Saving Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop

Edna Milay

Objective:

Impact PR & Communications was charged with the task of bringing awareness to the potential closure of the historic estate of acclaimed poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, dubbed ‘Steepletop’, in Austerlitz, New York and to do so within a 10-week engagement period – four weeks for research and approval on all materials and a short six weeks to execute. The overall PR objective was to get in front of audiences that could either make a substantial contribution or partner with an educational institution or organization to “adopt” the estate.

House Milay

Strategy:

  • Secure top-tier media placements through proactive media relations efforts
  • Coordinate executive interviews and on-site media visits with the Literary Executor for Edna St. Vincent Millay or other key board members of The Millay Society
  • Integrate key messaging on each of the social media platforms and establish a balanced frequency while maintaining the existing tone and voice on the organization’s channels

Pic Milay

Results:

  • 2 media placements in The New York Times within a 15-day period; one within the Arts section and the other within the New York Metro section
  • 170+ media placements including stories in top-tier national and regional outlets including The Associated Press, The Daily News, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Times, Poets & Writers, and Los Angeles Times
  • 262.9K media impressions in both national and regional outlets
  • Raised more than five times the public relations investment, plus a $20,000 donation, with additional financial contributions forthcoming

“

The Millay Society is thrilled with the Impact PR team’s professionalism, attention to detail, and most of all, results! After researching our project, they placed articles in several A-list publications including The New York Times. Unlike PR groups that assign one account executive per client, Impact PR offers the whole team’s talents and skill sets to tackle issues as they arise, all under the close eye of their CEO and founder. We were impressed by their high level of expertise and consistently creative, positive approach and are happy to recommend their services.

– Holly Peppe, Literary Executor of Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Edna St. Vincent Millay Society at Steepletop