Angela Riggiero, Apolo Ohno, Lindsey Vonn and Bill Demong at a press conference on February 27, 2010, the day before the closing ceremony. Photo credit: US Embassy Canada via Flickr cc
To many company executives, their news is the biggest in the world. They want to shout the news from the rooftops with a press conference/news conference, expecting that reporters will cover the story as front page news. But to many reporters, the company news is. . .boring.
So how does an organization know when to hold a press conference? The short answer is when there’s enough media interest in a topic that a press conference is needed in order to efficiently disseminate the information simultaneously to media outlets.
Think about the organizations or people who regularly hold press conferences. The president. Coaches of professional sports teams. Police. Does your organization’s or client’s news reach that level of importance and media interest? If not, perhaps a press release will suffice.
But if your news is important enough for a press conference, here are some tips for conducting a successful press conference courtesy of Bulldog Reporter.
- Select a location that will be easy for media representatives to get to with minimal travel time.
- Set a day (avoid Fridays and days before holidays) and time (between midmorning and midafternoon) for the press conference.
- Distribute a media advisory in advance of the press conference to inform reporters of the event.
- Prepare the press conference spokesperson with a statement and by rehearsing the entire press conference.
- Anticipate questions and prepare appropriate answers.
- Develop a media kit to distribute at the press conference, including information such as names and titles of press conference participants, a press release, fact sheet, etc.
- Create appropriate visual materials such as photos, slides, posters or even a video.
- Arrange the room in advance. Ensure that there are enough chairs. Leave a center aisle for photographers. Be sure that the lectern can accommodate multiple microphones.
Thanks to advances in technology, another option to consider is an online news conference. With an online news conference, reporters don’t have to leave their desks – and media worldwide can participate.
Whether conducting an online news conference or a traditional press conference, it is essential to ask yourself if there is enough media interest to make it worthwhile. After all, you don’t want to waste the media’s time – or yours.