Media and Press events in the PR world are an art, and here’s why.
Events in the media world are vital for the success of campaigns and companies, but who are we kidding? We love them! Whether they’re consumer events, media and influencer events or multi-brand events, PR events can help you increase the profile of your brand and create brand awareness. In this guide, you’ll find the best personal and professional tricks to help you plan and carry out a successful PR event in style.
Set a Theme for the Event
Choose your theme wisely, as it needs to reflect both the brand messaging and objectives, as well as being fitting for the audience you have put on the guestlist. Having a theme allows you to ensure that all the people attending share a common idea of the event and steer the conversation to the benefit of the client. Here are some points to keep in mind for when choosing the theme:
- Determine the brand values and identify the key messages you want to communicate. These will determine the structure of your event
- Your venue of choice can make or break your event. Make sure it is convenient for everyone to reach, has easy parking access or opt for a virtual event – these are things to keep in mind when choosing an event location.
- Determine your KPIs and measurables prior to the event to better manage expectations of results. What do you expect to achieve? Brand awareness? Higher sales for the brand? Make sure you know this when choosing the theme.
Attention to Detail
Events are normally developed and created by a team of creative professionals, but the key is to have very good attention to detail while executing it, as the small details can really add up and help you create a smashing event.
Guestlist
When putting together the invite list for your upcoming press event, start with the traditional media and journalists first. While inviting press, make sure to research the editor and their designation before you send out the invite, though. Take our word for it, there’s nothing worse than inviting a tech editor to a beauty event!
Also, don’t forget to add bloggers to that list of yours. Influencers, as we all know by now, are slowly becoming the new world media. The power that influencers hold is equivalent to seeing an ad on TV, so make sure you collate a list of trusted influencers with decent content to cover your event.
Get on Social
People follow influencers on social media because they like their individual personalities, but they follow brands because they like the brand’s vibe. Remember to get social about the event before, during and after the event. Promote the event by using hashtags, mentions, and ongoing reposts of content on the brand’s social media pages. Also, livestreaming your event can be one of the best things you can do for your event, as it increases social media reach and engagement, and helps you spread the word about the brand with a social media buzz. Think Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, all of these are social media sites you can utilize to create a vibrant positive buzz for your event at no cost.
Be Present
It’s important for any event that, as a host, you are there to socialize and get personal with people. It shouldn’t go as far as your dog’s name and picture-sharing, but you should be able to talk to people and bond with them at a level that they can remember you by, which can help you maintain a positive relationship with the guests. This will not only support you in executing memorable events, but it’ll also help you publishing news and press releases in the future.
We hope these tips and tricks help you put together a fun press event for your media friends, as well as get you extra brownie points with your clients and co-workers. Remember, planning comes first, the fun comes later!
Written by: Layan AlJammal
TishTash Junior Account Executive
