Event PR FAQ
Last updated: November 2026. Published by Susan von Seggern.
People most often ask what event PR costs, how early to start, how press releases work and whether coverage can be guaranteed. Below, Susan von Seggern answers 44 of those questions in plain language, grouped by topic, using only facts about her services and named published research.
Event PR is the work of getting media coverage for an event before, during and after it happens. For Susan von Seggern, it covers media outreach, press releases, lead service monitoring and the event itself as a news hook, from large celebrity and media events to small press luncheons, sponsorships, conference speaking and gift bag inclusions.
Event marketing usually buys attention through ads, email and promotions, while event PR earns attention through journalists, podcasts and other media covering the event as news. Susan works on the earned side: pitching outlets, writing and servicing press releases, and creating moments reporters want to cover. Many producers run both side by side.
Event media relations is the part of event PR focused on working directly with journalists, editors, producers and podcast hosts. It includes choosing the right outlets, pitching story angles, handling press requests and following up so coverage actually runs. Susan treats sustained media outreach as the first of the four pillars in her media relations framework.
An event publicist turns an event into a story the media wants to tell. Susan identifies target outlets and contacts, pitches them, writes and distributes press releases, monitors lead service feeds for reporters looking for sources, and plans media moments around the event. She has worked on festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events and premieres.
Susan has worked on hundreds of events, including festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events and premieres. Campaigns shown on her website include the Hollywood Carnival Parade and Festival, the CONTACT in the DESERT UFO conference, SewDown during Los Angeles Fashion Week, the DIY Convention in Hollywood and national book launch events.
The four pillars are sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring and events. Outreach means pitching target outlets and podcasts. Press releasing announces milestones through an exclusive or pre-brief model, then email servicing and a newswire if budgeted. Lead monitoring tracks five lead service feeds daily. Events range from celebrity media events to gift bag inclusions.
Yes. Podcast pitching is part of Susan’s sustained media outreach pillar. Alongside newspapers, magazines, TV and websites, she pitches podcast hosts whose audiences match a client’s event or expertise. Pairing newer tactics like podcast pitching and hyper-local coverage with established methods like press releases and events is central to how she builds campaigns.
Susan von Seggern does not publish fixed prices, because each campaign is individualized. Cost generally depends on how long the campaign runs, how many of the four pillars it uses, whether a paid newswire release is included and how many media moments the event needs. The most reliable way to get a number is to send an inquiry with your dates and goals.
There is no standard published package. Susan builds individualized PR campaigns, so a multi-day festival and a corporate conference exhibit get different plans. A campaign can combine any of the four pillars: media outreach, press releases, lead service monitoring and event tactics. Share your event details through the contact form on her main website to discuss scope.
No, a newswire is optional. Susan’s press releasing model starts with an exclusive or pre-brief, followed by email servicing to targeted media, and posting to a newswire only if it is budgeted. When a wire is used, she recommends Business Wire for its respectability and has an annual deal that can save clients money compared with one-off releases.
Susan recommends Business Wire because of its respectability. She has an annual deal with Business Wire that significantly saves her clients money compared with buying one-off releases from Business Wire or other wires. Ask about current wire costs when you discuss your campaign, since the right choice depends on the release and the audience you need to reach.
Scope drives cost. Longer outreach windows, several announcements, paid newswire distribution, on-site media management and producing a dedicated media event all add work. A focused campaign built around one announcement and targeted email servicing needs less. Susan individualizes each plan, so listing your must-haves in your inquiry helps her propose the right size of campaign.
Published research suggests yes. EventTrack 2026, as reported by Kande Photo Booths, found 84% of consumer marketers will increase event spending in 2026, with a third increasing budgets by 8 to 15%. NextGen Event Co reports 67% of event professionals expect higher overall meeting spend in 2026, with 13% predicting an increase of more than 10%.
Earlier is better, because outlets plan coverage ahead and some publications work months out. Susan has not published a fixed lead time, so the honest answer is to reach out as soon as you have a date and a basic lineup. That leaves room for an exclusive or pre-brief, email servicing and sustained outreach before the event.
