Dragon Glassware Catches Coverage with Press Hook

Based in Northern California, Dragon Glassware is a boutique, designer glassware company offering a variety of handmade artisan glassware and accessories for the home and kitchen. Its products are designed, developed, and manufactured for tea, coffee, whiskey, wine, beer, spirits, and more.

Most of its sales are online, direct to consumers, but as a smaller company that depends on prospects seeing products before purchasing, the challenge was getting the word out about the company’s offerings, according to Matt Rollens, its founder and CEO.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for the company to correct that because people were stuck at home, Rollens says. “When we started we had to bootstrap the business. I come from a PR background myself, but as the business got busier and busier, I wasn’t able to do as much marketing and PR myself and with the small team that we had internally.”

As Rollens looked for a solution, he was intrigued by Press Hook, signing with the firm in August 2021. “We looked around to find somebody who could help us grow an e-commerce brand. We really liked what they were doing. It was a very good fit. They had a very interesting approach to public relations that was quite a bit different than what agencies were offering,” he says.

Press Hook isn’t a public relations or marketing agency; instead, it is a technology platform built to connect companies looking for press coverage with publications looking for certain types of content. Press Hook provides free artificial intelligence-powered tools to create workflow efficiencies, like its press release generator, a digital tool that uses OpenAI’s language generator. The technology also enables companies to connect with relevant beat reporters and publications.

Similarly, reporters can sign up with Press Hook free of charge to receive leads for lifestyle, beauty, beverage, fashion, fitness, food, health and wellness, home, parenting, pets, sports, and sustainability articles. Through the Press Hook platform, reporters and publications request samples, download media assets, and connect to affiliate links.

“What I liked about it was that you can create your own profile,” Rollens says. “Press can search for certain keywords, like ‘whiskey,’ and we will come up. We have a profile page available for press and publications to find us. And we are able to show imagery. Our products are so visual, it’s a really great way for the press to see all of our products at a glance; then they can request samples from us.”

Sample requests almost always lead to press coverage, according to Rollens. “This really cuts through a lot of the noise and the clutter of just sending out basic email blasts and trying to drum up interest. Journalists can simply make a request on the platform, and we can respond, effectively cutting out the resource-intensive work that would usually be involved in trying to research and pitch our products in desirable places such as Good Housekeeping. What’s more, we’re able to attract journalists from publications that may not have been on our radar.”

Dragon Glassware received 49 press hits and 37 sample requests as well as more than 1 billion impressions in what Rollens calls “top tier” publications in the first year of using Press Hook. Since August 2021, Dragon Glassware has received 72 sample requests and 72 press hits.

Coverage in these highly targeted publications is critical in boosting sales, which increased 30 percent in the first six months with Press Hook.

“There’s more than that,” Rollens adds. “When we show up in these publications, it gives us more credibility on our site.”

Rollens expects Press Hook to continue to bring key press coverage, particularly around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and the Black Friday-December holiday shopping season. 

The Payoff

Since it started using Press Hook, Dragon Glassware has seen the following results:

• sales boosted 30 percent in the first six months;
• 49 press hits and 37 sample requests in the first year;
• more than 1 billion impressions in top-tier media within the first year; and
• 72 sample requests and 72 press hits since August 2021.