Your media launch is one of the biggest
events that your company will ever have to host, and so it’s important that you
get it right. One of the only times that you’ll be able to garner free media, a
press event can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet it doesn’t
have to be nerve-racking! With good planning, any press event can end in
triumph.
Venue
The venue is one of the most important
aspects to consider when organising a press event. When you send out your
invites to the media to attend your day, the first thing they’ll do is look up
where it’s being held. Press event venues can have a major influence on how the
day goes, and even though they may love your brand or what you do, if the venue
doesn’t impress them, journalists might give it a miss. Looking for unique London venues with all the necessary
facilities is one way that you can stay in touch with what the media would
like.
Think About Your Style
Searching for the perfect press day venues
can be a challenge, but it all comes down to one thing – your company. You will
need to think about the reason why you are having a media launch before you
start looking at event spaces. Is it to announce a product launch? A festival
brochure? A new CEO? This will impact the type of venue that you’ll consider
hiring. For example, you wouldn’t launch an arts festival in a space designed
for a conference event, would you? It just doesn’t make sense. The photographs
will look too corporate and the media won’t get the right vibe from you.
Searching for ‘event spaces London’ will give you a good idea of the vast range
of options that are out there so you can choose the perfect space for your
corporate event, conference, or intimate gatherings.
Finding the Perfect Location
While you may have found the perfect spot
for your press event, there is one important thing to consider, and that’s how
far away it is. You might have found a great room to hire, but if the distance
that the media has to travel is too large, it doesn’t matter what you’re
offering them, no one is going to battle through London traffic for it. While
you might have a vision in mind, it’s important to stay realistic.
Book in Advance
Venue hire can be difficult for another
reason as well, timing. If you don’t have your venue booked beforehand, then
the perfect place may slip from your fingers. Like anything in the city, these
things book up far in advance. You’ll need to pick your date and stick to it.
This will also mean that you’ll be able to inform the media of the date right
from the start.
Top Tips for the Perfect Press Event
No one really knows how a press day will
go before it happens, but there are some things that you can do to ensure that
it runs smoothly, and allow the media to enjoy themselves.
Press Release
The perfectly crafted press release can
drum up a lot of interest from the media about your press event. Make sure it’s
out at least 3 days before the event; invites to the press should have gone out
as much as a month before this and the press release is one of the last things
they should receive. It summarises what they are to expect from the event, and
all of the important details such as the time and place, without too much
wiggle room for unnecessary information. Remember, the press won’t want to see
a sales letter – a press release is designed to give them the information that
they need, and a brief summary.
Timing
The time of day that your event takes place
can impact what news coverage you get. While this will differ depending on what
industry you’re in, it’s an important fact to consider. Apartments in London
for parties might work for the film industry, but a press event is usually
quite a quick affair of no more than an hour. It generally happens during the
day so that there is still time for it to be in the newspapers the next day.
Everything in the media is done by deadline, and so if you need media coverage
by a certain date then the timing of your event is crucial.
Who to Contact
The people that you invite to your launch
might have some follow-up questions, and so they need to know who to contact.
Having a dedicated media manager is important in the days surrounding a press
event, and so is ensuring that they are always available to answer calls,
emails, and social media comments. Having one person covering this means that
your brand voice will stay the same throughout all of the media that you do.
Make sure that everyone involved has their contact details.
Have a Press Kit
The press kit is one of the most important
tools that you have at your disposal. It’s something that all of the
journalists will expect, and something that they can refer back to as they
complete the write up of your event. It should have:
- A list of
the speakers
- A copy of
the press release
- The
background of your company
- Bios of
the main members
- Interesting
photographs and news stories
Don’t Ignore Anyone
Sometimes, journalists simply can’t make
the event. That’s why it’s important that you post them out a press pack
afterwards and that they have a digital copy of the press release. Having some
photos available to them after the event may encourage them to still do a write
up on your launch. As for those that are there, make them feel welcome and do
everything you can to help them. They are the ones that have made the effort to
be there, so you want to make it worth their while.
Relax
No matter how much you organise, you can’t
control everything, and there’s nothing the media hate more than someone who
tries to choreograph every part of their day. When the time comes, just relax
and enjoy it. Let the press take whatever photos they want outside of the set
phot opportunities – they don’t want the same picture as all of their
colleagues. If you’re relaxed, the rest of the people there will relax as well,
and your press event will be one to remember.
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