She announces significant milestones with a press release using either an exclusive or a pre-brief model. One outlet can get the story first, or key reporters are briefed before the public announcement. The release is then serviced by email to targeted media and posted to a newswire if budgeted. Her main website hosts many past event releases.
Lead service monitoring means watching feeds where journalists post requests for sources. Susan monitors five lead service feeds daily, plus emails and Substacks from journalists looking for leads directly, and pitches contacts whose interests match her client’s expertise. She has placed lead service coverage in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost, Best Life and many other outlets.
Hyper-local coverage comes from neighborhood and community outlets that serve the area around your venue. For events, those readers are often the people most likely to attend. Susan uses hyper-local coverage alongside national and trade outreach, which suits Los Angeles events that draw from specific neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Silver Lake or Los Feliz.
Yes. Event PR in Susan’s framework can mean producing a large celebrity and media event, or a small media introduction event such as a cocktail hour or luncheon. Smaller formats give journalists time with your spokespeople. Larger formats create visual moments for photographers and broadcast crews. The right format depends on your news and your budget.
They can. Susan’s events pillar includes event sponsorships, exhibiting at gifting events and gift bag inclusions as ways to put a brand in front of media, influencers and VIPs. These tactics work best when tied to a clear story, so they are usually planned alongside outreach and a press release rather than on their own.
Yes. Exhibiting or speaking at conferences is part of Susan’s events pillar. A company can announce news timed to the conference, pitch reporters attending it, and use a booth or session as the hook. One example on her site: ONSTELLAR announced it would exhibit at CONTACT in the DESERT, described in that release as the world’s largest UFO conference.
The clearest measure is earned coverage: articles, broadcast segments, podcast episodes and mentions that ran because of the campaign. Other signals include media attendance, interview requests and lead service placements. Agree on goals before outreach starts, such as target outlets or audiences, so results can be judged against what the campaign set out to do.
Event producers, festival organizers and companies that host or attend events are the main fit. Susan consults for event, corporate, cause and cultural clients. Her approach works best for clients who are interesting, newsworthy and active, meaning they have real news, a strong lineup or a story that reporters can actually use.
Yes. Corporate PR is part of her background, including globe-trotting corporate PR work and leading a boutique PR agency as CEO. Press releases on her site cover companies in AI talent, wind energy, streaming and blockchain. For corporate clients, event PR can mean conference exhibiting or speaking, media luncheons, sponsorships and milestone announcements.
A single festival is a natural fit for an individualized campaign. Susan has publicized festivals such as the Hollywood Carnival Parade and Festival on Hollywood Boulevard and multi-day events like CONTACT in the DESERT in Joshua Tree. Reach out with your dates, lineup and goals to discuss what a campaign for your festival would include.
Yes. Cause clients are one of the four client types she consults for, and fundraisers are among the hundreds of events she has worked on. Her site includes cause campaigns such as a child actor’s Kids for Kenya fundraising drive for NextAid and the national launch events for the book Redesigning Nonprofits.
Yes. Concerts, premieres and author events are all part of her event history, and cultural clients are one of her four client types. Her background includes work as a major label publicist. Her site lists campaigns for music releases, documentaries, an audiobook and book launches with reading events at venues such as Book Passage.
It can be, if the event has a real story. A small event with a notable speaker, a first-of-its-kind format or a strong community angle can earn hyper-local and niche coverage without a large campaign. Susan’s lead service monitoring and targeted email servicing are lighter-weight ways to build coverage for smaller events.
It depends on what you need. An independent consultant like Susan gives you direct access to the person doing the pitching and a campaign built around your event. A larger agency may suit you better if you need many people working across several cities at once. Ask who will actually handle your outreach before you decide.
You can, and some organizers do. The tradeoff is time and relationships. A publicist brings existing media contacts, knows how to frame a pitch and handles follow-up. Susan has more than two decades of PR experience and a broad media and service-provider network. If your team has the time and contacts, a DIY plan can cover the basics.
