News Conferences: Tying Up All The Loose Ends

By Heather C. Conover
Conover + Company Communications

Having learned about planning and holding a news conference in the last two issues, you might think the job is complete. But very important work remains to be done once the news conference is over and everyone else has gone back to work or home.

Write thank you notes or make calls to speakers, members of the media, VIPs, donors, supporters, volunteers, staff, and others that came out to support your organization no later than the day following the event. Writing these letters in advance can be helpful if this is a large list. Hand-written comments can always be added immediately before mailing the letters. Also, knowing the recipients and their preference for e-mail, snail mail, or a telephone call is an important part of the news conference organizer’s role.

Immediately after the event, follow up on any of the media’s unanswered questions or requests for interviews or information. The media will understand if you couldn’t answer all their questions or accommodate all their needs at the event, but may not be so understanding of any failure to follow up in a timely manner. Even if you’re still working on finding answers, call and advise the reporter of your progress, steps you’re taking to get answers, and a realistic timetable by which you think you can provide the requested information or interview. By failing to help them meet their deadlines, reporters may feel you have something to hide, turn elsewhere for answers, be less likely to cover future news from your organization, or all of the above.

Undoubtedly there will be a number of reporters that you invited that didn’t attend your news conference. Some of these may have indicated they would come, but were assigned elsewhere that day to cover other breaking news. Sending the media kit from the news conference, a post-event release, and photographs will provide reporters and editors with your news and enable them to cover the announcement. Follow up with these individuals with a phone call or email (depending upon their preference) to offer to clarify any details and/or arrange a telephone or in-person interview with the key news conference spokesperson(s).

On-line marketing is also an important component of the post media event activities. If the news was important enough to merit a news conference, it should also be heralded on your web site. Post the media kit, news release, and photographs on your web site with a headline on the home page. The news release should also be optimized using key words. This requires writing for two audiences, people and machines, but will pay off in terms of increased coverage of your news by traditional and on-line publications, increased traffic to your web site, and higher search engine rankings.

Once you’ve tied up all the loose ends, you, too, can go home, or move on to the next task at hand.

Next issue: More About On-line Marketing

Summer 2006 -Volume 16, Number 3

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