How to Organize a Successful Press Conference

A successful press conference can be as easy as your backup plans.

Whether you're announcing that you're running for the senate or promoting your employer's latest achievement, news is only news once people hear it and begin talking about it. Achieving that does not have to be difficult. It just takes planning and anticipation of any problems that might crop up so you can eliminate them before the big day arrives.

Things You'll Need

• A strong media alert or press release announcing the conference.
• A newsworthy topic that will spark the interest of local journalists.
• Telephone and email contacts for media outlets in your targeted area.

Instructions

1. Reach out to the media weeks before your scheduled event. You don't necessarily have to give them exact details yet, such as location and scheduled speakers, but you do want to get their attention. Telephone first, follow up with email or printed invitations, then call again to confirm.

2. Tease the media with just enough information to make sure they attend. Save your big news for the press conference itself, but hint about the nature of the news ahead of time with clever press kits.

3. Choose your location. Reporters will not want to spend an hour driving to get to your event. They're busy chasing down news, and time spent on the road is lost time. A location within minutes of their home base is best. You'll also want a room large enough to hold all your anticipated attendees but not so large that it looks to viewers on TV that few people attended.

4. Select your time. Late afternoon might bring you too close to the evening news; reporters won't have adequate time to prepare your event for broadcast. If you schedule it too early in the morning, those who were out late the night before might skip. People usually prefer to spend weekends with their families and friends, so schedule your news conference for a business day, preferably mid-week. As the day of your event draws closer, do your best to make sure that nothing more newsworthy than your event is taking over the headlines. Although postponing your press conference for a few days means that you have to start all over again with inviting media, it might be better than having your event completely overshadowed by hot news.

5. Check your chosen site a few hours before the event to make sure everything is in order. If you're conducting the event outside and it looks like rain, take steps to accommodate that by ordering in tent covers. If it's indoors, check that the lighting and seating are in order. If you're expecting television crews, set aside adequate space for their equipment. Make sure to display the name of your organization prominently in the area the cameras focus on, such as behind the podium or on it.

Tips & Warnings

• Press conferences rarely go off without any hitches, but you'll be ready if you make contingency plans early on, one for each possible snag you might encounter. In the best-case scenario, you'll never have to resort to these backup plans. But if you do, all the pieces are in place so nobody but you has to know there was almost a disaster.

References

• Saskatchewan Eco Network: How to Organize a Press Conference
• American College of Emergency Physicians: How to Organize a News Event
• Salter Mitchell: How to Plan a Press Event (PDF)