On the agenda: Woodstock meeting — Data Center (Jun 16)

TOURISM COUNCIL MEETING

Shenandoah County Government Center
Board Room
600 North Main Street
Woodstock, VA 22664
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
12:00 pm
I.

Call to Order and Establishment of
Quorum

II.

Approval of Minutes
- May 19, 2026

III.

Financial Report
- May 2026 Financial Report

IV.

Old Business
- Marketing Update
- FuseIdeas Report
- Sojern/Adara Report
- Public Relations Update
- MBPR!
- Outdoor Recreation Guide
- Sector Meetings

V.

New Business
- FY27 Marketing Plan

VI.

Staff Comments

VII.

Council Comments

1

Shenandoah County
Tourism Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Shenandoah County Government Center Room 100A
Woodstock VA 22664
12:00 p.m.
Members: Lynn St Claire, Dan Harshman, Katie Mercer, Savannah Frazier, Eunice Terndrup, Megan
Dellinger, Brian McKee, Greg Beam, Mark Dotson, Randy Phillips, Ashley Proctor.
Guests: Greg McCarly, Kirk Gibson, Sharon Baroncelli
Staff: Brittany Clem-Hott, Kary Haun
Press: none
Call to Order: Meeting began at 12:00
Approval of Minutes: Katie Mercer moved to approve the minutes from March, Dan Harshman Seconded. All
approved.
Financial Report: ( A full report was provided in the Tourism Council Packet)
● Report shows roughly 9% of our budget remaining for May-June but this does not include over $90,000
in reappropriations for Brownfields Grant funding.
● Most major on-going expenses are already shown as encumbrances, including:
● MBPR!
● FuseIdeas
● Brownfields
● Istrico Productions Yard Crawl Video
Old Business:
Marketing:
● FuseIdeas Report and Google Analytics Report in the packet.
○ Paid Search, Display, CTV & OLV Highlights
○ Display and CTV performance continues to strengthen, with CTRs remaining steady or
increasing
○ Video Completion Rate continues to exceed benchmarks
○ Google Ads awareness metrics remain exceptionally strong year-over-year
○ Responsive Display has delivered nearly 2.5M impressions and more than 34K clicks at an
efficient CPC
○ Top search themes continue to center around Shenandoah travel, vacation planning, and outdoor
experiences.
○ Paid Social Performance Highlights
○ Paid social performance remained strong throughout April with efficient CPMs across Meta
placements
○ Spring/Summer creative refresh launched in late March and is driving strong engagement and
CTR performance
○ The new :30 four-season anthem video has tested well in early rotation
2

○ Hiking and outdoor-focused creative continues to resonate most strongly with audiences.
○ Audience & Creative Insights
○ Outdoor recreation messaging, particularly hiking/trail-focused content, is producing the
strongest engagement levels.
○ Reels and Stories placements continue outperforming traditional placements for engagement and
traffic efficiency.
○ Regional drive-market audiences remain an opportunity area for expanded targeting. - Go Hike
Virginia- https://go-hike-virginia.beehiiv.com/p/your-shenandoah-county-trail-guide-springedition
○ Newsletter Viewed by 2450 people Sponsor Clicks: 80 (across dedicated placement and
integrated editorial) The top three newsletter click drivers were: the Epic 100, Woodstock Tower
hike, and Noah Shenandoah. I also noted that Fort Valley Ranch was quite popular.
○ Facebook- Likes: 47 Clicks: 209 Views: 7,44
● Public Relations Update:
○ Travel & Leisure Repost online
○ Forbes- Woodstock Café use of ramps (syndicated) 3. Southern Living Article
https://www.southernliving.com/strasburg-virginia-11965380
○ RVAHikerGirl- Wolf Gap Testimonial -The video she made has over 11,000 views, and we
gained at least 50 followers in 24 hours
○ Upcoming MBPR Influencers
■ OnTheMoveWithMad – Maddie Smith - July 23-24
○ Upcoming Shen Co Influencers:
■ StaysandGetaways – Julia Randall – Date TBD
○ FuseIdeas Influencers
■ AlwaysBeMyFoodie- May 1
■ HappilyEverExploring- June 12-15
■ KellieNCAdventures – May 26-28
● Re: Outreach to the community about PR efforts from the tourism office. Our office will make more of
an effort to promote the various articles and blogs at a more local level to give Shenandoah County
residents a better understanding of the ROI of this Tourism Office’s work. Noting that there used to be
more of a media presence at the Tourism Council meetings that could highlight the content of these
meetings. Shenandoah County Tourism will share media updates (links to articles & new blogs etc) with
Tourism Council for them to share
3

