Get Press Coverage for Your Company's Events
Publicity can play a big part in the success of any good marketing/advertising campaign, even without hiring a professional PR firm. Often, do-it-yourself is the way to go for small businesses or entrepreneurs. You are the perfect person to tell the media about your company, its history, its upcoming events and newsworthy team members.
Instructions
1. Plan your event carefully and make all of the necessary arrangements well in advance of the actual date; you want this event to go off without a hitch.
2. Begin your media blitz by compiling a list of people who you would like to attend your event. Include friends, customers and, most importantly, the local and trade press who may cover the event.
3. Send a formal invitation to all the primary media contacts, and their editors, on your list. This is a nice gesture and may lend an extra air of credibility to your media event.
4. Fax a secondary press release, company information and another invitation to your primary press contacts. Exclude the editors this time. If you haven't hooked them yet, chances are a 10-page fax won't do it, but it could give the beat reporter enough information to do a small story, even if she is not planning to attend your event.
5. Enlist the help of your office coworkers for a telephone blitz the day after your fax hits. Call your primary press contacts and ask if they plan to attend and/or write a story, or if you can provide any additional background information.
6. Double-check your arrangements at least two days before the event and print any additional name badges you may need.
7. Greet guests as they arrive; make sure they have the proper name badges and are directed to the area where the action will take place. Again, offer to provide any additional information your press contacts may need for a story.
8. Follow up after the event by sending thank-you notes to everyone, even before you know who wrote a great story. Timely follow-up is absolutely key to getting press coverage for your event.
9. Scan each media outlet for stories about your company event, but don't get your hopes up for the front page. Be satisfied and happy with whatever coverage you receive and remember, it was free.
