What marketing actually works for a small winery, brewery, or distillery?

Email, social, and marketing

The marketing that works right now puts your wine in front of new people through people who already like you: customers hosting friends, staff answering honest questions on video, and email that says something between shipments. A big budget isn't the deciding factor.

Most beverage brands spend their marketing money trying to convince strangers. The people who already love you are the better channel, because a friend handing someone a glass beats any ad.

The plays in this topic are cheap and specific. Customers host a wine night for friends for a discounted pack. Your team films the dumb questions guests are too shy to ask. A handful of producers build one shared story and bring writers to the region.

Online is still wide open. Internet sales sit at about 6% of winery revenue, below where they were before COVID.

Start with one: pick the campaign that uses a list or a team you already have, run it for 30 days, and count what came back.

Plays

Every play

Steal This PlayTurn your best customers into hosts of a wine nightOffer current customers 50% off a 3-pack or 6-pack if they host friends for a wine night within 30 days. New drinkers try wine in living rooms, not tasting rooms, and a friend is the most credible salesperson you have.From the May 27, 2026 issue Steal This PlayFilm the questions guests are too shy to askA recurring short video series where your team answers the beginner questions guests whisper at the bar. It builds trust faster than a tasting note and pulls in scrollers who'd never visit your website.From the May 27, 2026 issue Sales and RetentionSpot the five warning signs before a club member cancelsMost members warn you weeks or months before they leave. Track the signals, find your steepest drop-off, and step in before the cancellation, because keeping a member pays better than chasing a new one.From the Jun 3, 2026 issue Steal This PlayBuild a shared regional story and bring the writers to youSix Regenerative Organic Certified wineries in Paso Robles pooled their relationships and brought 12 writers to the region without a big PR agency. Any handful of producers with a common thread can do the same.From the May 7, 2026 issue Steal This PlayGet a full SEO audit of your website with Claude CoworkAn SEO audit an agency would charge $2,000 to $5,000 for, done in under 30 minutes: missing descriptions, keyword gaps, technical problems, competitors, and a ranked action plan in a Word document.From the Jun 17, 2026 issue

Numbers

Every number

6%Internet sales are stuck at 6% of winery revenueSilicon Valley Bank, Jun 9, 2026 44%44% of GLP-1 users drink less after starting the medicationEY, May 7, 2026

Prompts

Every prompt

Creative promptBuild a complete brand kit from your websiteTurn the colors, fonts, and photos already on your site into a multi-page brand kit anyone can design from.Social prompt30 "dumb questions" to turn into short videosBuild a list of the questions guests are too shy to ask, sorted into buckets, ready to film for TikTok and Reels.Social promptFive 45-second video scriptsScroll-stopping scripts for your short-form series, with on-screen text and a soft call to action.Social promptShort-form video production and posting planA repeatable shot list, batch-filming workflow, posting cadence, and the KPIs to watch for 90 days.Strategy promptInversion: list every way this could failCharlie Munger's tool: find every realistic way an initiative dies, then turn each into a preventive action.Creative promptScrapbook-style social creative from one bottle photoTurn a plain bottle shot into a playful, doodled, share-worthy visual for social posts, ads, and promos.Productivity promptThe 9 AM book briefingA daily 10-minute briefing on one great business book, with takeaways you can apply to your business.Marketing promptA $3,000 SEO audit with Claude CoworkInstall Anthropic's marketing plugin and get a full SEO audit of your website as a Word document in under 30 minutes.Social promptOrigin story carousel: the moment it all changedSeven Instagram carousel ideas about why your founder started, told like a conversation over a glass.

Tools

Every tool

Free to startClaudeAn AI writing and strategy partner for copy, analysis, and thinking through business problems.Free to startGoogle GeminiGoogle's AI, and a creative studio for realistic images from a plain description.Free to startChatGPT ImagesImage creation inside ChatGPT: brand kits from your website and social creative from one bottle photo.Paid plan neededClaude CoworkClaude working with the files on your own computer, producing finished documents, spreadsheets, and decks.Free to startRunwayAI video in your browser: text to video, image to video, and editing tools.Free to startHeyGenAI avatar videos: type a script and a digital presenter speaks it.Free to startCapCutA video editor for desktop and phone with AI features like automatic captions.

Apps

Every app

Free app, October 12, 2026Club Cancellation Risk ScorerDrop in your club export and see which members are about to cancel, why, and what to offer them this week.

Issues

Every issue

Work with Jeremy

Reading the plays is the easy part.

Changing what your team does on Monday morning is harder. Book a 30-minute strategy session with me, and we'll work out what to change first and how we could work together.

Book your session

30 minutes on Google Meet