The Press Release that Launched Luke’s Lobster
Luke Holden and Ben Conniff on building their brand
Heads up! This is an excerpt/recap from our small business podcast, Salt of the Earth. If you like it you can subscribe to our newsletter.
Who doesn’t dream of that magical press release? The dream goes something like this: “I’ve got a great business. If only the New York Times would write about me, then everyone would know about me. And then everyone would buy my product, because I’ve got a great business.” It’s the entrepreneur’s Atlantis. As much as the evidence indicates that it doesn’t exist, we still want to think it does. Which is why I was so intrigued by two guys that essentially did it.
Luke’s Lobster is a chain of restaurants that offer lobster rolls and other seafood fare in urban areas like New York and Chicago. It was founded by Luke Holden and Ben Conniff, two guys with no prior connection before they found each other on Craigslist. They had no restaurant experience. But with $30,000 in savings they opened up their first location in the East Village. Ben wrote a press release to promote the restaurant. On day one, they had a line of 500 customers who had heard of the new lobster restaurant. In week one, they had food bloggers in the restaurant writing favorable reviews. At the end of the first month, the New York Times had reviewed their restaurant. And they were profitable.
If you’re like me, you’ve blown past the incredible bootstrapping story and asked the only question that matters:
“Where is this magical press release?”
Ben and Luke were very gracious, and they provided it to us. Here it is.
They also reminded us that it wasn’t purely Ben’s perfect grammar that launched Luke’s Lobster to success. They’ve never stopped cultivating their audience, today doing most of that through social media. Their growth is strategic. And their product is authentic.
But if you want some tips: succinctness, authenticity, and a lot of media contacts are three things that helped this lobster chain rise from humble beginnings.
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