We've been getting a tonne of requests for complimentary passes lately and we know that, as the summer approaches, the demand for comps is only going to increase as travel influencers plan their summer activities.
This blog post is for influencers requesting complimentary passes and explains our terms of engagement.
Our history
Since we opened in nearly 4 years ago, Lady Dinah's has become something even bigger and more iconic than we ever imagined! We're known worldwide as the first UK Cat Cafe and the first crowdfunded cat cafe in the world.
We've been incredibly lucky to be fully booked about 90% of the time, with only the occasional quiet weekday allowing for walk-in spaces and last minute bookings.
Yet, we're a very small business
We want to be upfront about our position for our influencer friends: We're not really looking for influencers to spread the word about us.
We can't get much more booked than we already are, and we are about as well-known as we need to be.
As a small, well-known business, revenue is more critical to our survival on the high street than exposure. It is incredibly difficult to keep independent businesses alive in London. We are constantly vulnerable to rates hikes, rental increases and wage increases. To live, we need paying guests.
Things could change...
If circumstances change, we will likely run an outreach program. So although we may not offer anything now, if you'd like to go on the outreach program, please fill in this form to be added to our influencer database.
Our criteria
The influencer/business relationship only works if we both benefit. Here is a list of criteria that must be met for us to engage with influencers.
- If business is a little quiet and we need the boost
- The Influencer's following must be reasonably sized and highly engaged
- The Influencer's past content demonstrates their relevance to us - thematically, visually, on a values basis.
- The Influencer is relevant to a future plan or upcoming strategy
- The Influencer's audience are likely to share values with our community
- The Influencer's content is high quality and that they've been clear at all times if they haven't paid for a service.
- How the Influencer's followers respond to paid or advertorial content. If your followers hate things that look like ads, they're going to hate anything that looks like an ad about us.
What will we offer
If our team is satisfied with the above criteria, we'll add you to our VIP list.
If or when we run outreach activities, the nature of the event may vary, but you may be invited to special events or be offered comp tickets out of the blue.
We do not offer complimentary visits on weekends under any circumstances.
Press Visits
We offer press comp passes during weekdays for Entry Cats and a Cuppa only, so long as:
- We have been contacted from a verifiable member of the Press
- The purpose of the coverage is made clear
- The publication can guarantee a publication date
- The visit must be on a weekday
We are frequently contacted by individuals using press email accounts who are not able to supply these details and who insist on a weekend visit. We are alert to, and will reject any requests that appear to be press professionals misusing their credentials to secure complimentary passes for non-work related purposes.
We hope you'll understand
We're a very small, independent high street business and we rely on guests paying for their tickets, so we must be discerning about how many comps we issue, and that they're legitimate requests.
