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Are press conferences dead?

Guest post by: Bonnie Harris

Article Overview: Despite some opinions, the press conference is still alive. Here are some examples of when holding a press conference may be a good idea.

Are press conferences dead?

I remember the first press conference I ever ran. It was for the Sierra Club, to announce the results of a study in which they found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in most of the turkeys purchased in local grocery stores. 10 years ago this was shocking news and we had film crews, print journalists and even a few people from the agricultural companies there.

Today this wouldn’t be big enough news to hold a press conference, much less to draw people to an actual event. It’s too easy to do interviews, write a story, even get video without needing to leave your desk. That doesn’t mean the news conference is necessarily dead. It just means before you do one make sure you have a really good reason. Or something that will draw attention to your news. Here are a the few good reasons left to hold a news conference:

If a crisis, whether company or personal, has drawn the attention of the media it can be a good tactic to arrange a press conference. By letting the media now you’ll answer questions soon you can take some of the heat off of the story. I had the unfortunate task of managing communications for a family who had lost four of their family members in a plane crash last fall. We arrange a handful of press conferences that kept the press at bay – and off the porch of the grieving family.

If your news is big, and I mean BIG a press conference is called for. This doesn’t mean a merger, a great year in sales, anything like that. And that means it is news that all media is interested in. Announcing a $10 million donation to the relief effort in Japan and having Beyonce give your check to the Red Cross a the event would be one example.

If you’ve got a great stunt with huge visuals you might want to schedule a news event, especially one that can be broadcast online at the same time. Maybe you’re going to open your restaurant by trying to get in the Guiness Book of World Records with the largest number of pancakes flipped at one time. Flash mobs seem to be another good idea for press events, and Peewee Herman did a great job of creating a spectacle to announce his new Broadway show.

Finally, if you’ve got news that can be announced in a smaller media market – not a top 20 but still large enough to have at least one TV station – press events seem to make sense. Smaller towns have less news going on and sometimes bigger companies coming to a small town or projects completed in a smaller town can be a great way to gain coverage. Those stories can then as anchors for online and viral efforts.

The press event is not dead, but it’s much harder to pull one off these days.

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Article Tags: news event, press conference



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Re: New site promotion - how to begin? - Since you are targeting English speaking area, you will need to do a press release. Write press release and submit them to free press release sites or paid sites.
Re: i get really, really pissed off when . . . . - I have to press one for english... only to press a hundred more numbers to never get to talk to an actual person!
Expectations for Press Releases - I don't personally distribute press releases with a short-term goal of having someone read it and call me as a direct result (although that is of course a desirable result). Instead my expectations are (1) to build credibility for my company (much like the credibility that the Better Business Bureau offers) and (2) to help create high-value links and improve search engine results. Both of these expectations are long-term in nature in that I don't expect to accomplish either of them with only one or two press releases. Only through an ongoing distribution of press releases will these expectations be achieved. Think long-term!
Trying to Create a Promotion Package for My Company - Help! - I a trying to create a promotional package for my company and would like to email monthly press releases to the Canadian media. Does anyone have a list of print/radio/tv media that would be useful in creating these press releases or any info on how to get started getting this information? Jessica
Re: Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - [quote="OmnivoreInk":dmj1i0sv]I've started work with a brand new company that is going to do loss mitigation. My boss intends to hire a "big" PR firm - ie one that costs a lot of money - because he wants press releases sent out to the New York Times, the LA Times - all the major papers around the country - and he think they'll be more likely to print them if they come from a "big" firm as opposed to a one-person PR firm. I think it doesn't matter where the press release comes from as long as its well written. What are the opinions here?[/quote:dmj1i0sv] I think the most important factor is whether your press release will reach the most number of your target audience or not. It won't matter if the press release is well written if no one has the opportunity to read it. I also believe that credibility comes with having your press release in an established source like The New York Times, LA Times, etc... For instance, if you enjoyed playing tennis, who would you trust more? The advice from a recreational tennis player who has his own column in [i:dmj1i0sv]Tennis Magazine[/i:dmj1i0sv] [u:dmj1i0sv]or[/u:dmj1i0sv] the recreational tennis player who has his own blog? I don't know about you, but I'd listen to the guy on [i:dmj1i0sv]Tennis Magazine[/i:dmj1i0sv] over the blog owner at least 9 out of 10 times.


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