● Outdoor Recreation Guide
○ 1st Draft is complete, currently being combed over to find typos and other edits. Should be
printed and in-hand in June.
● Sector Meetings
○ Craft Beverage Recap
New Business:
● FuseIdeas Video Shorts – MLP Grant Awarded! (need list of businesses awarded)
● Allow us to take a deeper dive into our Fuse video content and elevate our campaign by aligning it with
the “Enriched Traveler” visitor segments in itinerary-style video shorts.
Staff Comments VTC MMLP Opens: June 23, 2026 Closes: July 30, 2026
Industry Updates (cut for time- but open for general announcements)
● Randy Phillips (Agriculture/Vineyard) Cold damage 50-90% of crop for most vineyards. This also
includes Orchards. Never seen this kind of damage in 25 years. The Adult prom experience was a huge
success. This Sunday low-country boil in partnership with Flour to Fork. There will be beer. More news
is coming about called Shenandoah Secco. Naturally carbonated wines with new equipment coming to
grow that side of the business.
● Lynn St. Claire (Agriculture/Craft Beverage) Business about the same as last year, good. Blue Ridge
Bicycles partnering with a tune-up stand for a pit stop opportunity.
● Megan Dellinger (Outdoor Recreation) Biggest April ever for attendance. River is low. Launch of
summer events Junior Ranger Camps, new Interpretive signage, Kayak Rentals are open for the season,
● Eunice Terndrup (Planning Commission) Airbnb Applications are coming in, Data Center and Storage
facilities are being planned.
● Brian McKee (Town of Strasburg) Music Series kicks off June 4 Hank Williams Sr + Patsy Cline VTC
250th promotion to continue highlighting the 4th of July. 5K race being planned
● Greg Beam (Town of Mount Jackson) Junk n Jams in the park will continue through the fall. Music,
coffee truck, yard sale stuff “no nasty attitude allowed” super casual. Nights at the Nest 2nd Tuesdays 48 (the incubator space) Friends of the Nest as supporting groups to teach entrepreneurship. “Nesters” are
the constants to run registers and admin. Lots of learning. Mad Hatters Tea upcoming (Family Event).
Artists and vendors are going to set up for it. Tater Fest to be discussed later.
● Katie Mercer (Town of Woodstock) 2 Wander Woodstock events already complete with a new one
coming in conjunction with Kids Roc. The Town has been working on a Downtown Outdoor
Refreshment Area (DORA) license, and it is almost fully approved. Only for special events.
● Dan Harshman (Town of Edinburg) on track with visitor numbers, May seems to be bigger than last
May. The Town purchased parking from Shentel. 45th Ole Time Festival finalized, ‘We the People’
Trailer, LOVE sign graphics gone to print, Mosaics at the Mill in June.
● Savannah Frazier (Town of New Market) Jammin Foods Fest had a surprise storm, but was successful
anyway. Zootopia movie night, June 12 Music event, LOVE sign complete. The lighting at the Mural is
beautiful at night.
● Ashley Proctor (Shenandoah Caverns) Vendors welcome for upcoming Wedding Expo. 250th kickoff
for the 27th of June. May is Fuel-up Fridays as an initiative to bring visitors. Revenue is down but
ACOP is up, Airbnb is down as well, patio and dog friendly is new to encourage visitation.
4

