How to run a press conference journalists attend

Before you work out how to organise a press conference, ask whether you should hold one. The Community Tool Box at the University of Kansas describes a press conference as a tool designed to generate news, and defines hard news as a story that is timely, significant, prominent and relevant.¹ If your announcement does not pass that test, journalists will notice, and they may be slower to come next time.

The same guide recommends press releases, interviews and informal media contacts as excellent ways of getting a message across, and treats a press conference as an additional technique for special occasions that should not be held too often.¹ A new national survey, a major funding agreement or a response to a crisis can justify one. A routine workshop usually cannot.

Start planning at least a week or two before the date.² The Community Tool Box suggests that Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays work best, with a start between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.¹ That advice comes from a US context, so check the deadlines of the newsrooms you want, including radio and evening television bulletins, and avoid clashing with major national events. For fast-breaking news, the guide says you can simply phone the press with a few hours' notice.¹

Pick a location that is easy to reach and has adequate parking.² Choose a site that provides visual interest and connects to your topic, and display visuals such as charts or posters behind the speakers' table.¹ Check the basics on the day before: power for cameras, a clean sound feed, reliable internet and a quiet space for one-to-one interviews afterwards.

A media advisory is a short invitation that tells editors what is happening, who will speak, where and when, without giving the story away. The Community Tool Box describes a press advisory as similar to a press release, and recommends sending it about one week ahead.¹ Give it three days to arrive, then begin telephone follow-ups with the major outlets, and follow up a second time on the morning of the press conference.²

Personal contact matters more than volume. A short call to the editor or reporter who covers your subject is worth more than a long mailing list. If you only need to explain a complex issue to a few specialist reporters, a smaller media briefing may achieve more than a full press conference.

Choose few speakers, and choose them well. The Community Tool Box recommends selecting and training participants who are knowledgeable and articulate, and finding a moderator who is experienced with the press and the issue.² Each speaker should present for no more than three to five minutes, making three to five key points, and the formal conference should end after about 45 minutes.¹

First-hand testimony from people affected by the issue can be powerful and convincing.¹ If you invite community members to speak, prepare them carefully, explain how the media will use their words and image, and respect their right to decline. Rehearse the hard questions in advance. The guide's advice is simple: always tell the truth, and if you do not know the answer to a question, say so.¹

A press kit gives reporters what they need to write accurately after they leave the room. The Community Tool Box suggests including a list of participants, a press release stating your position, background information on the issue, photographs and short biographies of the speakers.² Guidance from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services adds the agenda and list of speakers, and prepared statements.³

Today most journalists will want the kit in digital form as well as on paper. In our own practice, we prepare a single shareable link with the press release, captioned high-resolution photographs, short video clips and the speakers' names and titles spelled correctly, and we check that every image has the consent and credits it needs.

Many press conferences are now livestreamed. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines require captions for all live audio content in synchronised media at Level AA, and the W3C explains that this was meant to cover broadcasts such as a live webcast from a news organisation.⁴ Live captions are usually produced by professional real-time captioners, sometimes called CART providers, working in person or remotely, and a posted recording will probably need minor editing for accuracy.⁵

Sign language is the native language of many people who are Deaf, and some will want sign language and captions at the same time.⁶ If you provide an interpreter, place them where cameras can capture them: viewers need to see all movements and facial expressions.⁶ Tell camera crews in advance where the interpreter will stand.

Your work is not finished when the room empties. The Utah guidance recommends following up with reporters who were unable to attend and posting the relevant materials on the websites of the organisations taking part.³ The Community Tool Box suggests delivering the press release and press packet to outlets that did not send anyone.²

On the same afternoon, share the photographs, a short video clip and the final statements. Make speakers available for follow-up interviews, keep a record of the coverage, and note which journalists came, so your next invitation goes to the people most likely to report your story.

• News test passed: timely, significant and relevant
• Date and time checked against newsroom deadlines
• Venue with access, parking, power and a visual backdrop
• Media advisory sent a week ahead and followed up by phone
• A few trained speakers and an experienced moderator
• Press kit ready on paper and as a digital link
• Live captions and sign language interpretation arranged
• Follow-up materials sent the same day