Why are sexual wellness press trips so crucial?

Relationships are at the heart of the adult industry – in a world where digital seems to be taking over in so many areas, our world is still primarily built on connections with other humans. Connections with our bodies, our partners, our pleasure, but also between sexual wellness brands and the journalists who put their stories out into the world.

The adult industry may be slowly entering the mainstream, but it still faces taboos, advertising restrictions, social media suppression, and outdated stigma that can make it difficult to have your voice heard. A thought-provoking, well-written email pitch with potential can still get lost in an inbox. An innovative and game-changing product can still be misunderstood. And a mission centered on education and fighting misinformation can still be diminished to something superficial.

This is exactly why sexual wellness press trips matter more than ever.

Bringing a journalist into your event, creative space, or headquarters does so much more than simply pitch a product. It creates an immersive experience and shows (not tells) that sexual wellness is central to all of our lives, and it’s something you’re passionate about. It shows content creators the people behind the brand and the ethos they live by.

Face-to-face interactions build trust

As strong as a relationship built over email can grow over the years, journalists remain overwhelmed by their inboxes daily, and even the most convincing, story-worthy pitch can blend into messages from brands and PR reps. But having a face-to-face sitdown with journalists creates a more memorable experience and a foundation for long-lasting connections.

When journalists meet a founder in person, they come to understand the brand’s “why” and have the unique opportunity to ask questions that you may not be able to fit into (or get inspired by) via email correspondence. Sexual wellness press trips allows writers to see the thoughtful care put into product design, the considerations taken with inclusivity and safety, and the palpable passion that propels a brand’s team forward. 

When they’re working on a relevant story weeks, months, or even years later, surrounding the future of pleasure, sexual wellness trends, or body-safe materials, a press trip ensures you stand out and stay top of mind rather than blurring in with the hundreds of emails they receive daily. 

An engaging experience firsthand

As necessary as press releases are, there’s only so much you can communicate in one. Sexual wellness brands are complex, and so are their stories. It can sometimes be more effective to explain in person the research that went on behind the scenes, how products are made and with what materials, or a brand’s cultural mission.

Attempting to pack all this info into an email can make it long, overwhelming, and hard to digest, often resulting in journalists skimming over this information. Bringing journalists into HQ lets them fully experience the brand as you intended, witnessing firsthand the whys and hows behind product development and design, as well as a judgment-free safe space to ask questions on the fly. Sexual wellness is experiential and tactile by nature. When youallow journalists to immerse themselves and their senses in that relationship, it fosters more accurate and richer coverage. 

Creative sexual wellness press trips are more memorable

While it’s easy to cobble together a standard corporate presentation that you could have delivered virtually, creativity is essential for sexual wellness brands that want to effectively dismantle any stigma, shame, or awkwardness that often shrouds these topics. When brands and sexual wellness PR agencies allow journalists to participate in playful brainstorming sessions or hands-on workshops, it reframes things and portrays sexual wellness as a joyful, empowering experience that leads with innovation.

At Little Leaf Agency, we’ve experienced success by leading with creativity. We’ve hosted  “pour your own dildo” workshops and creative sessions where journalists brainstormed their own adult film concepts. These ideas aren’t driven by shock value. They were carefully designed to spark open conversations about pleasure and cultural narratives while offering an insider’s view of a world that consumers usually experience only from the outside. 

These moments are invaluable, providing a journalist with more than an email – they create a story and build a narrative. They allow for long-lasting memories and create a deeper emotional connection to a brand that will last for years to come. 

These photos are from a press trip I led on behalf of Little Leaf in Barcelona for ERIKALUST, where journalists got to take part in the ethical adult brand’s brainstorming process.

Planning for a seamless VIP experience

No matter how unique sexual wellness press trips are, innovation can’t outweigh logistics. Ultimately, a press trip is respected, and part of hosting these trips means acknowledging that a journalist or influencer’s time is valuable. Therefore, preparation is the most important factor when designing these trips. Transport should be planned in advance down to the details, itineraries should be clear, and hotels should be organized beforehand, as well as any potential dietary restrictions. Every small consideration should feel smooth and handled.

The more professional and well-equipped you are on these trips, the more it reinforces the connection and treats the invitees with the respect they deserve. Paying attention to these little details guarantees that the relationship continues and grows. Even after everyone has boarded their flights and gone home, you can gently follow up with additional imagery, research, info, and interview opportunities to keep the conversation flowing.

What if the budget is tight?

Not every sexual wellness brand is capable of funding an international press trip, and that’s completely understandable. At its essence, a press trip’s main goal is to provide a journalist with information and insight that tells a compelling story. This can happen over an intimate dinner, a roundtable discussion, or even a well-planned one-on-one between a CEO or founder and a journalist.

Sincerity, access, and openness matter more than scale. If you can provide all that and make yourself available to answer questions authentically and in a meaningful way, it’s still possible to build a strong, ongoing relationship via sexual wellness press trips both big and small.