I have trade shows on my mind this month. CES was intense. I’d skipped the show for a few years since it can be . . . well . . . over the top. Now, it’s even crazier. Despite the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Google turning away from the show (I would argue in part to drum up more interest for their own shows), CES continues to grow like kudzu.
This year there were more than 150,000 attendees and over 3,000 exhibitors – officially. Tack on all the exhibit space rented out in venues not officially associated with the show, and that number will go up quite a bit.
Being on the press list for a show like that means you get bombarded at every turn, with PR, marketing and sales reps clamoring for your attention. One thing I couldn’t help noticing is how misguided so many of these pleas for attention are.
However, when you are swimming through a sea of mediocre to downright terrible pitches, the few good ones stand out.
Here are 5 tricks that worked on me for CES (or would have had they gotten through to me sooner):
If you're not a trendy behemoth like Samsung, you'll have to work harder to get press attention.
1. Exclusive invites before briefing requests. If you plan on inviting journalists who visit with your client to an after-show party, send the party invite first – before the briefing request. The way this usually works is that the briefings requests come through first, and, then, much closer to the show, the party invites start rolling in.
Your party invite will stand out if it breaks that pattern and comes in early. Then, if the journalist has RSVP’d, the rule of reciprocity kicks in. We humans are social animals hard wired with a desire, a physical and emotional desire, to return favors. A party invite is a favor. The rule of reciprocity is covered in pretty much every sales and marketing book under the sun because it is such a universal rule. Of course, you have to be genuine and not make people feel they are being manipulated by some small favor, but none of you are snake oil salesman, right?
So come party time, yes, we’ll still be wading through vendor speak and listening to pitches that we may have heard some variation of a million times before, but at least we’ll have a drink in our hand. And that drink is a valued gift after a long day of schlepping a show floor and sitting through briefings.
Now, the risk here is that journalists will say “no” to a briefing because they figure they can cover it in the party. That’s a valid concern, but the best way around that is to offer to get the vendor stuff out of the way during show hours so everyone can relax at the party.
2. Ask questions – first. Start early and ask what the journalist will be covering. I started getting RSA pitches last week. Two full months before the show. Yet, I filed them away into an “early bird” email folder, and, you know what, they’ll probably be the first ones I consider (other than those from Story Source subscribers of course.) What those pitches didn’t do, but should have, was to set the stage.
What does a good car salesperson do when you step on the lot? She takes an interest in you. She asks about how your day is going. She asks you whether you have kids (or do a lot of commuting, etc.) and need to factor that into your buying decision.
Good salespeople take the time to form a relationship. Okay, I know that’s not always possible in today’s busy, frantic world, but the human mind is also programmed to look for patterns. If I associate your name with emails that are thoughtful, that care about my needs as a journalist and that take the time to be on-target, I’ll start thinking of you as a resource, rather than a nuisance.
If any of the requests had asked about what I’ll be working on while at RSA, that person would have taken a small step towards forming a relationship. For all of you, this is easy. Put “Story Source” in the subject line and I know you’re interested enough in what I do to have signed up for my newsletter. When pitching other journalists, though, you’ll need to slow down and lay some groundwork.
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3. Lay social media groundwork. If you want to target a specific journalist, start early by retweeting that person’s stories. Recommend those stories on LinkedIn, like them on Facebook, comment on them, etc. Let that person know that you like his/her stories and will help promote them.
Again, this builds on the rule of reciprocity, but it’s rare when a PR pro makes the effort to do this come trade show time. Start helping out a journalist before you start sending out trade show briefing requests, and, at the very least, your name will be familiar. Perhaps, the journalist will even want to return the favor.
4. Offer a unique service. For CES, Karen Thomas of Thomas PR sent journalists on her list a CES Party Overview. She listed all of the cool events, asked us to plug in any that had been left off, and offered to help people get into any parties they couldn’t get into on their own. (Not sure what kind of journalist can’t get into a party by simply walking up with a press badge and asking for the PR or marcom person, but I guess there are plenty of clueless journalists in the wild.)
Nonetheless, the simple act of compiling this party list was something that I and a few other journalists I spoke to at the show appreciated. Amidst all of the attempts to get something from us was someone saying, “Hey, here’s something that may help you out.” Later, when I had a gap in my schedule, you know what? I cruised by a couple of Karen’s clients’ booths, I recognized their names (because they were included at the bottom of the list) and I stopped in. Would I have otherwise? Probably not.
5. Go where the press goes. In the cult documentary Cane Toads, a farmer bemoans the failure of the Australian government’s program to introduce cane toads from Hawaii to control cane beetles. Paraphrasing:
“When the beetles are adults, they spend most of their time underground, but cane toads don’t burrow. When the beetles are grubs, they live in trees . . . and cane toads don’t fly.”
If you’re hunting for journalists, go to their natural habitat. It’s no secret that journalists tend to congregate in bars. One of the best meetings I had at CES was after I’d left a meeting at Caesar’s and crossed the street to Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Saloon, where I figured I could escape the craziness and convince a bartender to put the Pittsburgh Penguins on one of the TVs while I played a few hands of video poker.
All was going according to plan – except for the fact that the Pens were losing to the Caps – when the guy next to me noticed my press badge. He was a rep from PowerFilm Solar, which offers cool solar USB chargers for cell phones, tablets and other devices.
We got talking, and swapping stories, and eventually I ended up mentioning his product in more than one story.
Sometimes going where the press goes means that you’ll have to do a little legwork to get your clients into the best after-hours events. You’ll have to train them to work a room and deliver a concise pitch that doesn’t feel like a pitch. I get plenty of elevator pitches at after-hours parties, and when they feel natural to the conversation, I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’ve cultivated plenty of sources whom I first met at, say, a Qualcomm or IBM party.
Bonus Tip: Have PR reps that actually know something about the company and product staffing the booth, rather than booth babes. Seems like there’s been some backlash to the booth babe phenomena at CES, which I partially think is overblown.
I mean, who goes into, say, the Fujitsu booth thinking the models there are actually working for the company? (actually, one of the girls Yet, the article makes a very valid point: this practice alienates potential female buyers – and female journalists as well.
What I find frustrating is encountering junior-level PR folks at the shows who should know about the company they are representing but don’t. A little bit of homework is all that’s necessary to offer a quick overview. Heck, just learn the broad categories at the top of your client’s collateral, and then refer to it as you go along.
Do anything to avoid the “I know nothing and I really don’t know who you should talk to” attitude, followed by some aimless wandering around the booth until the journalist gets frustrated and walks off. In other words, if you don’t have some best practices that your reps follow at trade shows, you should institute them now.
Of course, all of these tips aside, nothing beats having a truly newsworthy company or product at your disposal. When you represent a dog, you can only do so much. Nifty attention-getting tricks won’t paper over a dud client.
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