How to Get a Good Media Turnout for Your PR Events

With events season in full swing, chances are you won’t have first dibs on key media reps. Here are our top three tips to consider when organising an event to make sure you get the right people where you want them:

Choose the right day

Unless you’re promoting a well-known international brand like Chanel, Apple or Aston Martin, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the day you choose to hold your event.

Think like a journalist who has a backlog of emails to go through on a Sunday and a busy Thursday tying the week’s work together. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays seem to work best for them. If in doubt, there’s no harm asking them which day would work best and setting the date accordingly.

 Target the right people

Before sending out your invites, you need to make sure that, not only are all the relevant media titles on your list, but that only the relevant people from each title receive your invite. Use tools like CisionPoint to determine who the key influencers are and work your way through them.

 Give enough notice

At this time of the year, journalists are busy planning their calendars for Christmas, National Day, New Year’s Eve, Fashion Weeks, concerts and so much more. To get the maximum media turnout, you need to make sure they have at least two weeks’ notice.

Sending out invites early would not only help get more people onboard but would also make you aware of potential red flags. For example, if the numbers don’t look like they’ll put a smile on your client’s face, you can start working on alternatives, like one-on-one journalist meets or behind the scenes exclusives, before the situation turns into a crisis.