All publicity is good

Drinkly a one hour drink delivery service, courted controversy when it launched in Edinburgh using PingGo to get the press attention it needed.

Drinkly's Founder John Robertson had worked in the drinks industry for years and had seen first hand the impact good PR can have.

John's story: Pitching to the media was daunting and hard to keep going when people wouldn't talk to me but I knew I had to be persistent and eventually would get people biting.

I spent time researching journalists writing about drink in Scotland and had a good media list already compiled.

Once I got through to the news desk and spoke to the right person I was able to pitch my story and offer an interview and photography.

Following an interview the journalist contacted an alcohol awareness group to get their angle and though the final article was fair and put both sides of the story, the headline was negative. I knew this angle might come out so made sure I was ready to respond with clear answers to all the concerns they raised.

It was still a good story for us and achieved what was needed raising awareness of the brand and getting attention of investors.

I was ready for a negative spin and wanted to make sure I managed the situation effectively I shared my views in the Herald's comments section and on social media, went online to tell my customers that we were in the papers and asked them to support us which they did.

My advice would be to make it as easy as possible for the journalist. I also looked at how other companies had positioned themselves in my space."