Media Relations Conference June 5-6, 2024 | Washington, D.C.
Are you fighting to stay relevant and recognized in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape? The flurry of new media channels, shuttered outlets and always-shifting social media platforms can make it more challenging than ever to earn attention in today’s diminishing news spaces — especially when coverage seems dominated by topics such as AI or the election cycle.
Join us June 5-6 for PR Daily’s Media Relations Conference to cut through the clutter and confusion. You’ll be hosted at the iconic National Press Club in Washington, D.C., for an event guaranteed to guide you through these challenges — and help you successfully turn heads and earn headlines for your brand, news, execs or story. You’ll leave equipped with the strategies, insights and skills needed to tackle challenges and keep your media relations game strong.
From interactive pitch sessions and deep dives on the latest AI tools to discussions about new strategies to counter dis- and misinformation while leveling up your press releases and storytelling prowess, our media mavens, PR execs and instructors will arm you with all you need to succeed.
Register today! Don’t miss this opportunity to:
- Build buzz for your brand.
- Access exclusive lineups and resources.
- Stay ahead of the curve in today’s fast-paced media landscape.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
AGENDA
Register for our in-person certificate series to revolutionize your approach to storytelling. You’ll learn how to create visually impactful—and budget-friendly—content that captures the eyes and hearts of your intended audience.
This visual storytelling course will equip you with toolkits, templates, and techniques you need to take your content and messaging to new heights, gaining authentic traction, placement and connections. You’ll leave this 4-hour course with a Visual Storytelling Certificate from PR Daily.
Separate registration required.
It’s critical to quantify how media relations efforts contribute to a business or organization’s objectives, whether those goals are driving sales or improving visibility. Join us as we unlock the secrets to effective measurement strategies that are meaningful and achievable. You’ll learn:
- SMART Media Relations Frameworks: How to define and deliver specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives for your media relations goals that contribute to the overall mission and values of your organization.
- Definitions: A deep dive into key KPIs you should watch—and how to you can affect them—including share of voice, earned media value, message pull-through, media quality score, return on engagement and return on impressions. Plus, how to identify the metrics that matter to your specific industry via competitive analysis.
- Sentiment Analysis: How to tap into AI to measure the polarity and intensity of media coverage, as well as identify shifts over time, to help you understand how your brand is perceived and portrayed by the media.
- Visualizing Success: How to analyze media coverage—and build dashboards that communicate data successfully and effectively to C-suite.
- Review, Revise, Renew: How to calculate message resonance, review stakeholder and customer feedback via surveys, adjust messaging for media challenges, and set industry benchmarks for comparison.
Your crisis plan begins today. In this hands-on session, we’ll review a crisis framework against the most pressing challenges of 2024, including cancel culture, reputational missteps amid political and societal turmoil, and communicating layoffs. You’ll learn why careful stress testing of a response plan—along with media training for key spokespersons and executives—are both critical to a successful crisis response, plus:
- Anatomy of a Crisis: Real-life case studies preemptive media relations efforts, such as Southwest's media tour ahead of the 2023 December holiday travel—as well as media relations moments gone very wrong, such as interviews by Elon Musk on X’s new strategy. Plus, and actionable takeaways you can include in your own response planning.
- Media Training Strategies: How to successfully prepare an executive or spokesperson for a critical media tour, including drills on challenging questions, non-verbal communication exercises, and mock interview scenarios.
- Crisis Assessment: How to quickly gather necessary information to accurately assess the scope, potential impact and key stakeholders for every crisis, including media monitoring media to measure and sentiment surrounding the event.
- Response Triage: How to launch a coordinated, rapid response using the RACI matrix and pre-vetted holding statements that are situationally specific.
- Resolution and Spokesperson Comms: Why the selection of an expert spokesperson, transparency without oversharing, empathy, and a proactive media strategy all play a role in shaping the narrative.
- Measuring Reputation Impact: The post-crisis metrics for measuring the impact on the organization’s reputation, including media coverage analysis, stakeholder feedback and public sentiment.
