A press conference is a great way for organizations to communicate important news to the media, and one would argue to customers and partners as well, at a specific time and place; and in a controlled environment. For example, the Obama administration has used press conferences to introduce new legislation or policy updates.
As technology has improved, I am seeing more organizations moving their press conferences online. This frees corporate communications departments to easily and effectively reach more press members and bloggers, no matter where they are located worldwide. Yet, producing a virtual press conference is slightly different than any other virtual events. Here are my 10 tips for success.
- KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid: While your media may be tech savvy, the goal is to keep them focused on the news and information being delivered – not on the complexity of the experience. As such, this requires a very simple user experience that is, frankly, mindless and requires the least number of clicks. Ideally, there should be minimal registration with preferably no password required. On the day of the press conference, reporters click on a link and are automatically taken the online event itself – no lobbies, no auditoriums – just the interface that will stream the news. And when the event begins, the interface should be so intuitive that no tech support issues arise.
- Be Flexible with Start Time: Reporters are busy, so you want to be conscious of not wasting their time. With that said, some reporters may also join the conference late. My recommendation is to begin the press conference with housekeeping items first, such as how to submit questions, where to access press documents, and presenter introductions. This way, when you announce your news, the maximum number of reporters is online.
- Repeat the News Several Times: Which leads to this point. Don’t assume that the reporters heard the news the first time. Be sure to repeat the news in your presentation and its significance at least 2-3 more times.
- Allow for the Press Conference to Run Over: While you want to respect reporters’ time, if you’re receiving several questions toward the end of the press conference, allow the event to run over. This ensures that you’re (a) answering all reporter questions and (b) thereby increasing the amount of ink regarding your news in the magazine or online.
- Seed Initial Questions: When you begin answering questions, it may take a few minutes for the reporters to absorb the news, gather their thoughts and formulate questions. To avoid “dead air”, have your staff seed questions in the Q&A queue. These are questions that you anticipate reporters to ask versus questions that only highlight the best of your company.
- Create Media-Ready Documents: This is an opportunity to provide reporters with resource materials to draft their stories. As such, upload only those documents, images or videos that augment the news you’re announcing. For example, a press release, bios and headshots of the presenters, images of the product, and links to industry research supporting your announcement would be accessible from the virtual press conference environment.
- Have an Archive Available Immediately: Since many of the reporters are filing stories at the conclusion of the virtual press conference, it’s
important to have the virtual press conference available for on-demand replay within 30-60 minutes after the conclusion. I realize the temptation to make the archive “perfect” but reporters are most concerned about the information being communicated. If you’re unable to (a) find a vendor to turn around the archive quickly or (b) recognize that your executives will “require” post-production to make the final video “perfect”, then I emphasize DON’T DO A VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE. This may seem counterintuitive with the next point. - Prepare a Written Transcript: While a reporter may or may not take time to review the archive, I recommend capturing sound bites and key points in a written transcript. Annotate this with time markers to help drive reporters’ attention to specific points in the video archive, such as the formal announcement of the news, a key quote from a partner, or point when the CEO highlights the benefits of the announcement.
- Consolidate Everything on Your Website: The main focus of a virtual press conference is driving reporters to the event. But what happens afterward? What if your news is relevant to another trend or you’re seeking to educate new reporters about your company? My recommendation is to create a microsite on your website, preferably under your media room, to act as a resource for future use. This would be publicly available and organized to tell your story.
- Send a Post-Event Email: A best practice for virtual events is to send a thank you or I missed you email to your attendees. It’s no different with an online press conference. In addition to including a link to the on-demand archive, I also recommend highlighting where reporters can access information relevant to the announcement (see points 6 and 9). You may even want to include the press release within the body of the email (after the signature and not as an attachment).
Share your tips or examples below in the comments.
About Cece Salomon-Lee
Cece has a unique ability to translate innovative technology into cohesive and successful campaigns that cross from public relations and marketing to social media and virtual events. She has been an active participant in the emergence of the virtual events industry, originally in her roles with technology pioneers ON24 and INXPO and consultant with the Virtual Edge Institute. Cece is currently director of marketing for Active Network.
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