Make the Most of Every PR Opportunity

It's a fact of life that you can't control every public relations opportunity. Perhaps it's not your event; perhaps you're a guest without even a minor speaking opportunity. So, you can forget about any news coverage, right?

Speaking from experience, nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, there are many events where opportunities simply do not exist, where you or the person you represent are tangential at best to the proceedings. These are the events where you build goodwill merely by your attendance, receiving gratitude simply by showing up and expressing your support and goodwill.

But over your career, you will attend many events where your very presence will add to the news value of the proceedings. For example, I'll always remember serving as Director of Communications for Kentucky Attorney General Chris Gorman during the time we were active against child sexual abuse. I especially remember the day when we were invited to attend an exhibit of children's art in the Capitol Rotunda; it was an informal event, but I was convinced that we could win some news coverage from the event.

So, on the short walk to the Rotunda, I advised the Attorney General to walk into the event as if he belonged, locate someone he knew well, and closely examine one of the works of art. He did, and was soon surrounded by television cameras. Needless to say, the video that evening was mostly of the Attorney General.

No, this sort of tactic doesn't work every time. But it's an effective example of making an informal event your own, which of course is made much easier when you have standing on the event. So, always remember that even though you or your client might not be on the official agenda, it doesn't mean that news coverage is beyond the realm of possibility. Be creative, make yourself available, and you might be surprised at the result.