Finding an angle or news hook that’s relevant for the media and their viewers or readers is the most important step of making an event newsworthy. I’ve written before about how to make an event newsworthy. But this is a subject worth revisiting because a public event takes an inordinate amount of planning and work. If media attention is one of your event goals and you do not have a solid news hook, it will likely be a waste of time (and money).
An event story
We recently had the pleasure of working with a client to launch a statewide public education campaign about the early years of development in a child’s life. Now, children have been around for ages, right? And, the developmental stages a typical child goes through haven’t changed. So the launch of a public education campaign on early childhood development, in and of itself, isn’t exactly newsworthy.
We needed something new or different about early childhood (beyond yet another campaign announcement) to attract attention. Fortunately, thanks to the neuroscience community, we now know much more about the early years of brain development and what that means for a child’s future success. This information, coupled with our client’s research on the public’s grasp of this subject and key indicators about how well our Vermont’s children are doing, gave us the hook we needed.
What’s the headline?
Whenever we discuss organizing an event for a client (be it a campaign launch, grand opening, book signing or a news conference), my mind immediately goes to the headline we want and the visual appeal for the TV cameras.
By sharing nuggets of data from our research and other compelling stats at the event, we were writing the headline for the media. At the same time we were getting word of the campaign launch out there. The data was the news lead, not the campaign. And that’s okay.
Remember: Give the media something worth reporting.
Think visually for a newsworthy event
Because this campaign was about kids, we wanted to have kids at the event. Of course, children don’t typically sit still for a news conference and can be a huge distraction factor during one. So we planned to have activities for the children during the news conference portion of the event—and, we let the media know this.
This accomplished a couple of things. First, it let the media know there would be great photo opportunities with kids at the event (kids are almost as popular as puppies and kittens). Second, this is a campaign about children and healthy brain development, so having children there engaged in stimulating activities reinforced the messages of the public education campaign.
When the TV cameras don’t show up
Sometimes the news gods work in your favor and TV stations in your area show up for an event. But sometimes, they don’t. An accident, murder trial, the weather or a breaking national news story can pull an already-stretched news team off your event and on to something else. That is the nature of the news business and one of the aspects of the public relations process that is beyond everyone’s control. Does that mean it’s all a waste of time?
Of course not! First, TV stations are not the only media outlets in town (remember print and radio?).
Second, coverage from a one-time event is not the end goal (at least it shouldn’t be). Your goal is to announce your news and plant the seed for future PR opportunities with the media.
Besides, if the media doesn’t show, you have other ways to get your news out.
First, follow up with them to let them know what they missed. This could be done via an electronic news kit complete with a news release, fact sheet, photos and even video from your event.
Second, distribute your news yourself through your social media channels. Plus, your website’s newsroom provides the perfect spot for hanging all your information from the event.
Keep your eye on the long-term
Events with a solid news angle can provide a great way to garner media attention for your organization or business. But a few interviews and headlines from one event isn’t your end goal. An event is just one tactic and only a first step in what you hope will be a long relationship with the news media. Don’t lose sight of the longer term goal of change.
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Let’s Grow Kids event photography by Sabin Gratz.
