Building Media Relationships: a Guide for Event Planners

Article Written By: Karishma Sood

Do you struggle with marketing your event? Are your events just not getting the traction you need? In this ever-changing world of event planning, the key to standing out lies in forging strong bonds with the media. By mastering the art of building influential media relationships, you’ll boost your event’s visibility and credibility. Whether you own your own event planning company or are just looking for more information on how to get the word out about your next event, we’re here to walk you through it.

Research and Target Relevant Media Outlets:

Before reaching out to media contacts, it’s important to identify the most relevant outlets that align with your target audience and event’s vibe. Research newspapers, magazines, online publications and local TV, radio and podcast personnel to pinpoint the platforms that regularly cover events similar to yours. By focusing your efforts on the right media outlets, you increase the chances of catching their attention and getting coverage.

Craft Compelling and Tailored Pitches:

When approaching media professionals, generic and impersonal pitches are often ineffective. Instead, spend some time personalizing your pitches to each unique media outlet and journalist. Highlight the unforgettable aspects of your event, emphasizing what makes the event newsworthy, exclusive content or compelling story angles. Adding media assets like visuals, video, photos or links can also help your pitch stand out. Personalize your messages and demonstrate that you’ve done your homework by referencing previous articles or segments the journalist has covered. Well-written and targeted pitches significantly increase your chances of getting noticed.

Develop Strong Relationships:

Building relationships with the media is an ongoing process. It is easy to get frustrated when your pitch or press release does not get picked up immediately, but it is just a part of the process. Journalists are very busy, and their inboxes can be filled with emails just like yours. By making your pitches and press releases stand out you will be able to stay on their radar. Eventually, you will be able to cultivate a genuine relationship based on mutual trust and respect, you will position yourself as a go-to source for event-related stories.

Be Responsive and Respect Deadlines:

Journalists work on tight deadlines, and timely responses are crucial. When a journalist expresses interest in covering your event or requests additional information, respond promptly and think ahead of what they might ask for. Some examples include point of contact, parking instructions and media credential information. Being responsive and accommodating demonstrates your professionalism and reliability, increasing the likelihood of continued media coverage.

Offer Exclusive Opportunities:

To entice media outlets and journalists, consider offering exclusive opportunities related to your events. Some examples include providing exclusive interviews with high-profile speakers, offering behind-the-scenes access or organizing media previews or sneak peeks. By offering exclusive content, you create a sense of value, making journalists more likely to prioritize your event over others.

Leverage Social Media and Online Platforms:

Social media platforms are a powerful tool for engaging with the media. Following and engaging with journalists on social media, sharing their articles, commenting on their posts and mentioning them when relevant are all great ways to get a journalist to notice you. Usually, many journalists will do the same.

Building strong relationships with the media is a strategic move that requires patience and persistence. By researching and targeting relevant media outlets, crafting tailored pitches, nurturing relationships and offering exclusive opportunities, event planners can curate valuable connections with media professionals that will ultimately lead to your event’s promotional success.