● Sharon Baroncelli (Shenandoah County Chamber) Tourism Think Tank was excellent, promoting
collaboration between businesses. 25 businesses registered to engage with the 250th Passport program.
Meant for tourism related businesses. It will then be repackaged for the Yard Crawl.
● Kirk Gibson (Shrine Mont) Open for Four weeks, doing well. Please take rack cards. Riding high on a
Virginia Living Article. 100th Anniversary capital campaign 12 mill of 15 mill raised. Campers on the
mountain. Music Fest has announced the last concert and they are selling packages. Lots of bikers at
Bryce. We don't allow pets in rooms. “Things are hopping”
● William Martin (Post Card Cabins Alum Spring Road, Basye) It has been a really slow May, (spring
is usually slow) hoping June will pick up. First year of Marriott Envoy partnership.
● Greg McCarly (The Shenandoah) theshenandoah.com Website is ready for booking rooms. 20 rooms
will be available Jan 2027, and then the full resort of 120 rooms is expected to be complete January
2028. Construction has begun. New branding underway.
● Mark Dotson (District 1 Representative) Would love to see a LOVE sign in Basye/Orkney.
The next meeting will be at the County Government Center. It will be held at 12:00pm on June 16, 2026. With
no further business, the Tourism Council adjourned at 1:20 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kary Haun
Marketing Assistant
Shenandoah County Tourism

5

Google Analytics
(May 2025 vs May 2026)

6

7

8

Shenandoah
County Tourism
Monthly Campaign Report Summary
Through 5.26

June 9th 2026

OBJECTIVES OVERVIEW
Business Objective
Increase brand awareness of Shenandoah County to drive
increased tourism visitation leading to increased overnight
stays, visitor spending, and overall economic impact for
the businesses and communities within the County.

Campaign Objectives
• Create awareness
• Drive increased traffic to the website (CTR)
• Goals:
• 5% increase in website visits
• Bounce rate no higher than 70%
• Increased time on site
• Increased traffic to outbound links
(e.g., bookings)
• “Sub-Goals”
• Increased Visitor Guide requests
• Increased eNewsletter sign-ups
• Increased followers on social channels

2

FLOWCHART

3

MEDIA METRICS
MEDIUM

MEDIA PURCHASED

SPEND TO DATE

% DELIVERED

IMPRESSIONS
PURCHASED

IMPRESSIONS
TO DATE

% DELIVERED

SEARCH

$20,000

$16,808

84.04%

5,000,000

4,118,063

82.36%

SOCIAL

$23,400

$19,874

84.93%

1,750,000

3,453,246

197.33%

SOCIAL (BVC)

$3,000

$2,994

99.80%

450,000

433,948

96.43%

DISPLAY

$25,000

$13,834.00

55.34%

2,586,207

2,385,168

92.23%

VIDEO

$25,000

$28,184.00

112.74%

1,749,409

1,621,329

92.68%

TOTAL

$96,400.00

$81,694

84.75%

11,535,616

12,011,754

104.13%

4

CTR/VCR SUMMARY
MEDIUM

CTR / VCR

NOTES

PAID SEARCH

1.58%

Flat MoM

2.13%

Among active FY26 ads, the highest average CTRs were generated by the new FourSeason Anthem Video Instagram Feed ad (4.82%), the new Four-Season Anthem Video
Facebook Feed ad (4.72%), and the Hiking Trail Running Video Facebook and
Instagram Stories & Reels ad (4.65%).

PAID SOCIAL (BVC)

4.67%

While CTR declined slightly toward the end of the campaign on 11/30/25, overall
performance remained strong – outperforming the Travel benchmark (2.76%) by 69%.
The highest average CTRs were 5.95% (FB/IG Stories & Reels) and 4.96% (FB Feed),
indicating strong engagement across key placements.

DISPLAY/MOBILE

0.10%

Flat MoM

OTT (Video Completion Rate)

97%

Flat

OLV (Video Completion Rate)

98%

Up MoM

PAID SOCIAL

5

PAID SEARCH, CTV/OLV + DIGITAL
INSIGHTS
• Display and CTV launched August 25th. CTRs have continued to perform well. Seasonal creative has been exchanged.
• VCR remained consistent the last few months, still exceeding the 95% benchmark. OLV has stayed consistent with what we are
anticipating MoM as well.
• CTV & OLV Top markets like Washington and Philly DMAs are currently leading in overall delivery. CTV continued to out
perform benchmarks. Top apps are still Samsung TV Plus, followed by The Roku Channel, & Vizio. OLV top two sites continue
to be feathermc.com and sudoku.com. OLV top markets are continue to be Virginia & Maryland
• The Google Ads campaign is performing exceptionally in terms of awareness year over year — overall impressions are up
+996%, clicks increased +182.78%, and CPC has become 45.98% more efficient.
• Responsive Display alone has driven over 2.85M impressions and almost 53K clicks (1.85% CTR) with $5,931.25 in media
spend ($0.11 CPC, flat MoM).
• YouTube is also increasing awareness awareness in the market, generating over 809K impressions and 582 clicks.
• For search the top performing keywords are “things to do in Virginia”, “Shenandoah national park”, “visit Shenandoah
county”, “Shenandoah valley”, and “Shenandoah travel guide”.
6

