RootsRated Partners with Inside Out PR to Connect People with Local Outdoor Recreation and Activities

Chattanooga, Tenn. (May 22, 2014) – Fynn Glover, founder of RootRated, the fast-growing online resource on where to go to get outside, has tapped Inside Out PR and Consulting to provide media relations, external communications and event management for the growing digital outdoor company. Flooded with rich content from talented, local outdoor writers, RootsRated is currently sharing information about 3344 outdoor destinations, in and around 57 cities, nationwide.

RootsRated makes searching for authentic, local outdoor destinations and activities a seamless and trustworthy online experience, for visitors and residents alike. To do this, the company partners with specialty outdoor retailers and their extensive networks of local experts in communities around the country to identify a city’s best outdoor lifestyle experiences: from where to climb, trail run, cycle, and paddle, to where to grab a bite at local hot-spots afterward. Detailed reviews and directions to the best outdoor experiences coincide with long-form stories about the events, people, and places that make up outdoor communities around the country.

“We built RootsRated to harness the expertise of the outdoor industry,” says Glover. “Put bluntly, the outdoor discovery process is fraught with information that is fragmented, outdated, poorly designed, and in many cases, it’s non-existent. We wanted to create the best possible tool for people searching for their next outdoor experience, and we wanted this resource to be driven by content that is produced and consumed through networks of hyper-local expertise.”

Authentic local outdoor knowledge is hard to find. Each year, 50 million Americans search the web for what to do and where to go outside. The problem is that outdoor information online is incredibly fragmented. RootsRated is providing a solution to the problem through the voices of trusted outdoor experts with the support of premium brand partners Osprey, Marmot, Horny Toad, Outdoor Research, Vasque, Chaco, and Yakima, and local specialty retail partners which include: Backwoods, Skinny Skis, Midwest Mountaineering, and Mountain High Outfitters.

RootsRated: A Brief History

Glover first conceptualized RootsRated while on a cross-country road trip. As he jumped from city to city, he found himself Googling for terms like “Best Trail Running Minneapolis” or “Best Hiking San Francisco,” only to be greeted by a sea of mediocre search results. When he couldn’t find information online, he began stopping into local gear shops, where sales associates greeted him with their own rich knowledge of the area. Recognizing the broad-based need, Glover was inspired to create an online tool that would simplify the way people discover and access the most memorable outdoor recreation. He started to develop the RootsRated concept to help people share their insights. Shortly after, he partnered with Dawson Wheeler and Mark McKnight of Rock/Creek Outfitters, who’d grown to recognize this same need from their vantage points as outdoor retailers. Glover states it simply: “RootsRated makes it easy for people to discover the best of the local outdoor lifestyle.”

“RootsRated is filling a huge gap in our industry by providing both residents and visitors with authentic and local knowledge which helps more people to get outside and enjoy the outdoors,” states Inside Out PR’s Paige Boucher.

Inside Out Partner Erin Brosterhous added, “RootsRated is enabling outdoor retailers and brands to partner in an effort help their customers overcome the emotional and informational barriers to getting outside. This is an idea that is really working to grow the outdoor industry while keeping it relevant and sustainable.” 

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About RootsRated
Founded in 2012, RootsRated is a digital content marketing platform providing comprehensive information about outdoor recreation. Designed for active outdoor enthusiasts, RootsRated content delivers detailed information about local destinations for the most popular outdoor pursuits. Content is curated by local experts and created in partnership with leading outdoor specialty retailers. For more information, visit www.rootsrated.com.

About Inside Out PR and Consulting

With over 30 combined years of experience building brands and developing communications strategies, the Inside Out team knows the key to any successful idea is based in the emotional connection it creates with its consumer. Driven by passion for building lasting relationships with people and a love for the outdoors the ISO team prides themselves in being a ‘non-agency’ and in Telling your Inside Story to the Outside World. www.insideout-pr.com.

Media Contacts:

Paige Boucher, 970.291.4155, paige@insideout-pr.com

Erin Brosterhous, 970.846.1684, erin@insideout-pr.com