Want Media at Your Event? 5 Hooks to Reel Them In!

Press coverage of your event amplifies your message and reaches many more people than just event attendees. Media coverage also builds positive brand visibility, credibility, and leads to increased revenues. But with shrinking newsrooms and journalists flooded with press invites every week, how do you ensure your event gets on their to-do list?

Besides genuine uniqueness and proximity to venue, here are ways to sweeten the pot (as they say) with catchy news angles:

1. Hype Up Superlatives

Is your event the biggest, first, or fanciest around? Play up the uniqueness of your event and pitch it as a hard news angle. When a new indie bookstore opened in 2016, they knew they needed a media boost to make a grand opening in the age of Amazon. By billing themselves as North America's only romance-focused bookstore, The Ripped Bodice celebrated their launch with stories in L.A. Weekly, Huffington Post, and Hollywood Reporter.

2. Give Them Something to See and Do

Influencers and local news anchors alike love events that play well on film. Visuals and interactive exhibits create eye-catching material that brings in followers and views. A stunning example of this is the Museum of Ice Cream, a pop-up that traveled from coast to coast, inspiring people to take pictures of themselves in the Sprinkle Pool or selfies with a millennial pink backdrop. Instagram appeal and a young charismatic founder propelled the MOIC into The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Forbes, and New York Magazine.

3. Find the Human Stories

Personalize events with human interest stories. Instead of talking about the event, talk about the people behind it. When the non-profit Sleep in Heavenly Peace spoke about how they came together to build bunk beds for underprivileged children, they told the story of the Hezeltine family and the joy the four boys felt as they slept in their handmade beds for Christmas. If that warms your heart, it will warm the media's too.

4. Rely on Local Influence

Whether it's local content creators or local businesses, the community where you are hosting the event is central to its character. Even events with global appeal, like the LA Times Festival of Books, can pick up media attention by showcasing local talent and businesses. Outlets promoting the event wrote stories about LA chiefs and cuisine, local authors, and a local government official who lauded the event as an opportunity for local businesses to expand their markets. The festival, which boasts over 150,000 attendees each year, would not have achieved that level of success without the local community.

5. Bring on the Star Power!

Tapping into a celebrity's fanbase for your event is a time-honored tradition. Keynote speakers, headliners, and guests of honor are are slots that can be filled with someone well-known in your industry or to the public. Conferences, especially pop culture conferences, know this lesson to be true. The San Diego Comic Con practically runs on star power with top Hollywood names like Ryan Reynolds, Jude Law, Gal Gadot, and Olivia Munn. A keynote by an industry figure (like that at CES by Dr. I.P. Park of LG Electronics) or a partnership with a celebrity chef (like Pure Leaf and Top Chef judge Gail Simmon's brewery event) are other ways you can catch media attention.

Events can be a great source of PR and marketing goodwill. If you're ready to explore the different ways your events can draw media attention, we can help. Click the button below to speak with a PR professional from SKC. To pick up more PR and marketing tips, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.