Tip Sheet

 

How to Tell Your Trade Show Story with a Page-Turning Press Kit

Originally posted on PR Newswire’s Beyond PR blog: http://www.prnewswire.com/blog/4-must-dos-for-creating-trade-show-press-kits-13915.html

If you’re looking for thrilling reading material, a trade show press kit may not be the first thing that comes to mind.

The primary function of a press kit is to provide easy access to the resources needed by media on deadline.

They’re typically comprised of press releases, multimedia, bios, fact sheets, and other brand content, all brought together under one roof to create a quick snapshot for journalists covering an event.

However, if you view your press kit as just a place to house your trade show communications, your kit runs the risk of gathering dust.

By weaving a cohesive and meaningful narrative throughout your press kit content, you can lay the groundwork for compelling media coverage and customer conversions.

Here are four simple steps you can take to make your next press kit a page-turner, and none of them require you to be a best-selling author.

Don’t sell. Inspire.

Many companies use trade shows as an opportunity to unveil and demo a new product. Subsequently, it may be tempting to view your product as your press kit’s main character.

However, while you and other brand advocates may view it that way, the media and prospective customers attending the event probably won’t.

Because of this, your product needs to be framed within a larger storyline.

What about your brand is relatable or inspiring? Why should your new product launch excite buyers? Does your brand’s services impact the community?

Context is critical when trying to uncover a unique story angle for your press kit. Consider how your product can change someone’s life in a creative way or how it fits into relevant current events.

Redefining news

Even if your company isn’t revealing anything new at the trade show, you still have the components needed for a good story.

Keep an ear and eye out for what the show’s attendees care about.

If they care about a commitment to values, demonstrate how your overall service offerings are integrated into your sustainability or philanthropic initiatives. If they care about expertise or innovation, try molding your press kit’s narrative around what sparked your company’s founding.

Give your press kit audience a choice.

Think about the audiences you target with your brand’s non-trade show content.

While some people prefer video, others want text and graphics. Similarly, data may resonate with certain individuals more than classic storytelling techniques (and vice versa).

The media, influencers and customers attending a trade show have the same wants.

Your press kit must address the fact that audiences enjoy consuming content in different formats and journalists welcome different options to use in their event coverage.

The key is to showcase a variety of content and make your story digestible and shareable in different ways. Pair a press release with an infographic, a PowerPoint or SlideShare with datasheets, and videos with survey results. This variety will create a one stop shop for journalists and other influencers.

Focus the content to support your trade show message.

It can be easy for a story to lose its focus when there are a lot of supporting characters diverting attention from the main plot. However, a truly talented author knows how to make these diversions work by having them reinforce the story’s overall message.

When deciding which pieces of content to include in your press kit, you need to select the ones that support the story your brand is telling.

If the materials presented to journalists and customers don’t have a unifying theme, it is easy for the story to get lost amid a jumble of links and documents.

Don’t try to stuff your company’s entire history into your press kit by filling it with bios for every executive, a litany of white papers, all of your press releases, and outdated media clippings. Instead, pare down your kit to include only the pieces most relevant to your brand’s presence at the event.

For instance, if you are creating a trade show press kit around a new product launch, it will be more effective to include a demo video of the product, a spec sheet and speaker information, than unrelated case studies and award lists.

A strong press kit will be concise but informative, have a clear direction, and be customized for the trade show’s audience.

Amplify your press kit’s message through promotion.

A groundbreaking novel won’t become the next best seller if no one knows about it. Amplify the message of your trade show press kit by sharing it through multiple channels.

Even if you use hardcopy press kits or USB versions at the trade show, a digital copy is invaluable for its distribution capabilities.

A link to the digital press kit can be easily printed on business cards, shared via social media, embedded in press releases, and quickly sent via email, making your content accessible across devices and found in the places that your audience frequents.

Take the right approach with your trade show press kit, and you’ll leave your audience eagerly awaiting your brand’s next chapter. Download Redefining Newsworthiness: New Opportunities to Earn Media to uncover more tips you can use in your trade show and content marketing campaigns.

Erienne Muldoon is a customer content specialist for Virtual Press Office, PR Newswire’s trade show marketing solutions division.

User Guide

Press Kit Tips & Tricks