6 Steps to Craft the Perfect Event Press Release

Introduction

Brands today are acutely aware that it’s important to be in the sights of the target audience to stay atop the word-of-mouth. However, this is easier said than done. While direct communication with people is still a rarity, brands usually circulate the news they want to spread via press releases.

As a brand, it is important that your marketing budget is spent such that you get the most traction possible. However, without your brand being consistently mentioned in the circles where your audience is active or observant, your brand won’t be increasing the impact of its image. This is where press releases play an important part. In this article, we’ll be discussing why press releases are an important source of getting relevant traction from your target audience. We’ll also help you devise the perfect press release with an enclosed format that will ensure that you have the maximum chance of getting a positive response from the media platforms you outreach to.

But before that, let’s discuss what a press release actually is.

What is a Press Release?

A press release from your brand is essentially a document detailing a piece of news from you to a media outlet, with the hopes of becoming a feature in their publication. This could be a news platform, a magazine, or even an online blog.

Whenever your brand makes an announcement, your PR team will be sending out a press release to relevant and shortlisted media outlets to urge them to include it in their featured articles. This allows you to gain traction, while your noteworthy news gets more popularity for the concerned media outlets.

What is Different With a Press Release for an Event?

When talking about a press release for an event, things take a bit of a turn. This type of press release is concerned specifically with an event. This event is not limited by any means either, it could be a launch of a product, or simply a tradeshow.

The main objective behind an event press release is to gain traction among the relevant media and urge their presence at the said event. For example, if you’re about to unveil a new product at an event, then you’ll likely send out event press releases to a bunch of media houses to get their attention.

However, unlike other press releases that are usually sent out after the achievement of the organization, an event press release usually follows a media advisory document.

What is a Media Advisory Document?

Media Advisory documents are basically invitations that you send out to relevant publications so they can attend your event. You have to be sure to include all the necessary details about your event in a media advisory so that any organization receiving the invite can have knowledge about the intricacies of your event. These details contain specifics like the venue, time, date, and agenda of the event.

You’ll also outline the availability of personnel that the media can interview and the window of these interviews. However, a media advisory is typically sent a few days or weeks in advance so that the media organizations receiving your invite have enough time to assign resources to your event. Once you have received a reply on the media advisory, you will know which media outlets you can contact for a press release.

You’ll also need to know the prevalent media advisory format to ensure that the journalists that do get the document can easily sift through the important information.  In fact, having the right media advisory examples by your side will also help you find the right communicational tone.

Shortlisting Media Outlets for Your Event

The number of media outlets to outreach is always enormous. However, you can create a highly relevant list if you’re able to properly shortlist them. The best method is to start with the media outlets your target audience is most familiar with and consumes the content from. These are your most valuable options as a story on these outlets will provide you with the most relevant coverage.

How to Write a Press Release?

Whether you’re writing a press release for an event or just a generic one, make sure that even while including the necessary details it shouldn’t exceed more than two pages. The media outlets you’re reaching out to are probably getting hundreds of emails so it’s best such they can easily scan your message as easily as possible.

Step 1: Coming up with an Angle

A good press release requires you to have an angle that is newsworthy. It could range from your brand having a charity event to you sponsoring a local competition that is held in high regard within the local community. When it comes to communicating about your event, your idea should likely present a thought that you know would resonate with your audience and the targeted media outlet.

The press release example above showcases the angle where the event will provide 20,000 people to join the theme market.

Step 2: Create a Catchy Headline

Once you have a good angle on how to capture your audience, then you can go literal and start creating a headline that would hook the media outlet. You can go a bit clickbaity here, but it’s best that any bait you present is justified by the end of the event press release. You can find various press release examples online that are filled with headlines that hook the reader.

Take this example above, where the 400% catches the eye and the complete headline engages the reader on how Mad for Content is growing at an exponential rate.

Step 3: Craft the Gist into the Subtitle

A two-liner of your press release will help your targeted media outlet know exactly the rationale behind your outreach. This media alert format will help them know instantly about your priority. If your angle is truly newsworthy it is likely that at this moment they should decide to do a story on your event.

Step 4: Introduce yourself and your Event

A press release is nothing like a blog. It’s best to start with a short introduction about your organization, and the event itself. The idea is to grab the attention of the journalist, so it’s best to keep things interesting while answering their questions on who you are, what your organization does, and why the event is actually newsworthy.

Step 5: Provide Essential Information and Necessary Context

The essential information about your event comes next. You would also need to provide relevant context which should always consist of solid facts about your event. Also, provide details like whether you would like an immediate story on the event or if you would like to have a time frame after which the story should be published.

You can also include quotes that would support how your event is truly worth their visit and will make for an exciting news story to get them more interested. This is also the part where you inform the journalists about their interview window.

Step 6: Make sure to Format and Add your Contact Information

Whether you’re writing a press release to a single journalist or simply outreaching out to a website, it’s important to have the format that is the norm. Only then would you enable the reader to find the information that they need almost instantly.

Moreover, make sure you add your relevant contact information such that you can be contacted in case of any ambiguity. A press release is often best defined as a communication tool, and thus your communication in the said document must be crystal clear.

An Event Press Release Template Example

Take a look at the above example of a press release. You can see that each part of the press release is clearly defined with placeholders that you can easily replace with your own to create the perfect press release.

However, you don’t have to stick to this template either. Another option to get the perfect template is through ChatGPT. Simply use the prompt, “Give me a template of an event press release” and let the AI provide you with the perfect template to out reach your desired media outlets.

Generating Buzz

The main goal behind any press release is to generate buzz regarding your organization’s activities. This is one of the reasons why PR teams of organizations are outreaching out to get consistently featured in as many publications as possible.

With the constant buzz around your brand and your event, the likelihood of developing positive word of mouth regarding your brand becomes easy. You’re also able to connect better with your audience, resonating with them and making sure that your achievements are known by them.