How to do PR for an event

It is likely that most businesses at some point will be putting on an event. The aim of every business is to make sure that that event runs smoothly, achieves the aims and is a success all in all. In addition, businesses will often attend other peoples events and will need to spread the word about what they will be doing there, hopefully attracting new clients and/or customers.

It can be hard to know where to even start with planning for an event, but one of the most critical things to get going is the PR for that event. Without this, your event is likely to flop as people will simply be unaware of it happening in the first place, and even if people do turn up, they will not know why they are there or what the event is being held for. People need to know what to expect when they attend a business event.

With help from Eskenzi PR, we are going to be discussing how you can successfully utilise PR to get your event off the ground and ensure its success.

Release Clear Details about the Event

If it is the case that your company is running the event, it is best to give very clear details surrounding the event. If you are not, you can repeat the details which have been released by the leading company as soon as they come out so that the word spreads further and it becomes clear that you are attending the event.

Things to consider include:

  • Name of event
  • Location
  • Time and Date
  • Price (if there is one)
  • Where and how to buy tickets
  • Highlights of the upcoming event

Start Event PR Outreach Early

All publications have a lead time, so you will ultimately have the best chance of success by giving them as much advance notice as you possibly can.

It is recommended that you aim for at least one month before you event to target online publications, and at least two months before your event to target print publications.

The rule is, the larger the publications, the more lead time they will generally require.

Use Social Media and Blogging Platforms

Social media is one of the most important platforms for our generation and it is a great way to quickly grab someone’s attention in our ‘scrolling’ culture.

Make use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to spread the word about how you are participating in the event. Doing so will help to stir up some excitement in the industry and even a bit of mystery so people become intrigued and keep following you.

Reports and special features will be being released prior to the event, so keep an eye out so that you are able to take advantage of and get writing about it. If you are the company running the event, it is important to release such features to brew up some excitement and get the word out there.

Good blog content is also very vital and a key component of doing great PR. Good quality content will always be in demand and it is wise to not let your competitors use this trick.

Do event PR research

In order to maximise the ROI of your PR efforts, you should not go into it blindly. You need to begin with researching which types of press are most likely to attend and cover the event, whether it be your or one you are attending.

Once you are aware of this, you will know which publications to target, identify the sections, writers and editors who will focus on topics which are related to your event.

Key information to put in a media list:

  • Publication name
  • Relevant section
  • Contact name of writer or editor
  • Contact information (email, social media handle, phone number)
  • Area of focus – you can aim to adjust your pitch slightly to suit each publication.