Workflow: Event PR
Plan the press side of an event from first objective to final follow-up
The Event PR workflow covers the media work around an event in nine steps, from what PR should achieve to the follow-up pitch after the doors close. Each step builds on the one before it.
Photo by Alexandre Pellaes on Unsplash
Who it is for
Communications teams and agencies running launches, conferences, openings, and recurring events who need the media plan written down before the day.
The 9 steps
- 01
Event objectives
PR objectives for the event, kept separate from attendance or sales goals: what earned media should achieve.
- 02
Media strategy
Your approach to press access (open, exclusive, or embargoed), with target outlets and journalists who cover similar events, found through current research.
- 03
Target audiences
Press tiers, industry segments, or public audiences, and how the messaging should differ for each.
- 04
Media invitation
A ready-to-send invitation that gives a journalist a reason to attend or cover the event as well as the logistics.
- 05
Speaker profiles
A short media-ready profile for each speaker, sized for a press kit, built only from the credentials you provide.
- 06
Event messaging
The core messages and themes that coverage and speakers should reinforce.
- 07
Run sheet
A PR-focused schedule for the day with press arrivals, photo opportunities, speaker slots, and interview windows.
- 08
On-the-day media management
Who greets press, how interview requests are handled on the spot, and an escalation plan if something goes off script.
- 09
Post-event coverage
A recap pitch angle, follow-up content such as photos and quotes, and separate follow-ups for press who attended and press who could not.
Example
An example, start to finish
The Local Food Forum is a made-up event, and every detail here is invented. This sample shows the shape of what three of the steps return, written from the brief below. A real run works from your own event.
The brief you type in
The Local Food Forum is a one-day conference for restaurant owners and food suppliers. It has 300 attendees and six speakers, and takes place in a city venue on 14 May. We want coverage before the day and interviews with speakers on the day.
Step 1
Event objectives
- •Earn coverage in two trade titles and one city food publication before the day
- •Secure three speaker interviews on the day
- •Build a list of 25 journalists who attend or follow up afterwards
Step 4
Media invitation
Subject: Local Food Forum, 14 May: six speakers on ingredient costs and menu changes Hi [first name], On 14 May, 300 restaurant owners and food suppliers meet in [city] for the Local Food Forum. Six speakers will talk about rising ingredient costs and how restaurants are changing their menus. Press have a reserved seat near the front and a quiet room for interviews between sessions. Two speakers are available to talk before the day. Would you like to attend, or speak to one of the speakers beforehand? Reply by 7 May and we will hold your place. [Name]
Step 7
Run sheet
| Time | PR task |
|---|---|
| 8:30am | Press arrive and collect passes |
| 9:00am | Opening session, photographs welcome |
| 10:45am | Interview window with speakers 1 and 2 |
| 12:30pm | Lunch, with the quiet room open for press |
| 3:15pm | Interview window with speakers 3 and 4 |
| 4:45pm | Closing session and group photo |
| 5:30pm | Photos and quotes sent to press |
What you end up with
- Written PR objectives and a media strategy
- A media invitation ready to send
- Speaker profiles for the press kit
- A run sheet and an on-the-day media plan
- A post-event follow-up plan
Tips for running it
- Have the date and format (in person, virtual, or hybrid) ready, since they shape several later steps.
- Use the on-the-day step as a live reference during the event.
- Save the run sheet as a template if the event repeats, so next year starts from a draft.
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