Are You a Media Source or a Media Pest?

Was in NYC earlier this month for a trade show and I arranged several media briefings, amongst other duties (reg. req.).

We began scheduling appointments two weeks prior to the show. In an email exchange with a trade reporter, I sent her to a site I thought she might find interesting. It has nothing to do with my firm or any of its clients. Her reply?

“Thanks for the site...these things are great for news. I actually find newly opened stores on blogs all the time...seems to be the new media of choice for publicizing new lines, stores, etc.”

I spotted the site as part of my usual news tracking efforts. The ability to establish yourself as a source with the media is simple if you keep up with all the industry reading you’re supposed to be doing. The Bad Pitch blog details this all the time.

Know the News to Make the News
Being well-read on current events gives you insight into what the competition’s doing, what the industry’s saying and it helps you identify the issues and trends to which your client can speak.

This routine pays off in spades during a trade show. We had a busy show with some high-profile coverage coming out of it.

Whether you are a speaker, attendee or exhibitor—trade shows are a circus. You have a tight window with the media and the more you know, the better the conversation. And a briefing really should be a conversation.

At some point in the near future, we’ll provide some tips around creating an effective post-show report. Until then it’s back to work.

Brave uploaded by Szczur
:: Cross-Posted from the Bad Pitch blog ::

tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | good pitch | bad pitch | bad pitch blog | marketing | trade show marketing

Comments

[Phil Gomes]

Bravo for pointing this out. This is exceedingly important though, unfortunately, lots of PR pros don't make time to do it -- just be an informed source!

[Colin McKay]

Good point, Kevin.

Need some A535, though? You must have strained a muscle patting yourself on the back so hard!

:-)

[Kevin Dugan]

Colin - Maybe some Icy Hot?

Yeah, I was afraid that might be an interpretation of this post. But in my defense, I did categorize this under "The Brand Called Me." And thanks to the tag cloud in my sidebar, you can see that this category is not in one of the larger fonts!