Why Press Releases Should Be Part of Your Event Marketing Strategy

For events, press releases can have tangible benefits over paid advertisements and social media posts. A professionally distributed press release for an event reaches audiences through channels they already trust, news outlets, industry blogs and Google News. There are several reasons why press releases are important pieces of any event marketing strategy:

• Multiple news coverage: King Newswire submits your release to 400+ news outlets at once, expanding the reach of your event promotion.
• SEO value: Each outlet which publishes your press release links to your event page, which adds backlink authority and helps boost your search engine results pages long after your event, even if you don’t pay for a fee. To learn more about how to leverage this, explore our dedicated guide on SEO press release strategy.
• Media credibility: Being covered in well-known publications, using the event press release distribution makes the event more legitimate and trustworthy to potential attendees and sponsors.
• Niche reach: Your news is shared with the relevant community and publications of your niche, and this distribution will be tailored to those specific categories.
• Inexpensive publicity: Press release distribution offers earned media coverage as opposed to paid media coverage which does not occur naturally, rather it must be earned through a structured and credible press release.

1. Decide Where to Publish Your News Release

Just as with any other press release, there is a first step to effective event press release distribution: you need to know which press release distribution outlets you’re going to be targeting. Each channel is a different medium that is going to reach different audiences and your decision will go a long way to determining the number of registrations your press release will get. You will typically encounter several types of press release outlets.

• Newswire distribution platforms: services such as King Newswire push your release to 300 or more news sites that are indexed, along with crypto media, business publications and industry-specific services, in one single file with editorial review.
• Your own website and blog: Post the press release on your event website and blog, and send it out via email and social media to your existing audience. You can complement this approach with a newswire distribution service to extend your reach significantly.
• Industry and trade publications: Find the best magazines, newsletters and blogs in your niche event. You can contact these editors directly for in-depth editorial coverage that syndication often cannot provide.
• Local and regional media: In-person events can be great for building local attendance and awareness of sponsors, and local media and radio are great for doing this; community blogs are also great for building awareness and attendance, as they will reach local audiences.
• Event listing platforms: Use event discovery sites to complement your press release to reach those looking for events in your space.

2. Study Your Publicity Outlet’s Guidelines

Each outlet follows its own submission guidelines, word count, formatting, file type and tone. These rules often determine whether publications accept or ignore a press release. King Newswire’s editorial team reviews every submission before publication. This helps meet partner network standards. It also keeps you from making dozens of releases to adapt it. Nevertheless, remember to check specific trade journal guidelines for each before sending. If you need expert help crafting a submission-ready release, consider King Newswire’s professional press release writing service.

3. Format Your Press Release Correctly

When formulating a press release for an event, it’s the first thing that editors and journalists notice. King Newswire recommends following this standard press release format for every event submission:

• Headline: This is a short, direct and attention grabbing headline that summarizes the most important detail of your event – which is limited to 60 characters for the complete search engine listing.
• Opening paragraph: Who, What, When, Where and Why are introduced at the beginning of the paragraph. From this paragraph, a journalist should be able to write a full and a short report.
• Body paragraphs: Discuss specifics of the event, including speakers, major events, distinctive events, and news angles. Natural SEO works with keywords.
• Boilerplate: A short statement that is consistently used to describe your organization. (Place the official boilerplate from King Newswire here.) This will establish authority for the brand.
• Include a call to action: Encourage readers to take a certain action, such as signing up, purchasing tickets or more information, and provide a direct link.
• Media contact: Identify individual, telephone number and email address that is easily accessible to media to respond to follow-up questions.

4. Create a Press Release That Is Persuasive and Newsworthy

Press release outlets are not advertisements, but rather reports on genuine news. What makes it interesting, newsworthy and gives your event media attention is what makes people want to sign up.