Media closures, newsroom layoffs, and a shrinking news hole in the face of election coverage and other macro news developments can make it difficult to land a story. Earn headlines by prioritizing authenticity, human-driven stories and fresh perspectives that impress influential media gatekeepers. This workshop will walk you through how to create and improve relationships with journalists, secure media attention and land more pitches.
- The Structure of the Perfect Pitch: A playbook on how to tailor your pitch, including storytelling techniques, news pegs, how to demonstrate value, who to attach as a potential interviewee and exclusivity—plus, the email templates that work.
- Understanding the News Cycle: How real-time monitoring and quick pitches on a breaking story can help you land coverage in a noisy and cluttered news media landscape—and how to build a multi-platform strategy for your pitch.
- Leveraging Tech: How the strategic use of social media, AI, and media lists can enhance targeting and help you personalize your pitches.
- Brand Journalism: Think like a journalist to craft newsworthy, pre-packaged and timely pitches grounded in the 5Ws+H framework editors love.
- Interactive Pitch Session: Come prepared with your favorite stories to pitch directly to reporters from major news organizations in this rapid-fire PR Daily Pitch Tank.
Network with your peers and make new connections during this opening night reception featuring great food and drink.
From memes like the $16 McDonald’s meal that went viral amid inflation concerns to erroneous social media messages and even misleading AI-generated Sports Illustrated “articles,” mis/disinformation is becoming increasingly sophisticated—and so should our strategies for countering them before they erupt into PR crises. This session outlines the latest of these threats in today’s complex media landscape and how to counter them. We’ll discuss:
- Top Threats: The most common types of media mis/disinformation faced by PR teams today—from fake social media accounts and counterfeit products to sham reviews, propaganda, clickbait and even deep fakes.
- Research and Monitoring: How to research simmering threats using social media monitoring and media listening tools.
- Prep and Training: How to prepare call centers, media relations teams and other internal partners on what to watch for and how to set the record straight when mis/disinformation breaks.
- Fact Checking Your Content: Policies, processes and best practices for ensuring all your marketing and PR content is clear, accurate and credible.
- Clarity and Corrections: When and how to offer timely clarification, corrections and comprehensive background information amidst the fast-paced 24/7 news cycle.
- AI and the Next Generation of Fakes: How to identify and address highly shareable deepfakes—plus advanced strategies to counter manipulated content.
Almost 70 percent of PR pros already leverage AI in their work for idea generation, press release creation, research, reporting and monitoring. After all, AI can make your job easier—but only if you’re using the most reliable, secure and user-friendly tools. We’ll cover:
- Secure, Generative AI: How to use OpenAI’s custom GPTs to safely automate content generation tasks in your voice, generate ideas for pitches, serve as your private data scientist to crunch numbers, and create free-to-use images using the embedded Dall-E functionality.
- Journalists and AI: How AI is being used in newsrooms, from interview notes and transcriptions via speech-to-text tools like Otter.ai to comment moderation on media platforms.
- Press Releases and Automation: How AI can assist or optimize pitches, press releases and advanced media monitoring.
- Media Databases: Database tools and media lists that are up-to-date—and why it’s also helpful to maintain your own living media database beyond MuckRack or Cision.
- Measurement and Analytics: How to integrate AI and social, and which platforms include native AI-enabled analytics. Plus: Learn which data and web analytics software are providing real-time sentiment analysis, AI-powered narrative tracking and more.
- Bonus Toolbox: Other AI or AI-enabled tools, including Brandwatch, Cleanup.pictures, Canva, Beautiful.ai and even Grammarly.
News consumption has evolved radically, shifting from traditional print and TV to podcasts and digital spaces. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. adults say they often or sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet—and 30 percent say they get some of their news from TikTok. Discover what it takes to break through in this new landscape firsthand from a journalist, a producer, a podcaster and a content creator. They’ll cover:
- New Media Players: A deep dive into the new print media (Substack newsletters), the new radio (podcasts) and the new video journalism (TikTok, YouTube, etc.)—and how to score coverage.
