On Feb 26^th-28^th I attended my first ever Media Connect Kickstart Forum – and I survived with my liver in-tact! But that could be considered a fail or a win depending on your position.

Admittedly, I wasn’t sure what to expect with my first Kickstart. I read all the materials and prepared as much as I could – probably drove poor Phil Sim insane with my questions – but without having seeing it in action before, I could only imagine what the next three days would be like.

Not that there was anything to worry about. It was a well managed event and there was a great atmosphere (unless you were Paul Fletcher). There was also a lot to be gained by attending Kickstart: it got our client in front of the media as a thought leader. I also got to strengthen existing relationships, make some new friends and finally put faces to a few names.

But with that said, I also got to walk away from the event with some key learnings and observations. Here are a few I’d like to share:

Have something to say: As with anything we do in PR, make sure you pass the ‘so what’ test. There are a lot of other companies presenting, so make sure what you say counts. By having a strong news hook, your time at Kickstart will not only be easier and more productive, it will also strengthen your relationship with the media

Be engaging:  There were amazing speakers at Kickstart and as a general observation the best speeches were both engaging and insightful. In particular, the best speakers would:

• Keep to a couple of key points. There were only 5 mins after all
• Not carry speech notes. These just act as a crutch and it can be all too tempting to read from them.
• Engage the audience with questions, multimedia, insightful facts or thought-provoking sound grabs.
• Use their 5 mins to discuss emerging trends and insights, not their organisation.

Be prepared: Just like anything, being prepared helps tremendously. The event attracts journalists from different areas, some that may not necessarily cover the topic area discussed. This is what makes the round-table section of the event a little daunting. However, by being prepared we were able to spark conversations that lead to questions and even some opportunities by journalists who initially felt there was no angle for them.

Be ready to have some fun: A no-brainer, really! But honestly, it was great to network and meet new people in a relaxed environment.

I’m sure I could add more to the list, but then I’d be hogging the conversation. Went to Kickstart this year? Add your experiences below.

At Encoder PR, we place a deep emphasis on developing strong relationships with bloggers. There’s endless industry discussion on the topic of good-PR-practice when it comes to blogger relations – don’t email irrelevant and impersonal media releases (or any media releases for that matter), don’t treat them as if they’re a journalist, read and understand their blog before you make contact, the list goes on…Our Encoder PR philosophy is to take bloggers seriously, follow blogs that we regularly target, treat them with the respect they deserve and develop long-lasting relationships. (more…)