Organizing a Press Event and Other Great How To's

When planning for a press event, several factors need to be taken into consideration. What type of news are you looking to inform the media about? Who do you want to reach? How quickly do you need to organize your event? Sometimes a conference call is more effective than a press conference because it's easier to get reporters from across the country on a call rather than gathered in the same room. If you are simply looking to share background information on your issue, a press briefing should be held rather than a press conference.

Check out GMT's Media Event Top Ten. This guide gives you a brief overview of the different media events and when they are appropriate. You can also click through GMT's Media Training content for other guides on pitching, interviewing and more.

Remember one key point: It is important to work with reporter deadlines when deciding the details of a press event.

Cause Communications (www.causecommunications.com) has several free guides to help non-profits with their media outreach. One of these guides, Eleven Steps to Organizing a Media Event, places emphasis on the most important areas of planning a media event. If you'd like even more information after reading through these useful media training guides, you can order their book, Making the News: A Guide for Activists and Nonprofits.