CTV & OLV

7

PAID SOCIAL INSIGHTS
FY26 General Campaign (Traffic Objective)
• Meta efforts for the FY26 General Campaign launched in early September, with performance remaining strong through May. The campaign has now delivered
an efficient $5.76 CPM, remaining consistent month-over-month. Facebook Feed and placements alike continue to drive the lowest CPMs, averaging $4.46.
• Spring/Summer ads have continued generating strong CTRs and CPCs. In late April, a new :30 four-season brand anthem video was introduced using the
same ad copy as the existing anthem spot and has quickly emerged as one of the campaign's top-performing creatives. The Stories & Reels version has
generated one of the highest click volumes (all clicks) of any single ad, while the Starry Camping image ad has driven the highest number of landing page
views, all clicks, link clicks, and impressions among active creative.
• Average CTR across all messaging, networks, and placements is 2.13% (all clicks), including ads that have since been paused. Active Instagram and Threads
Feed placements continue to drive the strongest engagement, generating an average CTR of 4.24%. Facebook Feed placements+ are now delivering the
lowest cost per landing page view at $0.33, followed closely by Stories & Reels placements at $0.35.
• Since launching in September 2025, Shenandoah's Meta ads have generated nearly 294,000 post engagements at an efficient $0.07 cost per engagement,
remaining consistent month-over-month. Engagements include more than 4K reactions, 55 comments, 338 shares, 423 saves, 254 Facebook Page likes, 268
Instagram follows, and more than 2K Instagram profile visits.
• Looking specifically at Spring/Summer performance, the new four-season anthem video has already climbed into the campaign's top three ads for total post
engagements. Among currently active ads, it has generated the highest number of reactions (337), saves (40), shares (32), and Facebook Page likes (25),
demonstrating strong audience engagement beyond clicks alone.

8

CAMPAIGN RECOMMENDATIONS
Paid Social
• As noted in recent reports, the team recommends developing additional creative variations (e.g., Collection ads and other formats) to expand testing opportunities and further
improve CTR and engagement. This may be a strong consideration during FY27 planning as the campaign continues to evolve.
• Instagram profile visits — and more recently, IG follows — have continued to increase over time for the General Campaign. With the BVC campaign not currently active, the
team recommends leveraging short-form Reels featuring peaceful nature footage, along with static and carousel creative showcasing multiple overlooks, itinerary-style content,
and trip-planning inspiration. ✨ These formats have historically performed well across social and may be particularly effective when paired with a stronger focus on regional
drive-market audiences.
• Additionally, the team recommends incorporating more user-generated content (UGC) and similar authentic storytelling into future paid social efforts. Video content similar to
the assets currently being utilized within Hearst's Premium Boost campaign could provide an opportunity to further strengthen engagement and destination appeal.
• If budget allows, the team could also explore launching a dedicated drive-market campaign. This approach would optimize budget delivery at the campaign level rather than
across individual networks and placements (ad sets) within the General Campaign. By reallocating a portion of the existing budget, Shenandoah County could test a more
focused strategy aimed at driving visitation from audiences located closer to the destination. Given historical performance trends, this may be a worthwhile test to consider as
part of FY27 planning.

Paid Search + Display + Digital
• Monitor and optimize Google campaigns and overall budgets.
• We are shifting bid strategy from maximize conversions to maximize clicks.

9

APPENDIX

10

APPENDIX

11

PAID SOCIAL RECAP - BVC - (INACTIVE)
FY26 Black Valley Creative Campaign (Engagement Objective)
•

Black Valley Creative (“BVC”) ads were reactivated early-September and were in market through the end of November (11/30/25).
For FY26, results showed that BVC’s Meta ads drove a low CPM of just under $7 ($6.90). Like the general campaign, the FB Feed
Ads had the lowest CPM of $4.80.

