Follow-up Publicity after Your Event

You spent months planning for the big event and it's finally over. The technicians arrive to pack away the AV equipment, the cleaners move in and you take a well deserved break. A lot of promotional work remains to be done even after the crowds are gone, particularly if your event is an annual affair.

Here are ten tips for promoting your event after the event.

• Review the media coverage your event received to see if it was accurate. If you find basic facts are wrong (eg crowd numbers, those who attended etc), take steps to correct the record. Print media provides a permanent record that journalists will refer to in future. You do not want inaccuracies from this year's coverage carrying over into future reporting.
• Send out a media release within 48 hours after the event on what you achieved – numbers attending, money raised, records broken etc. Include positive comments from key people who were there.
• Gather testimonials from people who participated in your event. Set them aside to use in next year's pre-event promotions. You can use them on your website, in media backgrounders and other information products.
• Send off Letters to the Editor (250 words or less) thanking the community for its support and outlining what was achieved.
• Advise newspaper columnists who cover local events about the outcomes of your event, interesting things that happened, funny stories etc.
• Be on the lookout for follow-on stories that link back to your event. If your event raised funds is there a story when those funds are spent? If your event focused on an issue, have people's behaviors or attitudes changed in some way.
• Analyse your media coverage to see who reported what and how. How many or how much of your media releases were used by radio? Newspapers? TV? Were your spokespersons accurately reported? This type of information provides valuable intelligence to drive next year's media efforts and to shape any future media training.
• Assemble the statistics on what happened to use in next year's promotions – how many people took part, how much money was raised, did you recruit new members or volunteers, is there a case study of someone whose life has been changed, are there humorous stories?
• Remember records are important. Electronically archive all your promotional and media documents into one, easy to find area and file away a hard copy of all your marketing documents.
• Send hand written thank-you notes to editors and reporters who have been particularly supportive of your event or issue. (We have yet to find a person who did not like to be thanked).