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Make Your Seminars Front-Page News --- Free!
Make Your Next Seminar Front-Page News
By Daryl Logullo
March 1, 2002 7:00 am ET
Hungry for local news coverage? Here are some tips for tailoring your next seminar to the reporters—and attracting full-fledged media coverage.
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Getting the Press to Call You
Online services such as ProfNet turn you into a source for hundreds of journalists, upping the odds of getting yourself quoted in the media as an expert.
How to (Intentionally) Attract the Press
Demonstrate your expertise by being timely and observant of how the press works.
Want reporters to beat a path to your next seminar and write about the event in your local paper? Become a news creator.
I'm not talking about coming up with some rinky-dink, two-sentence announcement of your event in the "Community Calendar" section of your newspaper. I'm talking about full-fledged coverage—an article illustrated with a photograph of you educating prospects. A local newspaper article can generate immediate exposure, heighten your credibility, and land you big savings in marketing costs for future events.
You've probably already tried to land a write-up on a seminar or event—only to strike out. But don't quit. According to public-relations shops across the nation, sparsely attended media events have become the norm over the past few months. Why? Media budgets have dried up, and story deadlines have tightened. And this will continue to be the norm until the economy picks up, according to one national business editor I know.
Attracting the spotlight
Regardless, you can take a number of steps to improve your chances of a write-up in your local business section. Consider the following:
Be generous with food for the press. Skimp on the shrimp for your seminar attendees, but not for the press. Start serving a reporter or editor salty snacks and water, and don't ever expect her to return—let alone write about your seminar. Your event—the room, refreshments, location, and atmosphere—are a personal reflection of your taste and style. So serve peanuts—but only if you can live with a peanut reputation.
Plan your event time around the journalists' schedules. Most advisors plan their seminars and then try to get reporters to show up. That's a losing proposition. Take into consideration journalists' weekly and daily routines. Most news desks determine the next day's story roster by 11 a.m., so consider breakfast and lunch seminars. Big events, like annual galas, year-end market reviews, or 2002 forecasts, are best for the evening.
Get confirmation that your seminar is newsworthy. This is by far the biggest mistake advisors make when wanting to land press coverage. Just because you've already designed an ultra-slick PowerPoint presentation on "Estate Planning in Uncertain Times," or "How To Invest in Technology Companies Today," don't expect a reporter to take an interest. These subjects are too broad.
When brainstorming on seminar topics, ask yourself: What seminar can I produce that will immediately appeal to people in my community? And before investing the time and money to put the seminar together, bounce the idea off of a media strategist who is accustomed to dealing with your local paper. One small tweak can mean the difference between your event winding up on the front page or the garbage can.
Use a press release—but only after the event. A summary-style press release containing what was discussed—a market forecast, the future of tech stocks, noticeable trends on the health-care industry—is a much more effective communication tool than a generic release pre-announcing the event. Make sure that your release is loaded with facts, figures, statistics, and a concluding statement along the lines of "these research findings are available by contacting. . . ." Don't attempt this yourself; invest in a professionally written release.
Localize your seminar with a national trend. Most local news desks seek out national trends, then apply them to their own neighborhoods. Take the same tack: identify a national financial trend (market drop) and localize it (effect on a nearby working-class neighborhood) to concoct your seminar (the effect on an employee's 401(k) plan). So, in this example, you'd produce a catchy, timely seminar called, "The Nasdaq Markets' Effect on 401(k) Plans—What Residents of Mayberry Should Do." Combine this with statistics, figures, or comments given by participants at the event, and you've got the making of a terrific—and newsworthy—story.
Splurge on infrastructure. The media's new emphasis on deadlines means that the press needs immediate access to the Internet and digital phone lines to transmit photos and file their stories on the spot. We advised one client, for example, to provide a "private press lounge"—the hotel's business center, which he rented for two hours with VIP access for reporters only. The result? Classy hors d'oeuvres and front-page news in two local papers.
Final thoughts
Remember: due to shrinking budgets, the media is attending fewer events than when the economy was booming. How can you ensure that your local business desk will be consistently interested in your events? According to one editor I know, "Breaking news, more hard news on trends, forecasts, things that will move the economy—these are now the things that will grab a reporter's attention and get them in the door." With less time for meet-and-greet functions, the press is searching for stories that are guaranteed to be newsworthy. Recognize that a reporter can—and will—attend only those functions that are geared toward generating news.
Also, approach your local publicity strategy by thinking things through before booking your next seminar. I recommend planning in 90-day increments. Hiring a proven media strategist as a short-term consultant can pay huge dividends. And remember: news features don't happen overnight. But you're investing in a long-term publicity program. Choose your first steps carefully, as they'll become invaluable to your future efforts. The payback to your image, to your business, and to your firm could be enormous.
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