Live and Local

Promoting your event

The role of the publicist

In consultation with the event manager and curator, the publicist will develop the event branding and engage the media for your event. The publicist is employed by the event manager, as a short-term contract and paid role.

(TIP: when engaging a publicist, it helps to find a professional who has a proven track record with events and understands the live music sector.)

Main aims:

  • Launch publicity and social media engagement plan
  • Plan media push (with a focus on pre-event media)
  • Maintaining consistency in branding e.g. fonts, colours, design and overall tone of the campaign
  • Collate event, venue and artists media assets
  • Liaise with artists on media opportunities
  • Build media schedule for the event day and host media representatives and sponsors
  • Deliver report

Timeline

8 weeks prior to the event launch, the Curator and Event manager will need to brief the publicist on event branding, philosophy of the event, target market and artists and venues.

The publicist can then create a media campaign schedule, including weekly media releases for press, web, radio, gig guides, a rollout of social media posts, interviews with artists and curator, poster/flyer distribution and paid advertisements if budget allows.

Promotion can commence when the Curator has booked the program. A 6 week lead time is recommended for promotion with a focus on pre-event media.

Pre event:

The host event may offer opportunities for promotion. Developing a well branded publicity campaign will help to get all parties on board, a press pack can start the process.

The most important details to emphasise on all media are the date, location and time of the event and a call to action eg: how to register for the event or how to find out more information or sign up to event social media.

On the day:

The publicist will invite media and sponsors to attend the event, and host them during the event.

Honouring and promoting the event sponsors and making sure sponsorship agreements are fulfilled lays with the publicist. For example ensure sponsor logos (of good quality) are included as per sponsorship agreements on posters, flyers, social media and at the event.

Post event:

Publicist will need to deliver a report on media reach including website hits, attendance and any partnerships that may need maintaining.