In the days of old, messengers would stand in the town center and shout out important news and events that people would want to know. Those days are long gone, but the press release has replaced these announcements. A well-crafted press release proclaims the value of your upcoming event, helping you promote the occasion and even attract attendees and media attention. If you are new to writing high-value press releases, however, we will walk you through what you need to know about their role in event promotion and the impact they can have. What is an Event Press Release? Your event press release announces your upcoming event and gets word out about what you have planned. However, if you haven’t used many event press releases before, it helps to start at the beginning: understanding what this press release is, what it does, and when to send one. Definition and Purpose Your event press release is a particular type of content you will produce that gives critical information about your upcoming event and provides some context and background about your business as the host of the event. This release is written more formally than a blog post you might produce to excite people about the upcoming activities, but it still works to generate buzz about the event. Since your press release also helps inform the media about your event and drive the targeted audience to learn more about attending, your press release will include valuable information that answers the 5 W’s – who, what, where, when, and why. When to Send an Event Press Release As you write your press release, the timing of publication is nearly as important as its content. Typically, you will want to have a press release go out about 2–3 weeks before the event. This gives any media enough time to mark it on their calendar so you get the proper media coverage. You also want to send out a press release after any major updates or news related to the event. For example, if a celebrity business owner has agreed to come be your keynote speaker, you want to write a separate press release about this exciting news to generate further buzz about the event. Key Components of an Event Press Release Now let’s take a closer look at the most important components of an event press release so you can start to think about how you will build your own. Headline Start with your headline. Just like a newspaper headline, the headline of your press release will help you capture the attention of your audience so that they continue to read more. Your headline should focus on three main criteria. It should be: Concise Clear Engaging You can achieve this by choosing more dynamic verbs, using writing styles that trigger intrigue, and writing in a way that speaks to the interests and needs of your target audience. Subheadline Your subheadline supplies more context to the headline you have written. You use this sentence to add more information to what you communicated in your headline so people can better judge the value your event offers and whether they want to learn more. Dateline Your dateline tells the audience when and where the press release was published. Introduction Paragraph After your dateline, you will open your press release by answering the 5 W’s in an opening, introductory paragraph. Make it clear to the audience: Who is presenting the event? What are they presenting? When will the event take place? Where will the event occur? Why is the event happening (its value)? Body of the Press Release Following this introductory paragraph, you will write the body of the press release. In the body, you will make people more excited about your event and what it has to offer. This means you will single out key speakers or performers. You will also highlight any unique or special activities. Relevant statistics and background information that captures the value and importance of the event can also help draw attention and persuade people to learn more. Quotes Quotes can communicate value well. They work similarly to other types of user-generated content. People like to hear about the experiences and opinions of other consumers or event attendees when deciding whether to buy tickets themselves. Collect and use quotes from key stakeholders, such as speakers or satisfied past attendees, in your press release to add credibility and drive more interest. Call to Action Like any type of quality content, you want to pair your writing with clear instructions for your readers that tell them what to do. Write a CTA that reminds people of the value they will receive and why they should follow your suggested action. Make sure your proposed step is clear and direct– don’t try to include multiple options. Give people a link to click, a landing page to visit, or a number to call to start the process of securing tickets to attend. Boilerplate and Company Biography The boilerplate captures the core ideas of your brand’s mission and your goals for the event. It is a standard couple of sentences that remains consistent across all your press releases. It ties nicely with your company biography, which will give background information on your company and what you achieve for your clients. Contact Information In addition to your CTA for potential attendees, your press release should also include contact information for media representatives who have more questions and want to cover your event. Make it easy for these journalists to connect with your event spokesperson by including a few ways to get in touch. List the name and position of the person in charge of media inquiries. You also want to include their email address and their phone number so journalists can easily reach them. Tips for Crafting a Compelling Event Press Release We’ve now explored the core components of an effective press release, but you also want to make sure that writing in your press release is engaging and draws people in so they read all the information you have included. Here are some ideas to keep in mind as you write your release. Keep it Concise In a press release, clarity and brevity are central components. Focus on getting your point across in active, succinct sentences so people can quickly scan the release and learn what you want them to know. Utilize Strong, Active Language Robotic, dry, passive sentences quickly become boring and make it harder for people to absorb your message. Write your press release using active, interesting verbs and language. Change the forms of your sentences so they do not become monotonous. After you write your text, read it aloud to another person to see how engaging it is for a reader. Tailor to Your Audience As you develop your press release, consider your audience. You should highlight the aspects of your event that are most likely to appeal to your target audience and ensure that the media outlets that cover the event will also align well with your target audience. Therefore, customize your work based on who you want to reach with the press release. Research the press release publication networks most likely to reach the right