Public Relations Case Study
How a Single Press Release Drove 20,000 Visitors to an Alpaca Farm’s Opening Weekend
Client & Context
Client: Black Barn Alpacas | Agritourism & Hospitality
Industry: Agritourism, Events, Hospitality
Location: San Antonio, Texas (now DMV area)
Role: Marketing Strategist, Copywriter & PR Lead
Black Barn Alpacas is a fully functioning alpaca ranch that originally operated just outside San Antonio, specializing in wool harvesting and breeding services. In 2023, the owners expanded into agritourism, offering visitors an immersive on-site experience that combined education, family fun, and luxury hospitality—from feeding alpacas to enjoying curated wine tastings and chef dinners.
I was brought on to help launch the new brand experience from the ground up, creating all the core marketing foundations and leading the PR campaign for their grand opening weekend.
Challenge
The ranch was located nearly 45 minutes outside of San Antonio, with zero existing brand awareness and no established visitor base. The challenge was twofold:
Generate public interest in a new agritourism concept in a competitive leisure market.
Drive strong opening weekend attendance to build early revenue, capture media attention, and establish long-term visibility.
This launch needed to do more than attract guests—it needed to create a movement around a new kind of local experience.
Approach / Method
To position Black Barn Alpacas as a must-visit fall destination, I developed a multi-phase marketing and PR strategy that blended local storytelling, community partnerships, and media amplification.
Strategy highlights:
Brand Foundation: Developed the website wireframe, messaging guide, and advertising copy to clearly communicate the brand’s mix of family fun and upscale experience.
Pre-Launch Awareness: Built social media campaigns and partnered with Yelp and local influencers to tease the grand opening eight weeks in advance.
PR Development: Crafted a press release centered on local tourism and community experience, tapping into fall event enthusiasm with keywords like “family-friendly,” “educational,” and “local getaway.”
Targeted Distribution: Personally pitched to 35+ media outlets, leveraging community connections to land placements across broadcast, radio, print, and online.
Event Integration: Coordinated on-site coverage, influencer attendance, and photography before and during the event to extend the campaign’s reach.
To amplify the opening’s appeal, I worked with the client to evolve the event into a full Fall Festival, complete with hayrides, pumpkin patches, food vendors, and carnival-style games—a perfect local hook for families and media alike.
Solution & Implementation
Our campaign launched eight weeks before opening weekend, building momentum across social and local news.
Week 8–6: Social teaser campaigns, influencer collaborations, and email capture setup.
Week 6: Press release distributed to key regional outlets and tourism bureaus.
Week 3: Personalized follow-ups with journalists, refreshed imagery, and on-site content previews.
Opening Week: Coordinated media visits, managed real-time coverage, and shared behind-the-scenes stories to sustain attention across channels.
The campaign united storytelling, local PR, and digital strategy under one cohesive message: “Come meet the alpacas, stay for the experience.”
Results
📣 35+ media features across TV, radio, print, and digital, including MySA, San Antonio Express-News, SA Current, and local network affiliates.
🎥 Dedicated TV segment spotlighting the farm and its founders.
📊 $100,000+ in earned media value across digital and broadcast coverage.
🚗 20,000+ visitors (and $200,000+ in revenue) during opening weekend alone.
💌 Hundreds of new email subscribers captured for future marketing campaigns.
🏆 Sold-out follow-up events and ongoing visibility for the brand well beyond opening month.
“We had over 20,000 people attend our grand opening — more than we ever thought possible! Many thanks for the successful event.”
Client press release picked up by targeted news outlets, driving over 20,000 visitors to opening weekend
Accompanying flyer developed for local distribution
Key Takeaways
Local storytelling drives real results. By anchoring the campaign in community pride and local experience, the story practically pitched itself.
Timing is everything. Tapping into seasonal excitement around fall festivities made coverage both timely and irresistible to media outlets.
Integrated strategy wins. The combination of PR, social, and influencer outreach created a flywheel of awareness, proving that effective campaigns start with alignment—not budget.
Strategic creativity scales. A single, well-executed press release can outperform paid media when it’s rooted in emotion, timing, and local connection.
Why it matters: This campaign shows how a clear message and a strong sense of place can transform a small, unknown brand into a local phenomenon—turning one weekend into a foundation for long-term success.
Ready to make headlines for all the right reasons?
Let’s turn your next launch into the story everyone’s talking about.