•

Average CTR across all networks and placements was 4.67% (all clicks included) — Facebook and Instagram Stories & Reels
garnered the top average CTR of 5.91%, with Facebook Reels responsible for the most landing page views, clicks, link clicks,
impressions, and accounts reached for these vertical placements — followed by Instagram Stories.

•

BVC’s FB and IG ads saw over 159,100 post engagements at a cost per action of $0.02 (M/M)—including at least 2.1K post
reactions, 39 comments, 227 shares, 187 saves, 107 Facebook likes, 125 Instagram follows, and 831 Instagram profile visits.

•

“There’s nothing to do in a small town” video generated the most post engagements, and for all networks/placements.

12 12

Sojern Report
The spring media campaign for Shenandoah County successfully completed its flight
targets, showing exceptional engagement metrics across programmatic channels. Utilizing
a full budget of $50,000, the media mix effectively leveraged cooperative program
structures to maximize regional visibility.
•
•
•
•
•

Total Campaign Budget: $50,000.00
Total Media Spend: $50,013.01 (100% budget pacing)
Total Impressions Delivered: 6,599,121 (Over-delivering by ~26.7% vs. goal)
Total Clicks Generated: 13,338
Overall Campaign CTR: 0.202%

2. Media Mix & Programmatic Performance

The campaign split weight between a standard Display component, a shared Display CoOp tier, and high-impact Pre-Roll Video assets, supported by highly responsive Added
Value inventory.

Performance Breakdown by Package

Package / Tactic Planned Goal
Delivered
Category
(Imps)
Impressions
Display (Co-Op
3,125,000
3,125,493
Tier)
Pre-Roll Video
833,333
833,380
Display
1,250,000
1,251,028
(Standard)
Pre-Roll Video
1,388,889
1,389,220
(Added Value)
Total Campaign
5,208,333
6,599,121
Footprint

Key Tactical Insights:
•
•

•

Clicks

Click-Through
Spend
Rate (CTR)
(Uncapped)

4,289 0.137%

$25,003.94

3,581 0.430%

$15,000.84

1,932 0.154%

$10,008.22

3,536 0.255%

$0.00

13,338 0.202%

$50,013.01

Pre-Roll Video Anchors Strong Engagement: The paid Pre-Roll Video layer
performed excellently, achieving an impressive click-through rate of 0.430%.
Massive Lift from Added Value Video: The complimentary Pre-Roll Added Value
placement provided a substantial bonus to the campaign, contributing over 1.38
million high-quality impressions and generating 3,536 clicks at zero additional cost.
Co-Op Scale Success: The Display Co-Op tier served as the campaign's main
volume engine, delivering over 3.12 million impressions and securing 4,289 clicks,
proving the value of the collaborative regional marketing model.

3. Monthly Delivery Trends

Evaluating the campaign's pacing month-over-month shows steady scaling and a
progressive increase in user response as the travel season approached:
• March: Delivered 1,665,671 impressions and earned 2,120 clicks ($13,148.93
spent).
• April: Scaled upward significantly, delivering 2,446,057 impressions and driving
5,115 clicks ($18,234.38 spent).
• May: Reached peak campaign interaction, serving 2,487,393 impressions and
generating 6,103 clicks ($18,629.70 spent).

4. Creative Size Performance

Evaluating user interaction across the display configurations identifies which layout sizes
resonated best with the target audience:
• High-Efficiency Display (): Large half-page vertical assets recorded the highest
click efficiency among static banners, earning an exceptional 2.68% CTR (421
clicks).
• The Mobile Native Backbone (): Mobile banners served as the main driver for
display traffic, capturing 2,832 clicks across 1.89 million impressions while
absorbing $15,154.04 in media spend.
• Strong Video Impact ( & Custom Video): Multi-screen video configurations
performed at scale, combining for over 2.22 million impressions and generating
7,117 clicks across standard and premium player sizes.
• Desktop Leaderboards (): Maintained continuous web presence, contributing
1,619 clicks on an efficient 0.129% CTR.

