How Farmscape and Orso found the perfect project to highlight for the LA Times
Team Orso in
Client Stories 3 min read • 3d ago
When working with our clients on PR, there are a few approaches we like to take.
- There’s “news hacking,” as Carly Kuikman, Orso’s Director of PR calls it: seizing on a cultural moment and building a story to meet it.
- And then there’s finding that perfect fit: recognizing that you or your client are an A+ match for a journalist or series, and crafting a pitch to connect the dots.
We’ve already written about our client Farmscape and how they, in partnership with Orso, successfully took the first route.
Now we’re delighted to share our joint success in taking the second approach.
Identifying the opportunity
Farmscape, California’s largest urban farming company designs, installs and maintains drought-resistent, edible gardens and has become a trusted local farmer, growing food for single family homes, master-planned communities, Fortune 500 companies, Michelin-starred chefs, and World Series Champions. When the Farmscape team came across a regular feature in the LA Times about drought resistant gardening, they thought: “That’s us!” So they asked Orso to pursue it.
Carly sprang into action. She agreed that Farmscape’s residential work perfectly fit with the series. And because this isn’t Carly’s first rodeo, she already had a relationship with the LA Times reporter, Jeanette Marantos, who covers all things gardening including the monthly Plants newsletter. All she needed was a strong story to pitch. Ideally one that would:
- Demonstrate Farmscape’s expertise
- Provide an emotional hook to readers
- Shine a spotlight on one of Farmscape’s own amazing clients
The Farmscape team knew just the one.
Pitching the story
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the US, a Culver City-based family hired Farmscape to turn their grassy yard into an edible oasis. Their work together was such a special project for Farmscape that founder, Dan Allen, still seeds their vegetable beds himself! The design and turf removal gave the family – and especially their young son – a way to channel their energy during school closures. Now they grow more food than they know what to do with!
After asking the family for their blessing, Farmscape’s designer Catherine McLaughlin worked with Carly to shape the story and pull out key hooks: how gardening supported the family through a difficult time and the meaningful relationship the family’s little boy built with the Farmscape team. They highlighted the present-day success of the project, including a foraging meadow and daily homegrown salads. Finally, they packaged it up with pictures from the install process – all heavily featuring one enthusiastic boy.
Carly sent the pitch to Marantos on July 11.
On July 29, she followed up with the busy reporter.
And on August 2, Marantos wrote back saying she’d like to feature the family.
Courtesy: LA Times and Brian van der Brug
Bringing the placement to life
From there, Carly put on her coordinator hat and got to work facilitating interviews between the Farmscape team, the family, and the reporter, chasing financial information and other needed details, and getting a photographer on site with everyone involved.
After a series of phone interviews and photoshoots, the LA Times published the piece online in mid-October, and followed it up with prime placement in the print edition on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It showed the family in a heartfelt light during a heartwarming time of year while also providing Farmscape with important business-generating visibility.
“It goes back to our whole approach [to PR] with them,” says Carly. “They do this to generate business. The LA area is a huge priority for them and I will say, from a Farmscape standpoint, they’ve been very busy since the story published.”
Curious to learn how Carly and the rest of the Orso team can help grow your business? Send us a message and let’s chat.