Public Relations and Communications Services

The Vendor is required to provide to serve as the agency of record for our national public relations (PR) efforts. 
- This partnership aims to elevate state profile as the best state to visit, as well as live and work, through innovative, strategic, and measurable media relations services.
- Project Goals:
•    Increase awareness of state as the best place in the nation to visit, with secondary priorities as the best place to live and work.
•    Elevate state national media presence by securing consistent, high-impact placements in top-tier consumer, travel, lifestyle, business, and broadcast outlets.
•    Increase visibility for state diverse travel offerings, including outdoor recreation, cultural experiences, culinary travel, family adventures, and urban/nature access across the entire state (including a mix of rural, urban, and suburban destinations).
•    Expand media coverage of explore state evolving priorities, including livability, workforce and business attraction, state film and creative economy assets, tourism stories.
•    Establish a strong pipeline of proactive media opportunities through seasonal content calendars, news jacking, media missions, trend tracking, and timely story development.
•    Reach younger and more diverse audiences through POV storytelling and emerging digital media platforms.
•    Integrate PR more fully into explore state broader marketing strategy, working collaboratively across internal teams and agency partners to align with campaign and brand initiatives.
•    Deliver creative, bold, and high-performing PR ideas that break through the noise and offer measurable value for state tourism.
•    Provide strategic analysis and quarterly reporting that not only quantifies media value and placements, but also evaluates effectiveness, recommends adjustments, and identifies competitive insights.
•    Support media engagement at key events, with onsite support as needed.
•    Offer high-level counsel on issues and crisis communications, including insight into national travel trends and reputational risks.
- Account Management and Collaboration
•    Assign a dedicated account lead to manage strategic planning, budgets, coordination, and quality control.
•    Participate in marketing planning meetings and cross-agency strategy sessions to ensure alignment across explore state teams and partner agencies.
•    Actively share value-added opportunities, media insights, and pitch ideas with explore state communications lead on a regular basis.
- Strategic Planning
•    Develop and execute an annual integrated public relations plan that aligns with explore state marketing campaigns, content strategy, and seasonal travel trends.
•    Provide strategic counsel on national storytelling opportunities tied to cultural moments, tourism milestones, and economic development initiatives.
•    Support development of PR messaging for emerging agency priorities such as livability, state film, outdoor recreation, business attraction, and tribal tourism.
- Media Relations and Story Development
•    Build relationships with top-tier national and regional journalists, editors, producers, and creators.
•    Secure earned media placements across consumer travel, lifestyle, business, sports, outdoor, food, and entertainment verticals.
•    Create and maintain a year-round editorial calendar with long-lead and short-lead pitch cycles.
•    Craft and distribute monthly pitches and press releases, with a focus on highlighting both well and lesser known state stories and statewide geographic diversity of offerings.
•    Identify and coordinate opportunities for deskside briefings, press trips, in-person and virtual media events, and press trips to state.
- Content Integration and Innovation
•    Recommend creative, experience-driven activations and brand storytelling opportunities that break through national media clutter.
•    Integrate PR into broader campaign planning and marketing strategies — including content alignment, seasonal pushes, and cross-channel messaging.
•    Propose ideas to reach younger, commission, and nontraditional audiences via emerging media formats, partnerships, and POV storytelling.
•    Occasionally develop opportunities to align with international audiences as the need arises.
- Reporting, Measurement and Insights
•    Provide quarterly and annual media coverage reports that include:
o    Earned media value, impressions, reach, tone, and story type
o    Performance evaluation by topic, pitch, and market
o    Competitive analysis (e.g., how state is performing compared to similar states)
o    Strategic recommendations to improve results
•    Highlight media trends, seasonal insights, and feedback from journalists to inform future strategy.
- Issues and Crisis Communications
•    Provide strategic input and support as needed for tourism-related crisis scenarios, travel disruptions, or reputational risks for the agency.
•    Help evaluate and enhance explore state crisis communications preparedness with clear messaging and scenario-based planning.
•    Ensure direction aligns with the state of state administration and follows government communication protocols.
- Event Support (as requested)
•    As needed, support media strategy and coverage for high-profile tourism events (i.e. Independent press trips, familiarization tours, activations, and annual governor’s fishing opener).
•    Coordinate on-site interview scheduling, talking points, and earned media coverage when requested.

- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: August 22, 2025