March 2026 Performance
Tactic/Package

Impressions

Clicks

CTR

Spend

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Display

382,194

452

0.12%

3,058

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Display_Co-op

787,545

1,091

0.14%

6,300

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Pre-Roll

210,612

294

0.14%

3,791

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Pre-Roll_Added_Value
Total

285,320

283

0.10%

0

1,665,671

2,120

0.13%

$13,148.93

Tactic/Package

Impressions

Clicks

CTR

Spend

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Display

429,457

743

0.17%

3,436

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Display_Co-op

1,145,528

1,525

0.13%

9,164

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Pre-Roll

313,028

1,681

0.54%

5,635

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Pre-Roll_Added_Value
Total

558,044

1,166

0.21%

0

2,446,057

5,115

0.21%

$18,234.38

Tactic/Package

Impressions

Clicks

CTR

Spend

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Display

439,377

737

0.17%

3,515

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Display_Co-op

1,192,420

1,673

0.14%

9,539

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Pre-Roll

309,740

1,606

0.52%

5,575

Shenandoah County_Direct_Direct_VTC Co-Op_Mar-May 2026_Pre-Roll_Added_Value
Total

545,856

2,087

0.38%

0

2,487,393

6,103

0.25%

$18,629.70

Grand Total

6,599,121

13,338

0.20%

$50,013.01

April 2026 Performance

May 2026 Performance

Public Relations Efforts on Behalf of
Shenandoah County
May 2026

MEDIA CONTACTS
AARP

Freelance Contributor
She was seeking fall foliage without the scenic drive, instead focusing on places you would walk or
enjoy the colors at a slower pace. We pitched you. (Mindy)
Heather Bien
Freelancer in Virginia
Helped her with images to accompany a feature about Strasburg, then sent her our thanks when
the piece ran. Also tried to help her source someone to interview about thrifting, but that didn’t pan out.
(Mindy)
Freelancer in New Orleans
She responded to the road trip roundup, letting us know how much she loves a good road
trip. (Mallory)
Freelancer in Portland, Oregon
She responded to the road trip roundup. (Mallory)
Freelancer in Atlanta
She responded to the road trip roundup. (Mallory)
Forbes

Contributor
She was looking for ramp dishes for an upcoming story, so we submitted a pasta dish from Nikki.
We reached out with thanks when the story ran. (Mallory)
The Frederick Mom
Blogger
She responded to the road trip roundup, asking for sponsored content opportunities. We politely
declined and removed her from our lists. (Mallory)

9

Frederick News Post
Features Editor
She responded to the road trip roundup, letting us know she wants to include it in her paper’s arts
and culture section. (Mallory)
Influencer in Washington
He followed up with us, wanting to know if there has been any movement with a potential
partnership and let us know (again) just how excited he is about your destination. (Mallory)
Freelancer in Raleigh
Invited her to be a judge (aka “Tater Tester”) at TaterFest this year and she’s very interested.
(Mindy)
Freelancer in New York
She needed outdoor and adventure ideas in the DMV area, so we shared some of your outdoor
offerings. She came back requesting paid content opportunities, which we declined. (Mallory)
Freelancer in Washington
Followed up with him to clarify some of his questions about the culinary opportunities in the
county. He decided to pass on a visit at this time. (Rachel)
Freelancer in Cyprus, Texas
She responded to the summer road trip roundup. (Mallory)
Philadelphia Magazine
Deputy Editor
She responded to the summer road trip roundup. (Mallory)
Influencer in Dulles
She followed up with us to check if there has been any movement with a potential partnership and
let us know she'd be in the area in both the summer and fall if we want to move forward. (Mallory)
Freelancer in Colorado
Reached out to welcome her to the Pitchcraft platform. She sent back a nice note and is interested
in wine angles. She’s already written about five of your eight wineries. (Mindy)
Maddie Smith
Influencer in Washington
We've been in contact throughout the month, arranging her collaboration. (Mallory)
10

