Providing Press Information

We are a news-driven outlet and are happy to provide an outlet to report news on happenings with your company and company’s products. This is done at no-cost and is a way to build exposure and excitement for your brand.

Please note, we generally require press information on a pro-active basis in order to consider your product for review on Cigar Coop. If you are posting a photo on instagram or another social media outlet hoping we will call and chase you to essentially write your press release (i.e. Cat and Mouse announcements), we probably are not the best fit for you. We spend many hours devoted to publicizing and reporting products / news items and take it very seriously. While we are happy to work with you publicizing your product, we ask it be in a pro-active manner where we are reached out to.

Cigar Coop is committed to a fair publication policy. Namely if it meets our newsworthy criteria, and is submitted to Cigar Coop in a timely manner, it will be eligible for publication in a timely matter. We don’t limit our news coverage to “favorite brands”.

1. Exclusive First Release: These are given priority for publication.
2. General Release: We get to this timely. We usually advise an embargo window where we can schedule a time to publish.
3. Cat and Mouse / Released to Others First: These will be lower priority and done on an as-need basis.

We do have some general guidelines to consider:

The Basics

• The Press Information must pro-actively be provided to us. In most cases, if a press release is given to a single media outlet, we still will require the information to be sent to us.
• Press Information does not require a formal press release. Information can be provided through email or phone conversations. We do not recommend Facebook/Instagram/Twitter messaging. Our email is monitored throughout business hours and beyond and is the preferred way to reach us.
• Press information for products must be sold through a storefront that is physical or web-site.
• Press Information must be provided by an authorized representative of the company.
• Press Information must be primarily cigar-centric. We don’t cover non-industry material with the exception of Prime Time Jukebox content.
• You must be the owner of the intellectual capital of have expressed written permission to use it. If we find, this is not the case, the content will be removed from Cigar Coop.
• We will typically not copy / paste the press release. It will be re-written so it provides a consistent format with the rest of the website and fits in with our journalistic framework.
• For the few press releases printed verbatim, they do not automatically represent the views or opinions of Cigar Coop.
• On exception to the Cat and Mouse rule is if a media outlet or a manufacturer directly notifies or tags Cigar Coop saying they have a company making a first time announcement on a podcast. In this case, we will consider that a pro-active communication and will work to publish It. If you don’t want it published, our advice is to not notify or tag us. Shop Exclusives do not fall into this category as they have additional criteria that must be met.
• The press information must be provided on a timely basis. In most cases, we don’t require first or exclusive rights. At the same time, the longer period between the first release and the time we receive it, the lower priority it will get in terms of publication. Significant delays from the the first release made of the information may result in Cigar Coop passing on covering this item.
• For products previously reported on by Cigar Coop, “Now Shipping to Retailers” articles must be sent the close of business when word first gets out the product is shipped.
• We will always honor the release date of the press release unless given expressed written permission of the manufacturer to release early. Any press releases sent “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” will be considered as soon as the editorial staff can get to it. If no date is listed or communicated to us, it will be taken as “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”.

Types of News Considered or Not Considered

1. “We got a new release coming soon” with no additional details is not press information and will not be considered for publication.
2. For shop exclusive releases and branded “lounges”, refer to the specific policies around this segment. These are handled the same as single store releases.
3. Some regional releases will be subject receiving press information the same business day as first announced (similar to shop exclusive policies). This will be determined by the size and scope of the release.
4. Single store, single cigar brand events will not be considered unless there is a new product announcement included. In this case, the focus will be on the product announcement and not the details of the event.
5. Multi-vendor events and brand festivals will usually be considered, but press information must be sent be sent before tickets go on sale and we must receive the announcement the first day it is sent to any media.
6. Products and Distribution agreements will be included as long as if national or international. These require direct press information to be released to Cigar Coop the same business day as first announced.
7. Marketing teasers, gossip, viral media, rumors, and information that cannot be validated will not be considered.
8. Charitable causes are not typically considered press information. if the charitable cause is tied to a product release, we will cover it in the context of the product release. If its sole “Company X donated Y Dollars to Charity Z”, we will not cover that.
9. Fundraising campaigns will not be considered for press information.
10. Contests and promotions are also not considered – including “special discount codes” and charity promotions. While we will consider contests and promotions for sponsors, we encourage them to utilize the banner or sidebar ad space as it provides more permanence during the specific campaign.
11. We will only support links to where to buy the product from our sponsors. Maintaining external links is costly to us.
12. With the exception of the IPCPR Trade Show, Event / Herf Coverage (Pre-Event, Recap) is typically not covered unless as a part of a sponsorship agreement.
13. Announcements pertaining to a competitive cigar media outlet “i.e. we got this XX rating from <<insert media outlet here>>” will not be considered for publication in a news story.
14. Contests and marketing campaigns related for a third party media outlet will not be considered unless it is tied in with a Cigar Coop campaign, or specific to a media brand owned by one of our hosts.
15. Personnel moves (hiring/termination) must come from the brand owner or authorized representative of the company. It’s not enough to tell us “I got a job as Marketing Manager for XYZ” (i.e. “write your own press release” not acceptable). The position for the personnel move must be what Cigar Coop deems a newsworthy position from a newsworthy company.
16. Local territory manager job postings will not be considered.
17. Social Media positions will be not be considered
18. Smoking bans on privately owned properties will not be considered for publication. These are too numerous to cover. They may be used as a discussion point on one of our podcasts.
19. Legislation letters sent to federal and local political offices will not be considered.
20. Political posts will only be considered involving tobacco legislation.
21. Competitive media site press releases around the media entity will not be considered. Some exceptions may be made for cigar collaborations with the media site.
22. Product packaging that can be deemed to be an infringement of a a design or trademark of an existing product will not be considered for publication. Parody logos and designs will also not be considered.
23. Product packaging or branding that could be construed as marketing to children will not be considered.
24. Open letters are generally not considered for publication.
25. Games, Puzzles, or Riddles that are used to deliver the press release will not be considered for publication.
26. GIFs are not considered a valid form of press information and will not be considered for publication.
27. Web-site launches, re-launches, or updates are typically not considered.
28. Video press releases will not be considered unless proactively sent to us.
29. Lounge openings will be considered if a formal press release is provided in a timely manner to Cigar Coop. While Cigar Coop is grateful for invites to lounge tours, we typically will not devote time to writing up original content on the opening. We can recommend media sites who devote time to this type of coverage.
30. Awards from other publications or organizations outside of the Cigar Coop team will not be considered
31. Trademark disputes will no longer be considered unless involving a court hearing. Private trademark disputes, including cease-and-desist letters will not be considered.

In rare cases, press information to help promote our sponsors may be considered for publication that would be outside the criteria above. Some exceptions to the exceptions may be made under the terms of a sponsorship agreement. The final decision on whether to consider news for publication ultimately lies with the Cigar Coop editorial staff.

Exclusivity Rules

For national releases, Cigar Coop may be offered an exclusive story or press release. In some cases we will take up to a one to two hour exclusive window. In these cases Cigar Coop does not ask for exclusivity beyond that window, but will defer to what the company offering the story will want to do.

For shop exclusives, in the cases where we are offered and exclusive story and have to write it from the ground up, we ask for a 24 hour window. For stories where a formal press release is provided in advance, it defers to the national rules above.