o let’s take it back to the beginning. Live event reporting is essentially what journalists do every day, but now are doing for a specific organisation and event rather than for a media outlet.
It involves them being paid by the client (typically a brand) to cover an event such as a conference, trade show, charity fundraising initiative or new product launch and providing live updates, interviews, social media content and videos.
Let’s say you are an insurance company and you sponsor a sporting event such as a triathlon. That event will demand promotion, regular updates and will attract competitors and spectators all with stories to tell, providing a potentially rich vein of human interest content.
You may have already seen live event reporting in action through Apple and Tesla product launches, but more brands are starting to embrace it.
Here is why we not only think it should be added to your content marketing strategy but also how it will bring added value to your next event.
Build anticipation
A designated live event reporting team which is entirely focused on the event can help to enthuse not only those who are attending but also those who cannot make the event in person.
The posts can promote speakers, the topics which will be discussed, and offer a behind-the-scenes look as final preparations are made.
It may sound odd, but there are a lot of football clubs who do this well, building anticipation among their fans who cannot attend the match by sharing photos of players and coaches arriving at the ground, the warm-up routine and the starting team announcement for example.
A key point here is to have a single specific hashtag for your event if you are going to use social media channels.
This will make it easier for people to find what you are sharing and join in the conversation.
Wider audience
For some organisations, no matter how hard they try or want it to happen, it can simply be logistically impossible to get everyone together in the same place at the same time.
And it can be hard to capture the attention of those unable to attend.
But live reporting, with blogging and video coverage can give those unable to make it a sense of what is unfolding as it happens, creating a level of engagement that a traditional post-event report could not achieve.
Extending the buzz
For many events it can be important for the reach to extend beyond the four walls of the conference room or the event location.
It may be of interest to stakeholders, customers and potential customers.
Using social media channels to tell other users you are reporting live from an event can create a real online buzz and help amplify reach.
The word ‘live’ is important in these types of social media posts. It adds urgency and importance to messages and can help cut through the noise.
More than just a one-day event
There is a misconception that live reporting stops being useful once the event comes to an end.
But in our experience, this couldn’t be more wrong.
The interviews and footage gathered at the event can provide a rich pool of content which can be used throughout the coming weeks and months for both internal and external audiences.
For example, interviews can be used for the basis of blogs, or they can be turned into short video clips which can be used on social media channels.
Stand-out
Live reporting an event is something which can really make an organisation stand-out and highlight it as a brand with industry expertise.
It is still a relatively new concept, which means that using it can help organisations differentiate themselves from their competitors and show their ingenuity.
It could also lead to further speaker opportunities for your spokespeople, potentially helping the business to grow.
Better feedback
Not only does live reporting of your event increase its longevity, but it also increases the opportunity for constructive feedback.
The repurposed content you gain from the event can be used to elicit ideas on what went well and what people would like to see changed for the event.
Not only could this generate some good suggestions, but it also helps position the organisation as one which is willing to listen and embrace opinions which may help it improve.
Why use journalists for live reporting?
Live reporting can be challenging and exhausting.
We believe journalists are best placed to meet the demands of this format.
They will be able to carry out independent and newsworthy interviews with senior leaders, speakers and audience members.
They are skilled at gathering and filtering huge quantities of information and quickly getting to the heart of a story and are used to producing content quickly.
And they can self-edit and have the ability to adapt and reuse content for different channels – a crucial skill in maximising the impact and life of live event reporting content.
If we think back to the insurance company sponsoring a sporting event, which we mentioned at the start, could their comms team, which is likely to be stretched with managing the media around the event, capture all that potentially great content? Or would a team of experienced journalists, parachuted in to focus purely on that event, be better placed?
Get in touch to find out how our live event reporting team can add value to your next event.
At Thirty Seven, we offer content and design services to ensure your campaigns reach the right audiences at the right times. Our journalist led approach ensures your content is interesting, engaging and informative so you gain brand awareness and engagement whether it is social media content or a whitepaper.
Media First designs and delivers bespoke media and communications courses that use current working journalists, along with PR and communications professionals, to help you get the most from your communications plan.
