Getting featured in publications is a cornerstone of solid brand-building efforts. This type of “earned media” should be part of your overall marketing plan. In addition to potential qualified lead generation, gaining editorial features on your work goes a long way towards creating awareness, building your reputation, and positioning you as an expert.
PartySlate CEO and Co-Founder, Julie Roth Novack, hosted a digital event where she shared how to target publications for potential feature and tips for shifting your tone during this unprecedented time.
Julie was joined by PartySlate’s Managing Editor, Pamela Rothbard, who shared who shared editorial selection insights and examples, while also asking Julie questions posed by attendees throughout the event.
The team shared best practices for selecting the best events and topics to pitch for editorial placement. They suggested asking yourself a series of guiding questions to help narrow down the right pitches for the right publications. They also broke down types of publications and discussed potential lead times and reach of each.
When it comes to editorial features, there are generally two types of topics: evergreen (those which will be just as relevant in a year as they are now) and topical (those which are very of the “now” in relation to current and calendar events). Julie covered real-world examples of each before delving further into the appropriate tone to adopt during these unprecedented times.
COVID-19 has dominated the global news cycle — and rightly so. It’s important to consider how to shift the tone of editorial around events when gatherings are against safe practices in many locales. At PartySlate, we’ve responded by remaining committed to highlighting the good works of the event industry as well as sharing helpful real stories about party host experiences. In addition, we continue to offer guidance and inspiration. In this program, we offer suggestions for how the industry can continue approaching this tough topic in a positive and constructive way.
In order to get featured in editorial focused on extraordinary efforts — as well as for your past and future work — it’s important to compose a thoughtful submission. The PartySlate team shares tips for identifying story angles and trends for potential pitches.
A collection of professional event images should accompany every editorial submission, regardless of the media outlet. Suggestions for curating feature-worthy images include selecting 20-30 images from an event that directly speak to your topic as well as tell the story of the event. Consider a mix of wide room images as well as up-close shots of detailed elements.
Your PartySlate profile is a great resource for easy submissions to our editorial Best-Of page and the team delves into maximizing your potential for feature as well as for search engine optimization (SEO).
Once your work is featured in a publication, your job hasn’t ended — your last important step is promoting that positive press. Julie suggests maximizing every opportunity by sharing articles via your social media as well as through email and on the press page of your brand site (if you don’t have a press section, or perhaps a site, tune in to our next program “7 Ways to Make Your Website More Engaging and User-Friendly” for more tips).
The digital event concluded with a call to action in three parts: 1) Create a PR plan; 2) Submit your work for editorial consideration; 3) Promote your press mentions.
If you are interested in gaining access to PartySlate’s editorial submission form offered during this digital event, please send us a request via email.
You can watch the full digital event recording below, or open the recording with YouTube.