Deserved Recognition: How Hand & Stone Earned the Media’s Attention

Opportunity: Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa entered 2026 with strong growth, but was seeking more visibility in the national franchise landscape. The brand needed to build validity and credibility around its franchise opportunity with prospective owners, positioning itself as a top-tier investment in the wellness and self-care category.

What We Did: Launched an aggressive earned media campaign built around Hand & Stone’s franchise opportunity and differentation, targeting national franchise trade press and local business media to drive consistent, strategic coverage. Additionally, we pursued franchise awards and industry recognition to further validate the opportunity, and secured speaking placements at marquee franchise industry events to elevate brand leadership visibility.

Outcome: Within just a few months, Hera Group earned more than 20 placements across targeted national trade and local media, including Franchise Times, Franchise Update, FranchiseWire, Franchising Magazine USA, Franchise Chatter, and many others. We also secured a Franchise Innovation Award with Franchise Update, and earned multiple speaking opportunities at MUFC and FGMC - putting Hand & Stone’s leadership and franchisees on stage in front of the industry’s most active franchise development community. Together, the media coverage, awards and executive and franchisee visibility has established Hand & Stone as a credible, compelling opportunity for prospective franchisees nationwide.