They do different jobs. Advertising buys placement you control, while PR earns coverage that a journalist chose to run. Susan’s main website quotes Richard Branson: a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad. Many events use both, with PR building credibility and advertising adding reach where coverage alone will not.
An event marketing company often handles promotion, ticket campaigns, social ads and sometimes production. An event publicist focuses on earned media: pitching journalists, writing press releases and creating moments the press wants to cover. Susan works on the publicity side. If you need production or paid promotion, you may hire a separate partner alongside a publicist.
An in-house team knows your company best, so it is a strong option when it has time and media contacts. An outside consultant adds capacity around a busy event and brings an existing network. Susan’s experience spans major label, agency, political and corporate PR, which can complement an in-house team during a launch or conference.
Start with the tactic that matches your news. If you have a clear announcement, a press release with an exclusive or pre-brief is a strong first move. If you have an expert spokesperson, lead service monitoring and podcast pitching can build coverage over time. If your event is highly visual, media invitations and photo moments come first.
Yes. Susan is a Los Angeles publicist and PR consultant who has worked in LA for more than 20 years. Her career includes work as a major label publicist, CEO of a boutique PR agency, time in political PR and corporate PR, and now consulting for event, corporate, cause and cultural clients.
Event releases on her site mention Hollywood Boulevard for the Hollywood Carnival parade, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Bardot for the DIY Convention, and the Lyric Hyperion Theater and Cafe in Silver Lake. Outside the city, she publicized CONTACT in the DESERT at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center and later in Indian Wells.
Yes. While she is based in Los Angeles, her event campaigns have reached beyond the city, including CONTACT in the DESERT in Joshua Tree and Indian Wells, and Bay Area book launch events at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and Book Passage in Corte Madera. Lead service and podcast outreach are not tied to one location.
Yes. Her site includes the announcement for SewDown’s return for Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall 2024, presented by The HER Group and created by designer Atousa G. According to that release, SewDown has allowed more than 100 designers to showcase and sell their fashions since its debut in Hollywood in 2003.
For most events with invited media, yes. A defined press check-in or area gives journalists, photographers and podcasters a place to collect credentials, do interviews and get clean shots. It also makes it easier to track who attended. Discuss media logistics with your publicist early so the venue plan includes space and timing for press.
Use the contact form on susanvonseggern.com to send your inquiry. Include your event or company name, dates, location, what is newsworthy about it and what kind of coverage you want. That gives Susan what she needs to judge fit and suggest which of her four pillars the campaign should use.
Gather your event dates, venue, lineup or speakers, sponsors, ticket details, images and your key news. Note any milestones you want to announce, such as a headliner or a charity partner. Clear facts make for stronger press releases and pitches. Releases on Susan’s site show the detail reporters expect, from times and addresses to quotes.
Common reasons include no clear news angle, pitching too late, sending the same generic release to everyone and not following up. Coverage is also harder when outlets are crowded with competing events. Susan’s approach answers these with sustained outreach, an exclusive or pre-brief model for releases, targeted email servicing and daily lead service monitoring.
No publicist can honestly guarantee earned coverage, because journalists decide what runs. What a publicist controls is the quality of the story, the targeting and the persistence of outreach. Susan describes her style as honest, positive and tenacious, and her lead service placements include outlets such as the New York Times, Yahoo and HuffPost.
Not always. Short timelines rule out long-lead magazines, but online outlets, local media, podcasts and lead service requests can still move quickly. A focused plan with one strong announcement and targeted email servicing is often realistic. Reach out as soon as possible with your date so the options can be assessed honestly.
Post-event PR can extend coverage. Photos, notable moments and outcomes can feed follow-up pitches and future announcements. For example, a 2017 release on Susan’s site opened with a UFO sighting by around 100 attendees at the prior year’s CONTACT in the DESERT, which had been covered by the Daily Express and Coast to Coast AM.
Send Susan your event dates, location and what makes it newsworthy. Event and corporate inquiries go straight to her contact form.
Published by Susan von Seggern