- Relationships First: How to build connections with influential new media journalists—including best ways to friend, follow and DM them on Twitter/X, LinkedIn and beyond.
- Winning Pitches: Templates for winning email, DM or even in-person pitches—plus the best news pegs, trends, stats, exclusives and multimedia elements to include.
- Follow-Ups and More: Why it’s important to be available post-pitch to help share out your target new media journalist’s story or post—plus how to help with follow-ups, second-day stories and more.
- What’s Next: Exciting, new media formats and platforms journalists are experimenting with—and how to be a valuable resource to them as they adjust to emerging tech.
Attaching your brand to a news event or trendy topic by providing added insight, analysis or sources can bring great rewards—including instant increased visibility and relevance. But the practice can be fraught with risks—especially when sensitive or even tragic topics are involved. Discover how to reap all the benefits and none of the backlash when you join this interactive pitch session, where you’ll test your news judgment and pitch craft on the fly with real headlines ripped from the morning’s papers. Together, we’ll explore:
- Risks vs Reward: How to safely balance the fickleness of trends, potential insensitivity, bandwagon backlash, sensationalism and other drawbacks against long-term benefits.
- Monitoring the News Cycle: How to set up automatic new alerts and follow trending hashtags on Twitter/X and TikTok so you’re always ahead of the curve—plus how to evaluate the potential of a breaking news story.
- Newsjacking Formulas: How to frame your pitch using various news story types depending on target outlet (e.g., analysis, recap, what’s next, behind-the-scenes, etc.)
- Building Buzz Beyond: How to build longtail visibility for your newsjack placement—including via retargeting, social media campaigns, blog posts, webinars and more.
- Measuring Success (and Failure): Why it’s crucial to keep your eye on your efforts—plus the KPIs to track to improve your newsjacking pitches in the future.
- Winners and Losers: Lessons from big-time newsjacking pitches that went viral—plus examples of ill-advised publicity attempts and how to avoid their missteps.
Yesterday’s online newsrooms only attracted the press (and even then, in a limited way)—whereas today’s social media newsrooms transform your announcements into must-view content for the public and the press alike. Join this session to see what it takes to transform your online newsroom into an exciting hub that drives coverage and public awareness with highly-shareable multimedia content that also helps feed your organization’s content funnel, driving engagement on your top social media platforms and beyond. You’ll learn:
- Assess and Audit: How one organization conducted a content audit to assess strengths, weaknesses and new opportunities for wider reach—so you can do the same.
- Refined Content Processes: How to build a library of social media-ready images, video clips and infographics without breaking the budget or straining resources.
- Allies and Partners: Why and how to train internal partners, execs and employee advocates to help create valuable thought leadership content to feed into your hub.
- Anatomy of a New Social Media Newsroom: Essential elements to include—from media contacts and multimedia news releases to aggregated social media widgets, interactive videos, infographics and even auto-play podcasts.
- Metrics First: Explore the goals set for its social media program, emphasizing the transformation of social media presence and increasing employee advocacy.
- Key Lessons: How accessible assets resulted in more social sales—driving the bottom line.
Successfully measuring your efforts lets you showcase the depth and impact of your hard work—so you can pinpoint new opportunities, improve your messaging strategies and even increase your budget. Yet too many in media relations rely on outdated measurement methods and vanity metrics that fail to integrate paid, earned, shared, owned and social media efforts (PESO)—and therefore struggle to be seen as strategic advisors to leadership. Join three panelists as they break down how they’re making informed, data-driven decisions grounded in evidence—so they can prove their value to the bottom line and improve their PESO performance. We’ll uncover:
- KPIs Execs Expect: The quantitative and qualitative measurements that leadership most wants to see—from competitive benchmarking against positive coverage to share of voice, website traffic, social media sentiment and even leads/sales growth.
- Paid Media Impact: How to measure the direct impact of paid advertising on brand awareness, how it can effectively supplement media placement and organic reach, and how to determine the most cost-effective budget allocation plans.