media representatives and your target audience. Consider carefully what your target audience cares about so you can make sure you tailor your language and your highlights based on what they appreciate. This can help your press release go further and generate more buzz and interest in your event. Follow a Standard Format Your event press release will typically contain all the different components listed above. Most businesses will separate the various components by a line break. The final length of your press release can vary a bit. Most press releases will fall between 300 and 800 words, but the reason behind your release and the amount of information you have to communicate will change how much text you want to include. For example, if you are writing a post-event press release that includes some important recaps, you might have more text than an initial announcement press release. As you determine the optimal length of your press release, remember to keep conciseness in mind. Communicate your core information while still being succinct. Event Press Release Templates To help you get started with your press release development, we have created three core event press release templates for you. To use the template, customize the different fields and components according to your event and your audience. Template for a Simple Event Press Release This standard event press release template can help you craft the text for your upcoming event. [Event Name] Offers Exciting Opportunities at Annual Conference Dateline: [Location, Date] – [Company Name], [industry] leader, has announced its schedule for their popular [Event name]. It will take place on [Date], at {Name of Venue} in [City, State]. Headline: A Headline that draws in the audience and communicates what makes the event so valuable Subheadline: A subheadline to offer additional context about the goal of the event and what it offers the audience Introduction: [Company Name] is excited to release the dates and agenda for [Event Name]. This event will bring together industry leaders across the [industry]. Over the course of these [number] of days, attendees will get to dive deeply into the latest trends and exciting networking opportunities. Agenda: The event will kick off with [opening event] and include exciting workshops, seminars, and keynote speakers. Provide an agenda Speakers and networking body: Industry-leaders [Speaker names] will present note-worthy talks on [keynote topics] while attendees can connect with other industry professionals for valuable conversations, partnerships, and networking opportunities. Boilerplate: [Company name] is dedicated to [brand mission and industry]. We are committed to excellence and leadership and enjoy bringing industry professionals together for [industry] events like [event name]. Contact information: provide name and contact information for those accepting media inquiries. About [Company Name]: company biography Template for a Special Announcement (e.g. Celebrity Guest, Major Sponsorship) If you receive confirmation about a major development for your event, such as a celebrity guest joining you, a major brand sponsoring your event, or a significant keynote speaker joining the lineup, you will want to create a special press release to let people know the good news. Here are our suggestions for a basic format. [Event Name] Is Thrilled to Announce [Special Guest/Sponsorship] Dateline: [Location, Date] – [Company Name], [industry] leader, has announced its schedule for their popular [Event name]. It will take place on [Date], at {Name of Venue} in [City, State]. Headline: A Headline that draws in the audience and communicates what makes the announcement noteworthy Subheadline: A subheadline to offer additional context about the goal of the event and what it offers the audience Introduction: [Company Name] has announced that [Special Guest/Sponsorship] will join attendees at [Event Name]. This event will bring together industry leaders across the [industry]. Over the course of these [number] of days, [Special Guest/Sponsorship] will offer attendees [valuable keynote speech, seminar participation, etc]. Agenda: [Special Guest/Sponsorship] will join us onstage at [time]. Provide an agenda for this portion of the event. Speakers and networking body: [Speaker names] will give attendees a deep-dive into the latest information surrounding [industry]. Boilerplate: [Company name] is dedicated to [brand mission and industry]. We are committed to excellence and leadership and enjoy bringing industry professionals together for [industry] events like [event name]. Contact information: provide name and contact information for those accepting media inquiries. About [Company Name]: company biography Template for a Post-Event Press Release Once your event concludes, you will want to issue a post-event press release. This press release lets people know about the value the event offered, attributes leadership qualities to your brand, and helps to promote conversation about your business so that people might feel excited about your events in the future. [Business Name] Excitedly Concludes [Event Name] Dateline: [Location, Date] – [Company Name], [industry] leader, has wrapped up their popular [Event name]. It took place on [Date], at {Name of Venue} in [City, State]. Headline: A Headline that draws in the audience and communicates the excitement and value of the event Subheadline: A subheadline to offers additional context about the goal of the event and what it offered the audience Introduction: [Company Name] and attendees officially announced the end of [Event Name]. The event celebrated the future of [industry] by bringing together some of the top thinkers in the field for exciting speeches, workshops, and discussions. Over the course of [number] of days, attendees enjoyed engaging with the speakers and their industry colleagues for an informative and enlightening event. Boilerplate: [Company name] is dedicated to [brand mission and industry]. We are committed to excellence and leadership and enjoy bringing industry professionals together for [industry] events like [event name]. Contact information: provide name and contact information for those accepting media inquiries. About [Company Name]: company biography Conclusion: Get Ready to Write Your Event Press Release Writing an event press release is an important component in event promotion. With a well-written press release, you can generate buzz about your event, encourage media representation, and overall encourage people to learn more about the upcoming occasion and register to attend themselves. Building excitement for your event through a quality press release can help you maximize your overall success. If you are getting ready to write a press release for your upcoming event, we recommend that you carefully note the tips and templates we have offered above. By reviewing these examples, you can start to develop the text for your event press release. See what writing quality press releases can do for your next event.