Press Conference Pro Tips

Most media are shy, during a press conference's (PC) Q&A sessions, they never ask any questions.

After the PC is over as we adjourn for refreshments, they always surround the spokesman to ask their questions/interview them.

Our local industry term for this is "gang-bang". If you think that term is derogatory, it's because it is. When you see it in action, there's no other word that describes it better. As you can see from Najib getting gang-banged below.

It's different for political PCs, because the minister or official won't "hang-out" with you after the Q&A sessions.

So you find political journalists asking questions fearlessly. They don't have a choice do they?

So usually for PCs, I do the following:

1. Arrange interviews (after the Q&A sesh) with the attending media

2. Ask the client questions engineered to highlight interesting information

3. Sometimes arrange for an intimate fireside-chat type Q&A session

No. 3 may seem repetitive but it's only done in the rare case when the media just doesn't respond, so I know they will hound my client after the session, hence the fire-side chat solution, though rare.

Knowing what is newsworthy and what the journalist needs to write an article is essential in having a successful PC.

Continuously ensuring that we have a newsworthy angle to offer keeps the media coming back. If you can throw in an exclusive, even better.

The general rule is build a relationship with the media. The best way to do that, is by providing really good stories.

Which is why most times when a client says they want to invite the media, I will tell them no, just send a press release instead. Because I know the story isn't strong enough.

For the media to attend your PC these days, your product or service should at least be solving a problem or be related to what is dominating the current news-cycle.

I recently was asked by a foreign embassy to invite the media to an award giving ceremony. There was nothing newsworthy about it.

I suggested to them that we can send a press release instead with pictures, and I will put a "spin" on the angle.

They insisted in having the media attend the event instead. They didn't appreciate my years of experience and knowledge of the media, they even offered me more money! ??

I told them more money won't make a difference, the story isn't strong enough but their ego told them they knew better and didn't even respond to my counter proposal.

In the end, the mainstream media didn't attend the event or publish anything about it.

Instead they had some dodgy "influencers" with a couple hundred followers post some random pics and videos. ??

So please bear in mind folks, when I say don't do a PC and send a press release instead, it's for your own benefit.

I know what the media wants and how they think, it's not personal.

When the doctor diagnosed my late mum with cancer, I didn't get angry at the doctor. I asked her what's the best course of action, because the objective was to save my mum at all costs.

I didn't storm out of the hospital looking for a different diagnosis from another doctor.

Similarly, when your PR professional advises you against doing something that they know won't work, I hope you will listen to them. They are the experts that have your best interests at heart.

Tomorrow I'll share about how to spot news-cycles and trends, so stay tuned for that.

B