- Earned Media Analytics: Essential analytics tools to measure the impact of media coverage, plus: how to quickly analyze KPIs like EMV to make data-driven recommendations for improvements.
- Shared Media Strategies: How to evaluate the effectiveness of your social media campaigns—plus, how to track media coverage’s impact on social.
- Owned Media Optimization: New ways to monitor and adjust the value of your organization’s original content across your websites, blogs and online newsrooms.
- Telling the Story: Techniques to present your measurement successes in a way that execs will understand—plus the infographics, dashboards and tools that make it seamless.
- Benchmarking Best Practices: Real-world examples of how other teams are using measurement to elevate their media relations strategies.
Excellent interviews don’t just happen, they take work—and placing an exec at a podium without preparation is a sure recipe for disaster. That’s why PR pros must educate, elevate and empower their organization’s more influential voices with the right media messages and delivery techniques and then deploy them across the right mediums. In this session, you’ll learn about:
- Selling Media Training: The metrics and competitive comps you need to demonstrate the value of media training to stubborn or resistant leadership.
- Building Trust: How to develop a rapport with your spokesperson, allowing you to give direct feedback—and how to make your media coaching interactive and learner-friendly.
- Interview Preparation: Techniques to prepare spokespeople for various types of engagements, from internal events and townhalls to broadcast, digital and even print interviews.
- Leveraging Thought Leadership: How executive communications can help shape the reputation of your company, articulate brand values, build community and draw interest from potential customers, partners or employees—plus, the best LinkedIn formats.
- Body Language: What to wear, how to sit and which micro-expressions to be aware of during interviews—and why you should tape your execs during coaching sessions.
- Delivering Bad News: How to prep execs to field and answer tough questions from the media, analysts and even employees—plus easy hacks to stay on message.
Many organizations still believe a crisis won’t happen to them. But crises are inevitable—it’s how you respond that determines whether you survive or thrive when it’s all over. Join this deep dive into a high-profile crisis for a breakdown of what works and what doesn’t when bad news breaks. Then, we’ll critique two lackluster press statements tied to a reorg and reputational issue together—and workshop improvements based on a fresh set of facts and organizational goals. We’ll cover:
- Practical Crisis Plans: Essential steps for effective crisis communications, from scenario planning to the development of rapid response teams, fact sheets, message templates, holding statements, debriefing templates and more.
- Tailoring Your Playbook: Insights into crafting a comprehensive crisis management playbook tailored to your organization's needs, audience and most likely scenarios.
- Social Listening: How to execute an effective social listening strategy so you can spot simmering crises before they erupt on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more.
- Reputation Monitoring: How to cull and act on real-time insights as crises evolve.
- AI & Tech: How AI automation is helping comms teams streamline response times and minimize missteps when every moment counts—including employing chatbots and virtual assistants to quickly provide accurate information to concerned audiences.
SPEAKERS
INTERESTED IN SPEAKING?
Please reach out to Director of Conferences
Alyssa Smith.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Master Storytelling and Brand Journalism: Craft headline-earning narratives you can use to win over the press and public—while filling your own content channels.
- Build Relationships with Media Gatekeepers: Research, reach and win-over influential editors with compelling news, stories, data and exclusives.
- Battle Mis/Disinformation and Crises: Defend your brand against the latest crises and threats—from social media memes and deep fakes to gotcha journalists and even cyber-attacks.
- Revitalize Press Releases and Online Newsrooms: Elevate your PR writing skills with AI assistance—from crafting catchy headlines and detailed nut graphs to compelling CEO quotes and more—plus how to amplify your reach with smarter online newsrooms.
- Sharpen Pitches in the Election Cycle: Craft timely, can’t-miss pitches sure to stand out in any news hole—plus newsjacking hacks to stay relevant during election season.
- Measuring and Showcasing Success: The best new measurement and monitoring tools to media hits and prove ROI for your PR efforts—plus how to present wins to your boss for more budget and influence.
