From Quiet to Booked: How Attractions Can Win with PR and Strategy
GUEST BLOG FROM TALKING TORTOISE
Running an attraction in the UK comes with its fair share of challenges. Whether you’re overseeing a heritage site, managing a zoo, running a seasonal experience, or operating a family-friendly day out, one thing remains true: you’re constantly juggling creativity, footfall, and finances.
And with more attractions vying for attention than ever before, the question we often hear is How do we attract more visitors without spending more money?
The honest answer? You don’t need a bigger budget. You need a better strategy and a smart approach to public relations (PR).
1. Start with strategy and not spend
Too often, marketing starts with tactics: a Facebook ad, a flyer, maybe a seasonal discount. But without a clear strategy, even good ideas can fall flat.
We always advise attraction owners to pause and consider:
– What makes your attraction truly unique? Is it your story? Your setting? A particular experience?
– Who is your ideal visitor? Local families? Schools? Couples on staycations? International tourists?
– When do people typically book or visit? Are visits planned well in advance, or do you rely on last-minute decisions and weather?
Once you know what you’re offering, who wants it, and when they’re likely to come, your marketing becomes much more focused and far more effective.
2. Lean into PR: It’s cost-effective visibility
PR is often misunderstood as “just getting press coverage.” In reality, it’s about building credibility, trust, and long-term visibility. And best of all, it’s often more affordable than paid advertising.
When done right, PR helps you:
– Tell stories the media wants to share
– Position your attraction as interesting, newsworthy, and relevant
– Reach new audiences organically
Tips for getting started:
– Find a hook: “We’re reopening for summer” won’t cut it. Try something like “The UK’s smallest castle now has a dragon trail for kids”
– Build local media relationships: Reach out to regional journalists, influencers, and what’s-on magazines. A well-written press release or a personal invite goes a long way.
– Make use of free platforms: Submit to local town forums, tourist boards, or TripAdvisor Events. If your content is timely and engaging, many of these will feature you at no cost.
3. Let influencers do the heavy lifting
Paid digital ads can be effective, but they come with ongoing costs.
Working with influencers gives you another route to visibility. One that often feels more authentic and can be far more cost-effective.
Here’s how influencers can help:
– They reach targeted, engaged audiences: From parenting bloggers to travel TikTokers, they speak directly to the types of people who are already looking for days out and experiences like yours.
– They produce content for you: A single visit might result in photos, videos, blog posts, and social media stories that you can reuse on your own platforms.
– They generate word-of-mouth at scale: Influencers offer third-party endorsement, which is often more persuasive than paid ads and costs significantly less in the long run.
Many attractions find that inviting just a few well-matched influencers each season delivers more awareness than hundreds of pounds in Facebook or Instagram ads. It’s about reach, trust, and relevance, not just impressions.
4. Make every penny of your budget count
If you have a budget to spend, don’t just scatter it across digital ads. Use the 80/20 principle: spend 80% where you’re already getting traction and 20% testing new ideas.
Budget smart ideas:
– Content is your asset: Invest in strong photo and video content. It fuels social media, PR, and your website for months.
– Own your audience: Focus on building email lists through competitions, birthday clubs, or downloadable maps.
– Boost when it matters: Use small ad spends on Facebook or Instagram to amplify your top-performing posts. This doesn’t have to be every week, just during high conversion windows (e.g., school holidays).
5. Track. Test. Tweak.
You don’t need expensive analytics software to know what’s working.
Start with:
– Google Analytics for website traffic
– Meta Insights for social media performance
– Simple surveys or POS questions: “How did you hear about us?”
Once you see where your traffic and conversions are coming from, you can refine and repeat, instead of starting from scratch every season.
You don’t need Alton Towers’ unlimited pot of advertising funds to make your mark.
You need a compelling story, a focused strategy, and a way to connect with the people who will love what you do. Strategy and PR aren’t about adding extra work. They’re about working smarter, building your reputation, and spending your budget with confidence.
If you’re looking to sharpen your messaging, plan your next campaign, or simply talk through where to start, we’d be very happy to help.
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At Talking Tortoise we are story tellers. We exist to support inundated innovators to find smarter ways to win. We like to take small steps which have a big impact on the overall objectives of the brands that we work with. Our team are a combination of PR professionals, designers and marketers who provide creative solutions to help put you in the spotlight.
We are much more than ‘just’ a PR consultancy or marketing agency. With experience across Agri-Tourism, large blue chip organisations and the public sector. We pride ourselves on being a fully integrated part of your team.
Discover how we can help your business by visiting our website >
