, sustainable or organic practices, interesting founder backgrounds, export successes — all these make for compelling angles that cut through the noise.
Timing and coordination — align media outreach with harvest seasons, new release dates, special bottlings, wine events, or trade shows to increase the chance of coverage.
Quality of pitch + follow-up — a well-crafted media kit, clear storytelling, high-quality visuals (photos/videos), honest tone, and consistent follow-through matter significantly more than generic mass emails.
When executed with discipline and craft, media outreach shifts from a random marketing expense into a measurable growth investment.
How Beviour Marketing Can Help
Executing an earned-media strategy well takes relationships, timing, and know-how. Beviour Marketing helps wineries:
Craft tailored press releases and media pitches
Manage sampling programs and press tastings
Align media outreach with events, trade shows, and seasonal releases
Track coverage and measure impact
For boutique wineries, strategic earned media can transform visibility and credibility into real business results — without turning marketing into a guessing game.
