In the following article you will find different ways to capture the attention of the press in your event and increase the chances of generating traffic to your booth and grow business opportunities with your potential customers. Excellent article.
1. Find your angle.
As you start to develop your press strategy, your first task is to come up with a spin that will get editors - and their readers - interested in your company. What products or services will you display that are new and innovative since the last time you attended this show? Do you have a story with a human-interest twist? What about your product will save the publication's readers time, money, or hassles? Skip the boring history of your company and bios of company officers. For the most part, editors couldn't care less, and neither could their readers.
As you start to develop your press strategy, your first task is to come up with a spin that will get editors - and their readers - interested in your company. What products or services will you display that are new and innovative since the last time you attended this show? Do you have a story with a human-interest twist? What about your product will save the publication's readers time, money, or hassles? Skip the boring history of your company and bios of company officers. For the most part, editors couldn't care less, and neither could their readers.
2. Work with show management.
Start by finding out when show management will release the list of press reps covering the show. Then ask about on-site opportunities to meet with the press such as VIP press tours before show opening. Also ask if a press-briefing room will be available and, if so, how you can book it for the prime time slots early in the show.
Start by finding out when show management will release the list of press reps covering the show. Then ask about on-site opportunities to meet with the press such as VIP press tours before show opening. Also ask if a press-briefing room will be available and, if so, how you can book it for the prime time slots early in the show.
3. Target the right press.
There's no such thing as bad press, but write-ups in some publications are certainly better than others. Do a little research to find out which publications your clients and prospects are most likely to read. The most popular of those should become your "tier-one," or targeted publications. Defining this list of targeted media outlets will allow you to focus on creating relationships with writers and editors who have the power to put your messages directly in front of the end users you hope to reach.
4. Start communicating early.
It's critical to get on editors' radar before they arrive at the trade show, or you risk not making their must-see list of exhibitors. If you're unsure about when you should start contacting editors, simply ask a few of your targeted journalists for the optimum time to submit an initial press release. Depending on their schedules, this could be months before a show, so they can meet editorial deadlines for pre-show issues. Others may simply prefer that you distribute your release as part of your press kit in the official press room.
5. Create an interesting press kit.
Unless you've spoken with members of the media before the show opens, your press kit may be your first - and only - contact with reporters. The way you present your information, the medium you use, and the content itself all have an impact on whether your message will reach your targeted editors or end up in the trash.
6. Write an engaging press release.
Once you've attracted editors' attention enough for them to pick up your press kit, it needs to deliver the kind of information they're looking for. Your press release should include the following: company name and contact information (including booth number); a short, informative headline with a secondary description as a subhead; the body of the press release; and finally, a brief boilerplate description of your company and why it's an authority in your industry.
7. Provide publication-quality visuals.
If you have interesting photos to support your press release, include them in the press kit. For example, if your release is all about a new product you're launching at the show, provide high-quality images of that product. Oftentimes publications rely on provided product shots, meaning that if you don't have usable, high-quality images, your new gadget may have zero chance of getting reviewed.
8. Develop an at-show press plan.
Press kits and press releases can be great for getting the word out about your company and its products, but if you're really serious about attracting the press, consider adding at-show elements to your press plan. For example, you could host a formal press briefing in the show-provided press room, plan a before- or after-hours press event in your exhibit with hands-on demonstrations, or hold an after-hours wine-'em-and-dine-'em reception. Depending on your budget and press objectives, you may want to choose several different methods.
9. Offer one-on-one interviews.
Depending on the news being announced, press members I've spoken with consider group press conferences less effective than one-on-one press interviews in terms of depth of information and relationship building. They'd rather spend their time speaking with a company executive and getting the specific information that would be of value to their readers than getting the generic information often presented in a group press briefing.
10. Don't forget the follow-up.
Just because the show's over doesn't mean your press duties are done, too. Drop a quick e-mail to the editors you spoke with, thanking them for their time, providing any information promised, and asking if they need any further information.
9. Offer one-on-one interviews.
Depending on the news being announced, press members I've spoken with consider group press conferences less effective than one-on-one press interviews in terms of depth of information and relationship building. They'd rather spend their time speaking with a company executive and getting the specific information that would be of value to their readers than getting the generic information often presented in a group press briefing.
10. Don't forget the follow-up.
Just because the show's over doesn't mean your press duties are done, too. Drop a quick e-mail to the editors you spoke with, thanking them for their time, providing any information promised, and asking if they need any further information.
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About Autor:
Candy Adams, CTSM, CME,CEM, CMP, CMM,"The Booth Mom,"is an independent exhibit-management consultant, trainer, speaker, writer, and an Exhibitor conference faculty member. CandyAdams
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