How to Generate Great Media Coverage for a Music Festival.

Creating media ‘buzz' around a music festival can increase awareness amongst potential ticket buyers and supports decisions made by stakeholders investing in the event like sponsors and vendors. What is the process involved in creating engaging content and getting it widely published in the media.

Generating positive media converge about a music festival is a key element in the overall marketing mix and should be used in conjunction with other activity to generate awareness and ultimately ticket sales. Although some organisers rely heavily on PR it always works better when combined with other targeted advertising campaigns.

Research Topics. 
It’s worth investing time in researching relevant topics for content that are going to grab the attention of journalists and the wider public. In 2023 the topics that are gaining significant traction are related to sustainability and diversity so these will resonate with both media outlets and the public. Other topics that relate to current social issues like the cost-of-living crisis for example are also getting wide media attention.

Content Creation. 
Once a relevant topic has been selected it’s vital that it relates specifically to what the music festival organisation is doing. This may include examples of sustainability initiatives or how the organisers are embracing diversity in the artist curation process. If the content includes discounts for minority groups or those impacted by rising costs the content can be made more appealing to target audiences. Aside from the traditional press release it may be worth creating additional video content and blogs for example. 

Targeting Journalists and Media Outlets. 
Content created can be pitched to relevant journalists for publication, this may involve simply re-posting a press release. The converge can be improved by offering exclusive content to selected media journalists with invitations to interview the festival organisers either for the printed press or broadcast media. When pitching content, it is essential that it will be relevant to the media outlet’s own audience rather than a blanket press release sent over a newswire. In addition to targeted journalists and media outlets festival organisers should publish their topical content on their own social media channels and encourage new followers, likes and shares. 

Feedback.
After pitching content to a media outlet it's worth following up with selected journalists to get feedback on the content provided. Any feedback can help to refine future content and topics, in addition it’s worth investing in a simple media monitoring service that can help to identify the results of media coverage achieved, usually provided by PR agencies.

By leveraging topical engaging content, and pitching to relevant media outlets festival organisers can generate good media coverage potentially boosting ticket sales and generating interest from potential sponsors and vendors. 

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska via pexels

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