How to Make Your Press Release Newsworthy

A compelling “newsworthy angle” takes your event and relates it to a topic of interest to your audience. Use these techniques to develop one:

• Press release outlets are not advertisements, but rather reports on genuine news.
• Make sure your event is related to an ongoing trend or industry news story.
• Make an announcement about a new product release, research findings or big partnership at the event.
• Disclose a cause/charity/social cause your audience will be able to connect with.
• Provide a benefit, giveaway or VIP experience that will create urgency

Set Up An Attention Grabber Headline

The headline of the press release is the most important information to provide – and should be 60 characters max in order to see fully. Write the headline in active voice. Include the event name and highlight the strongest benefit at the beginning. A King Newswire editor reviews every headline before distribution. This process helps meet the standards of more than 400 partner outlets.

Lead with Your Highlights and Include a Clear Call to Action

You’re getting your word count with the first paragraph of your article because many readers are only reading the first paragraph. Answer the following questions right away, What is the event? Who is it for? When is it going to happen and where? What’s the point of going?  Use body paragraphs to expand on speaker information, agenda items and unique features of the event. Conclude with a definite call to action. Explain how readers can register, how to purchase tickets and what they can do prior to selling out.

5. Optimize Your Press Release Results

Writing a good press release is just half the job. The way that you distribute and follow-up can make or break your registrations.

Share Your Press Release Efficiently

The approach of manual outreach to individual outlets is inefficient and unreliable. This is completely managed by King Newswire’s press release distribution services platform, which syndicates your event announcement to 400+ indexed publications with one click, and delivers a comprehensive distribution report showing on which platforms you were distributed. For larger events, use King Newswire distribution in conjunction with targeted outreach efforts. Make five to ten relevant contacts with media and influencers in your niche. This will ensure that editorial coverage is maximised.

Follow Up and Track Your Results

After distribution, verify your press release appeared where it should and track its performance. Complement your tracking with targeted media outreach strategies to build stronger journalist relationships. The comprehensive reporting feature by King Newswire enables you to track precisely the outlets that received your event promotion announcement and the amount of referral traffic each placement had. Follow up with journalists two to three days after distributing. Quickly email to confirm receipt. Provide more information, or an interview. This can make a mention of a feature story!

Public Relations (PR) is a great tool to market your events to your target market in a credible, efficient and inexpensive manner. A well-formulated, informative press release for an event coupled with press release distribution is best. The performance of any press release in an editorial or broadly syndicated way and how you can gain indexing within 400+ sources, a performance report or boost attendance is all a benefit of King Newswire’s all-purpose tools for events.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a press release for an event?

A press release for an event is a formal document, a notice to the media and newspapers, which will be sent to the media to get publicity, build registrations and increase public awareness of an event.

2. How does King Newswire support event press release distribution?

King Newswire distributes your event press release to more than 400 indexed news outlets. Editorial review is included. This process enhances the pick up rates, credibility, and the value of the SEO. Discover all available press release distribution plans and pricing to find the right fit for your campaign.

3. How long should an event press release be?

An effective press release for an event should be concise, ideally between 400 and 600 words. King Newswire removes unnecessary content from your press release. This helps present your message more effectively to the media.

4. How do you make a press release newsworthy?

Informative and interesting press releases are related to current trends. It will feature a prominent speaker or announce a new speaker. Journalists have some reason to report the story if they have a good hook.

5. When is the right time of year to send out my event press release?

Ideally, send your press release 1-2 weeks prior to your event. King Newswire distributes your release promptly. This gives journalists enough time to prepare stories before your event.

6. How does event promotion through press releases improve SEO?

Each place that publishes your press release is a high authority backlink. The backlinks boost SEO – and not only during the event, but after it as well.

7. What press release format should I follow for an event?

Follow the traditional format: format, opening paragraph containing the 5 Ws, information about the body, quote, boilerplate, and media contact. The editorial team of King Newswire checks all submissions to see that they follow this format with all partner outlets.

8. Should I send more than one press release for a single event?

Yes, plan at least two. Send an initial announcement one to two weeks out, then a reminder release in the final days before your event. King Newswire supports multi-release campaigns with a full event marketing strategy calendar.