- Future-Proofing PR with Tech: How to reinvent and reinvigorate your PR efforts with real-time media databases, AI-driven analytics, shareable multimedia, new SEO tools, emerging social channels and even paid social.
- Reach Wider Audiences: Transform DE&I wins into coverage—while ensuring your PR copy and communiques reflect the diversity of your public and the press you pitch.
PRICING
Join us for the Media Relations Conference:
| ADVANCED | EARLY BIRD | VIP | REGULAR RATE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference All-Access Passincludes the Pre-Conference Workshops | ||||
| Standard | $2,499 | $2,599 | $2,699 | $2,799 |
| Nonprofit/Gov | $2,299 | $2,399 | $2,499 | $2,599 |
| Ragan Insider | $2,249 | $2,349 | $2,449 | $2,549 |
| Conference Registration - Individual | ||||
| Standard | $1,899 | $1,999 | $2,099 | $2,199 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu | $1,699 | $1,799 | $1,899 | $1,999 |
| Ragan Insider | $1,649 | $1,749 | $1,849 | $1,949 |
| Conference Recording On Demand | ||||
| $999 | $999 | $999 | $999 | |
Add to your Media Relations Conference registration!
Visual Storytelling Certificate Course
June 5, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register for our in-person certificate series to revolutionize your approach to storytelling. This visual storytelling course will equip you with toolkits, templates, and techniques you need to take your content and messaging to new heights, gaining authentic traction, placement and connections. You’ll leave this 4-hour course with a Visual Storytelling Certificate from PR Daily. Add the Visual Storytelling Certificate Course to your registration for just $899.
For those who can’t attend the conference live, an on-demand option is available during the registration process.
Group Discounts
Would you and your team like to attend? Group pricing is available when registering! Contact Shallon Blackburn for more information.
RAGAN COUNCIL MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Membership includes free registration passes. Contact Shallon Blackburn for more information on becoming a member.
RAGAN INSIDER DISCOUNTS
Insiders save on all Ragan events. Not a Ragan Insider? You can become one during registration for this event!
The National Press Club
529 14th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20045
(202) 662-7500
Visitor Info
Here are some hotel suggestions that are near the National Press Club.
EXTEND YOUR STAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND EXPLORE ALL THAT OUR NATION’S CAPITAL HAS TO OFFER:
- 70+ museums
- 160+ monuments and memorials
- 25+ national parks
- 2,200+ restaurants
You can even contact your Representative in advance to set up a tour of the White House and Senate Buildings.
- PR Daily’s State of Media Relations Report
- Media Relations Secrets: How to Craft a Winning Pitch
- Tips for Getting Press Releases Seen
- The Art of Storytelling Guide
- Dictionary of Public Relations Measurement and Research
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Want to become a sponsor? Get in touch with our team to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
You should attend if you spend at least a quarter of your time in any of these areas:
- Public Relations
- Media Relations
- Corporate Communications
- Brand Journalism
- Reputation Management
- Crisis Communications
- Issues Management
- Social Media
- Storytelling
- Writing and Editing
- Measurement and Evaluation
- Executive Communications
- Brand Management
GET RECOGNIZED!
Each registration comes with a personalized "Media Relations Conference" Certificate of Completion for attending.
WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD ATTEND?
Here’s what past attendees are saying about Ragan and PR Daily Events!
The PR Daily Media Relations Conference is a highly informative event for PR pros looking to connect get first-hand insight on emerging trends impacting the profession.
I came away from the Media Relations Conference with a lot of actionable ideas that I can put into practice almost immediately. It was also nice to hear perspectives from people in a variety of industries and backgrounds.
PR Daily’s Media Relations Conference was a fantastic way to learn more not only about the state of media relations but to connect with other professionals outside of my market and hear from PR power-players about the future of AI and make meaningful connections with the media.
The Media Relations Conference offers a true insight into the world of a current working journalist. Instead of PR talking to one another about what MIGHT be, we heard about the reality of covering beats and issues.
Excellent content delivered in an accessible way in a friendly environment.
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