Part 2: How to get coverage in the social pages

Oct 31, 2008

Here’s part 2 of our tips on getting your event in the social pages:

5. Hold your event later in the week when the social pages are being prepared and when people can feel a weekend coming on. If you hold your event on Friday or Saturday night don’t expect social coverage (see point 8). Wednesday or Thursday night is best and don’t rule out a breakfast or lunch timeslot for a product launch. Check the proposed date for other competing events on Social Diary, an industry diary of social events registered by people like us.

6. Don’t skimp on the invitation; it’s the first touch point so make it count. If it looks cheap you’re sending a message about what kind of event you’re putting on. Make the invitation stand out and try sending an invite that’s not just paper in an envelope. We always get asked about whether an email or hard copy invitation is better. Again, it depends on your brand and event but a birdie once told us that hard copy was good for social editors because they can put in a folder and it doesn’t get lost in their inbox.

7. Seven to ten days prior, leak details of the event to key media. This is a good way to touch base with social editors about the event and ensure they’ve saved the date in the diary. It will also generate buzz and you’ll notice a spike in rsvp’s as people start reading about it and getting excited. Social networking sites are also a great avenue to create buzz.

8. Be mindful of press deadlines. Sunday newspaper editions are put to bed by Friday lunchtime, so make sure journalists have everything they need and be sure to be contactable on Friday so journalists can check facts if needed.

9. Hire your own photographer so you can widen the publicity reach. Also, try and set up an exclusive shot the day of the event to ensure coverage the next day. On the night, don’t forget to ensure the social editor and photographer is being looked after because the coverage is written from their perspective.

10. Cross your fingers and hope for the best because these things are beyond control. Getting in the socials shouldn’t be your only measure of success. Other measures – attendance numbers, quality of guests, number of media guests, engagement with the brand and feedback from the client – should be used.

Did we forget anything? Let us know if you’ve got any other tips.

Posted by Renee Creer

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 2:59 pm. It is filed under Events, Publicity, Tips & How To's and tagged with Events, Publicity, social diary, social pages. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.