Facing Off: International Press Conferences vs. 1:1 Interviews

How does setting affect the success of our communication? Recently a spokesperson was boasting that he used to hold press conferences in Taiwan with 30 attendees. Whoww – I thought and I wonder what the result was. Tons or articles or tons of expenses?  In my ongoing exploration of the balance between efficiency and effectiveness in a company’s public relations tactics, I came to consider this question.  Specifically, I wanted to look at press conferences vs. 1:1 interviews.  What are the benefits to executives and journalists?  What are the drawbacks?  Does one work better than the other? Let’s take a deeper look, shall we?

The Press Conference…
Press conferences have had a long lifespan in the history of public relations.  They are an efficient way to send a message to a large number of people and, as a result, reach a large audience of stakeholders.  For a busy executive, press conferences are great because they do not require a lot of time, but have the potential to garner a lot of coverage and attention.  However, press conferences do not allow for an in-depth look, nor do they allow journalists to have a running dialogue with the company representative.  Additionally, there isn’t much room for relationship-building between a company and a publication.  Press conferences are also expensive, requiring a hotel and hospitality, yet you can never be sure who will show up.

On The Other Hand…
The 1:1 interview is a valuable way to connect directly with a journalist.  Unlike in a press conference, a journalist can ask more pointed, in-depth questions, asking an executive to go into detail about a product or issue.  1:1 interviews also foster relationship-building between executives and editors, providing possible benefits in the future.  However, 1:1 interviews take a lot of time.  Not just time in the sense of the executive’s time and how much of that can be committed to giving interviews, but also in regards to the time spent contacting and arranging the 1:1 with the journalist. 

So Where Does This Leave Us?
Both press conferences and 1:1 interviews have, of course, strengths and weaknesses.  Press conferences act as a way to efficiency mass message target audiences. With so much competition it is difficult  to get the RIGHT editors into one room. I am always amazed when I hear 50 editors attended a press conference in Beijing to hear a startup release a product. Are they the “right” editors?  1:1 interviews are effective for in-depth messaging and relationship-building, but they take time and preparation.  What we need to ask ourselves is, “What is my goal? What am I hoping to accomplish here?” At Globalpress Connection , we offer both press conferences  as key PR opportunity- always with time for networking and face-to-face time  and 1:1 interviews– when a client goes outbound and has time for press meetings. The key factor is identifying your needs so you can decide if efficiency or effectiveness is more important to get the word out for your product, and your company.

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