Real Estate PR — Part 5: Special Event Coverage

<< Back to PR Main

Getting media coverage for a special event can do wonders for your real estate public relations program. Thus, media coverage should be an essential part of any real estate PR campaign.

Check out the all-new AdviceForAgents.com. We now offer free real estate articles that you can publish on your website or blog. Click the logo below to learn more.

Obviously, there are two primary ingredients for this component of real estate public relations -- the special event, and the media coverage. Let's start with the real estate event.

Seminars, Open Houses, Auctions, etc.

How noteworthy the event is will determine the ease with which you can get media coverage. For example, if you're holding an open house in December with a hired "Santa Claus" and other holiday-related touches, then your local news could very well want to cover the story.

On the other hand, if it's just a plain old open house, like any other, the media would probably not be interested in the story. No creativity involved, nothing unique to cover, no real story.

Home buying seminars, unique real estate auctions, fundraisers and other events can also evoke media coverage. But you'll have to seek out that coverage proactively.

Getting Media Coverage

Like we discussed above, having a noteworthy event of some kind is the first step to getting media coverage. After that, it's just a matter of logistics. Here are some tips for obtaining media coverage of your real estate event.

• Start early, but not too early. Try to inform your local media about your event about a week ahead of time. More than that, and the event will likely be forgotten by the time it rolls around. Less than that, and they might not have enough time to assign a journalist or film crew.
• Seek out the best point of contact. If you have a portion of your local news that covers the real estate scene (like most cities do), try to get in touch with the producer or reporter of that segment.
• Use the Web. If you're really serious about getting good coverage of your real estate event, set up a page on your website dedicated to the event — or maybe even a separate website, if the event is large enough to warrant it (or recurring).

Aside from these recommendations, creativity and persistence are your primary tools for generating the kind of media coverage that makes your real estate event a success.