Freelancer and Blogger in Atlanta
She responded to the road trip roundup, wanting to turn it into an MSN piece. (Mallory)
Travel + Leisure
Hayley Hutson, Freelancer on Assignment
Her Shenandoah County piece was updated and reposted, so we sent her a note of thanks.
(Mallory)
The Week Magazine
Senior Writer
She responded to the road trip roundup. (Mallory)
Freelancer in Miami
She responded to the road trip roundup. (Mallory)
TOTAL DEDICATED MEDIA CONTACTS: 21
TOTAL ALL-CLIENT CONTACTS: 19
TOTAL DEDICATED MEDIA CONTACTS: 21
TOTAL ALL-CLIENT CONTACTS: 19
TOTAL MEDIA CONTACTS THIS MONTH: 40
TOTAL MEDIA CONTACTS THIS YEAR TO DATE: 219

PRESS RELEASES
Summer Road Trip (May 13): We rounded up road trip-worthy trips to take this summer. (Mallory)
PRESS RELEASES SENT THIS MONTH: 1
PRESS RELEASES SENT THIS YEAR TO DATE: 3
PRESS TRIPS
There were no press trips this month.
PRESS TRIPS THIS MONTH: 0
PRESS TRIPS THIS YEAR TO DATE: 0
PRESS TRIPS ON THE CALENDAR
Maddie Smith (July 23-24): She’ll be partnering with you to showcase a weekend itinerary and Woodstock
Café. (Mallory)
11

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
What Not to Thrift: Heather Bien was hoping to speak to Sue at Clementine Vintage for an article for
Southern Living, but Sue wasn’t very responsive. (Mindy)
Winter Alternatives: We tried to see if someone from Bryce wanted to comment on a story about how ski
resorts have diversified their winter offerings, but nobody responded to Brittany’s outreach. (Mindy)
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Blog: Wrote the May blog and we’re waiting on information from Brittany before writing the June blog.
(Mallory)
New Journalist Outreach: Continued adding to a list of new-to-us journalists who might be a good fit for clients so
we can connect with them and begin relationships. (Full Team)
Social Media: Engaged with journalists and posted destination content on Instagram this month. (Mallory)
Story Searches: Kept an eye out for stories we think we’ve placed or articles from pitches we’ve submitted on your
behalf. (Mallory)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Forbes: Nikki's ramp dish was included in this roundup from Aly Walansky, which was published on May 2.
(Mallory)
10 Delicious Drinks And Dishes Starring Ramps
Reach: 53,405,753 UVM
It also got picked up by other publications:
• Yahoo Life
10 Delicious Drinks And Dishes Starring Ramps
Reach: 379,895,392 UVM
• Yahoo News Malaysia
10 Delicious Drinks And Dishes Starring Ramps - Yahoo News
Reach: 684,480 UVM
Southern Living: Heather Bien wrote this ode to Strasburg, which went live on May 17. (Mindy)
This Charming Virginia Town Has Antiques, Mountain Views, And A Festival Devoted To Grilled Cheese
Reach: 16,338,406 UVM
Travel + Leisure: Hayley Huston's story from 2025 got refreshed and reposted on May 2. (Mallory)
Shenandoah County Is the Best-kept Secret in Virginia
Reach: 11,189,213 UVM
It also got picked up by these outlets:
• AOL
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I Grew Up in Virginia, and This Scenic Region With Blue Ridge Views and Quaint Towns Might Be the State’s
Best-kept Secret - AOL
Reach: 30,808,828 UVM
Yahoo Travel
I Grew Up in Virginia, and This Scenic Region With Blue Ridge Views and Quaint Towns Might Be the State’s
Best-kept Secret
Reach: 471,324 UVM
Yahoo News Malaysia
I Grew Up in Virginia, and This Scenic Region With Blue Ridge Views and Quaint Towns Might Be the State’s
Best-kept Secret - Yahoo News
Reach: 544,651 UVM
Yahoo Style Singapore
I Grew Up in Virginia, and This Scenic Region With Blue Ridge Views and Quaint Towns Might Be the State’s
Best-kept Secret - Yahoo Life Singapore
Reach: 1,305,110 UVM

STORIES PLACED THIS MONTH: 9
STORIES PLACED THIS YEAR TO DATE: 10
TOTAL REACH OF CLIPS THIS MONTH: 494,643,157 UVM
TOTAL REACH OF CLIPS THIS YEAR TO DATE: 494,648,669 UVM

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