Event Publicity 1001

Event Publicity 1001


Forget Event Publicity 101. Let’s do Event Publicity 1001 and see if we can’t fast-track event publicists with a few things I’ve learned in more than 20 years of event publicity. People don’t seem to understand how event publicity works best. They don’t get how much the publicist needs to know about the people involved to get a great campaign up. It’s not a one-size-fits-all occasion – no matter how big and well-known your event is. And don’t presume media will dig through your program, guest list or ambassadors list; Google names and come up with story angles. No way. If you’re a publicist or event organiser – that’s your job.

I’ve publicised many major and small events this year: international; national and local events. My method is always the same – large or small; one-day or week-long; awards event or art show. The question is always the same - what is the content of this media campaign? What are the stories media will want to tell about the event and the people?

R U OK?Day is a suicide prevention campaign which encourages Australians to check in on someone who may be having a hard time; and ask “Are you okay?” The challenge for publicity was to find the stories that spoke to the slogan. It called for positive media coverage using stories of reaching out. The campaign needed case studies; where asking “Are you okay?” had made a difference.

R U OK?Day did a great job of finding a number of celebrity and expert ambassadors. Plus they had an incredible network of mental health professionals and direct contact with everyday people with stories of reaching out. These people and their stories became the wonderful content for the media campaign.

It took a lot of hitting the phones by the R U OK?Day and KatieMac Publicity teams to see what kind of stories people wanted to tell; then it was a matter of trying to get the right case study for the media requests which came in.

We had a wonderful opportunity for two people to appear in a Saturday magazine. It would be a lovely photo story about someone who had reached out to another person. After contacting several mental health organisations, we were directed to Ann O’Neill of angelhands (an organisation which supports people affected by any form of violence). Ann approached one of angelhands’ clients, who agreed to be interviewed. We managed to squeeze the interview and photograph in the day before Ann flew overseas. It came out as a beautiful and memorable Saturday magazine story.

Why use this example? It shows the leg work and research that goes into getting high quality media coverage. You might have seen some of the R U OK?Day publicity. Now you have an idea of what can go on behind the scenes to get a single story!

Are You Really an Expert?

I’ve created a mini litmus test to show how the media view EXPERTS. I’m going to use capitals ie EXPERT, to indicate the kind of person media like; the people we hear on radio, see on TV or read about in the news.

We think of experts as people with incredible expertise and a lifetime of knowledge. But media don’t have time to read your CV. They’re looking for some short cuts, some basic indicators to help them decide.

You might have written a book or be expanding your business – or just frustrated your rivals are getting all the headlines! You’ve decided you want national media profile.

Whatever the reason, ask yourself these questions below. This is my EXPERT Litmus Test. You may be the best in the world at what you do, but unless you fit the bill as an EXPERT, your opinions might not count to a busy producer or news editor.

When I get a call from an expert, I ask these kinds of questions to assess if they’re an EXPERT.

See how you score:

• Have you recently spoken at conferences or given any public talks?

• Have you recently published a book?

• Do you run workshops in capital cities?

• Do you write a popular industry blog; are you considered an opinion-maker?

• Are you on any industry bodies or major boards?

• Have you consulted to government or major companies?

• Who are your clients? Do you have testimonials from any well-known clients?

• Have you received international acknowledgement or worked overseas?

• Have you recently won an award?

How many did you tick? You really need two or three of these to be on your way as an EXPERT. Of course, the list is not conclusive, you might be able to add some more. But beware, because not everything that makes you an expert will make you an EXPERT.

Publicising Self-published Books

The other day a radio producer complimented me on a book I was publicising. I agreed; it's a great book on a fascinating subject. She then asked who the publisher was. I realised she was presuming it was a big release by a major publishing house. And it had the kind of cover and content that might lead you to think that. I told her the author had published it himself and then gave her the unique name of his publishing company. She was a bit quiet. I then told her that most of my book publicity clients were self-published non-fiction authors. And then I told her why I love it, "They're usually completely independent people, running their own businesses doing something they love and they have strong opinions." It's true...and what more could a publicist ask for! She then asked if the book had been knocked back by a major publishing house. This author has two other books, one published by a multinational. I told her it was very unlikely he had even offered this one to them. He can write it, have it edited, pay for it to be printed; print a few or print a lot, pay a distributor and engage his own publicist; who will give it heart and soul. He feels absolutely in control. It's an old world view that a self-published author has any less authority and credibility than one signed to a publishing house. I run into it all the time. Is it time to run a media campaign about it?