“By calling a press conference, one essentially is saying, my ‘story’ and the ‘news’ I am going to announce are so important, you would be foolish not to cover it,” explains Dean Owens, director of the office of media relations for the humanitarian organization World Vision. “More often than not, the ‘story’ and ‘news’ are self-serving and not the stuff that make the front page above the fold.”

Many PR people have “re-branded” the musty press conference and have refashioned them as workshops, media meet-and-greets or plain old parties. There are few occasions, PR pros say, where the standard press conference is needed anymore, given reporters’ ability to gather news at their fingertips.

“A reporter doesn’t have to leave his desk to get information anymore, so they’re not as reliant as they used to be on sources outside the office,” says Dan Collins, director of media relations at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “They know that the real news happens after the press conference, when you get the CEO into a corner. So we’ve eliminated the hoopla.”

At Mercy Hospital, Collins stages breakfast meetings or workshops with hospital executives and physicians. “We make it a working opportunity,” Collins says. “The media like to have the chance to sit across the table and get into a discussion with someone they don’t usually have access to.”

No Room for Failure

The big negative about press conferences is that when they flop, they really flop -- and the blame goes to the PR person who set it up. Nearly every PR professional knows the trauma of staging a press conference to which no one shows up.

“I haven’t liked news conferences since I organized one 20 years ago that no one attended,” says Suzie Boland, president of RFB Communications Group in Tampa, Fla. Boland says press conferences are “pass/fail”: They either succeed or they crash and burn, with no in-between level of success. That makes them a costly gamble.

“After my disaster, I decided I’d never put my organization, or myself, in such a win/lose situation,” Boland relates. “My hybrid model was to conduct a news conference, but plan it within the context of a standalone event for company stakeholders. That way, the event has value with or without the news coverage.”

In a previous position as PR director of a college, Boland announced the establishment of a new College of Business in an event geared not just to media, but also to board members and faculty. The event thus had value even if reporters didn’t show, Boland explains, although in this case they did.

Suzie Thomas, director of communications at Malone College in Canton, Ohio, takes the same approach with events at her school. “Our local media doesn’t like to attend press conferences, unless the news is earth-shattering,” Thomas says. When Martin Luther King III recently visited the campus to speak to student leaders, Thomas let the local media know they were welcome at some of the mingling events. “They all showed up, so I decided that this would be how we handle news announcements from now on,” Thomas says.

Her advice: “Don’t call it a press conference,” she says. “I refer to them as media receptions. I still provide press packets, though.”

Amanda Leesburg, president of Leesburg PR in Decatur, Ga., agrees that the words “press conference” need to be stricken from the PR lexicon. “You can still host a press conference, just don’t call it by its real name,” Leesburg says. “The press conference has been replaced with ‘exclusive media preview,’ ‘media first look,’ ‘print media event’ or ‘exclusive broadcast interview opportunity.”

Tamara McLendon, director of client services for The King’s English, a PR firm in Greensboro, N.C., tossed out every trapping of the PR conference in April, when she wanted to announce the firm’s new partnership. “We knew that this is not the kind of news that will normally draw the press out,” McLendon says. “It’s the kind of thing that will just get covered as a business brief.”

Instead, she threw a party, with live music and free beer -- and invited the press. “We decided to consider this a relationship-building opportunity,” instead of seeking media coverage, she explains.

When it Works

There are times when a press conference is the most efficient way to build a buzz around a big announcement. Honey Rand, president of the Tampa-based Environmental PR Group, hadn’t staged a press conference in 10 years -- until this past April, when she had two on the same day. The two Florida press conferences both highlighted an announcement about an estuary that was endangered by proposed phosphate strip-mining in the area.

“Generally, I don’t like news conferences -- they’re always so iffy,” Rand says. “But a news conference was the only way to make the kind of splash we were looking for.” An embargo on the environmental impact of the mining plan was lifted the day of the press conferences, so stories were in local papers that morning. That meant the PR team could capitalize on the buzz building that day around the story.

However, Rand says buzz doesn’t necessarily mean you should hold a press conference. You have to have something that’s really new information, which we had,” she explains. “We also had a call to action” -- that is, area residents were asked to protest the planned strip-mining project. In addition, several environmental groups were asked to take their spokespeople to the press conferences, making the event a can’t-miss for local media.

Rachel Querry, deputy media relations director for the Humane Society of the United States, agrees that when an organization can corral broad support from other groups on an issue, a press conference can be the proper venue for making all spokespeople available.

“For example, we got area sheriffs to attend press conferences in Louisiana to announce a statewide campaign against cockfighting,” Querry says. “Louisiana is one of only two states where cockfighting is legal. There’s nothing new about our opposition to it, but with strong poll results and a good lineup of endorsements for a statewide ban, we were able to generate some nice print and broadcast coverage in several markets.”

Most PR people say you shouldn’t consider a press conference unless you have visuals to offer. “Press conferences should be reserved only for the big, big stuff, involving something cutting edge ‘’ like the separation of conjoined twins or the first test-tube baby -- and must definitely have something visual beyond a guy in a tie at a podium,” says Mercy Medical Center’s Collins. “For media to invest the time and resources to either dispatch its reporters or a TV crew, a live truck, whatever, there’d better be lots to see and really interesting people to talk to.”

Leesburg says that if circumstances require a press conference, it’s important to tell the media what they’ll get at the event that they can’t get by simply sitting at their desks in the newsroom. “It’s extremely important to let reporters know why they need to attend in your media alert or invitation,” Leesburg says.

Suggested language:

“Celebrity will only grant interviews to media in attendance.”

“No phone calls or off-site one-on-one interviews allowed.”

“First chance to see the product in person.”

“Special celebrity guest will present.”

“Screen grabs and b-roll available.”

“If you can’t attend, please send someone from your organization.”

“Company will unveil new logo and name at press event only.”

Copyright © 2004 Ragan Communications All rights reserved.