How can you make media and influencers excited to attend your PR events?

Alignment with Brand Identity is a MUST Getting your main message or story across is what will attract an audience that fits your interests as well as theirs. Your event's main message should succinctly convey the purpose and significance of the event. It should answer the question: Why should people attend or engage with your event? This message should be clear, compelling, and aligned with your event's objectives. Benefits and Value Propositions: Make sure you clearly outline the benefits attendees will gain from participating in the event. Whether it's knowledge sharing, networking opportunities, access to experts, entertainment, or exclusive content, these benefits should drive attendees' interest in the event.

Make sure the event offers a variety of opportunities for those who will attend and some mingle time. Keep the structure of the event light and entertaining. Interactive activities are a good way to keep the audience engaged.

This has to be a win-win-win for all parties. You want to win with great coverage and exposure. The media and influencers want to win by getting access to something others may not have, and growing their exposure in conjunction. The most important segment that needs to win is your target audience, who wants to find compelling content or stories in the endless scroll of news and posts. If you can think about all 3 audiences winning, you’ll build an enticing, relevant and unique PR event that helps all three segments out.

Matching the invitees to what your brand is looking for is essential. Sometimes there's not much room for creativity (like a new outlet launch or similar) but you can create a sense of interest using the brand's own USP.

When I was on the marketing side of things I found that renting a boat was useful. A press conference at sea, if you can manage it, is great because nobody is leaving until you dock. As silly as I am making this sound, I had great results when we were able to invite media folks for a spin around the harbor AND give great information about the company.

Our next event is at the History Theatre in MN. Having an iconic speaker like Don Shelby adds a unique touch. Celebrating the United Nations and aiming for a genuinely unifying event is our goal. The musical is about Harold Stassen, who is the youngest governor ever in office and also a charter signatory of the original United Nations charter. UNA-MN is making this interactive and fun. Don Shelby is a retired American journalist who was a news anchor on WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for much of his career. He is regarded as an experienced investigative journalist, as his work has earned two Peabody awards and three Emmy Awards. We have the pre-show set up to allow for networking, and I just know everyone will enjoy the musical.

This really depends on the event, if you're launching a new branch or brand and it's a small cozy venue, keep it there, influencers want to experience the place. If it's a product or event, a large venue applicable to the theme is more fitting.

Regardless of the format, make sure the space is accessible. This includes the physical space, ASL interpreters, visual aids, and captions. Connect with others with disabilities to get input and make sure it’s as inclusive as possible.

Mixer events are always a great idea, allowing guests to be more relaxed with more opportunities for openness and pitching ideas. This increased the likelihood of getting insights about their perspectives, approaches and plans. Choosing the right venue, tech and the right combination of guests is recipe for a successful event.

The media invite is a good public relations, or PR, tactic to increase awareness of your brand and of your event before, during, and after. The media invite is also often the first time someone would be introduced to your brand. Hence, making a good impression is essential to getting these people to come to your event, or if they eventually cannot make it, at least this media invite is a way for them to remember your brand and pay more attention to it.

The invitation has to show why this is good for people to attend. Make sure your flyer, letter, poster, or whatever method you use, catches the attention of those you send it to. A CTA is a must! We are utilizing MailChimp, Social Media, and delivering personal invitations. All relevant information should be on the flyer or the accompanying letter. Press releases should be put out close to the event date.

You need to sell the event as something not to be missed. Creating a sense of ownership and fomo, making it sound like they're benefiting from this more than you. The invitation MUST also be personalized, its fine if you use a CRM or mass invite, but each invite has to be personally addressed.

Networking Opportunities: Design your event to facilitate networking among attendees. Arrange opportunities for media and influencers to connect with industry leaders or other prominent figures.

A system of follow up is essential, first by the same medium you reached out to then something more personal like a phonecall to confirm. They don't know how much you care unless you instill in them that you want them at this event.

Engaging Speakers and Panelists: Invite influential and knowledgeable speakers or panelists who can provide valuable insights. Ensure the content is relevant and thought-provoking.

People forgot to talk by phone to confirm that they received their invitation to the event. Is not only by email, like email blast or marketing email, is take your time to connect with them.

When you’re organizing logistics for an event you have to walk the talk. Step into your guests shoes (especially media) and see what their experience will be like. Is the parking too far from the venue? Is the signage for media area clearly visible? Is the step and repeat long enough to fit every photog? Seeing it from your guest’s point of view with ample time to make changes is key to giving them a great experience.

Networking is something everyone will value. I'm very much in favor of swag bags; the items should have your logo on each item. What does this help with? Continued Marketing as people will ask what the organization is about, and you may very well find new members. The event should be planned down to every detail to ensure your guests have a wonderful time. Make sure you have enough for everyone and also use your signage.

Personalizing journalists' event experiences with caricature sketch artists and branded photo booths enhances the event. Benefits include unique souvenirs, fostering engagement and networking, reinforcing branding, humanizing journalists, aiding reporting with visual content, improving overall experiences, generating social media buzz, and facilitating word-of-mouth promotion. This creative approach strengthens journalist-event connections, benefiting both organizers and media professionals.

In the field of relations a memorable event goes beyond just flawless logistics or delightful extras. Think of your event as a captivating story, where each element plays a role, in creating a brand narrative. To truly captivate attendees incorporate sensory aspects like augmented reality experiences carefully curated playlists or even a distinctive fragrance. These elements enhance the events impact. Make it more memorable. Also, create spaces for problem solving or brainstorming sessions on industry topics. This transforms your event from a showcase into an innovation hub. Media outlets and influencers will appreciate this level of engagement not being interested in the event itself but also recognizing its wider impact on the industry.

Technology can be used to enhance these strategies and make them more effective. For example, you can use social media listening tools to monitor conversations about your brand and engage with your audience in real-time - You can also use social media scheduling tools to plan and automate your posts, so you can focus on creating high-quality content - Additionally, you can use influencer marketing platforms to find and collaborate with influencers who align with your brand values and can help you reach a wider audience

It’s extremely important to look at all metrics/analytics you can to ensure that future events reach your target market. If your previous marketing efforts have shown a low ROI, then it’s a clear sign your future marketing efforts need to be redefined in order to increase your ROI. Follow-up after an event needs to be timely and reach a wide sample of viewpoints from those who attended.

Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive elements like Q&A sessions, live demonstrations, or hands-on experiences to keep attendees engaged and excited.

I believe the key to success is in making others feel unique/privileged. Here are some more ideas. - Create Exclusive Pre-Event Content. Generate buzz by providing exclusive content or sneak peeks to media and influencers before the event. This could include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with keynote speakers, or access to special resources. Make them feel like insiders with privileged information. - Curated Experience Packages. These could include access to exclusive areas or activities, or even arranging personalized transportation. - Surprise Guest or Speaker. - Gamify the Experience, if appropriate. - Tailored Content Opportunities: Offer opportunities for influencers and media to create tailored content at your event.

Conduct research by surveying your clients on topics relevant for your industry and share findings. Journos are always looking for trends that can be supported by hard data.

I do believe that the best advice îs to practice scarcity. Your events must be memorable and, usually, if you advertise everything as a lunar achievement, you miss the point.

Do a deep dive on those who have RSVP’d and try to customize a portion of the experience for each. Do they like a specific cocktail? Are they infatuated with a certain colour? Infuse those details into the experience—everyone loves feeling special.