Promoting an Event Your special event won't be so special if nobody hears about it. Here's how to power up your promotions.

Special events are an effective and affordable way to gain high visibility for your growing firm. Couple your event with a comprehensive publicity program, and you can reach new audiences, enhance your image or brand, or even catapult to national prominence--like Clarendon Cheesecakes, the tiny Clarendon, New York, cheesecake company that held a pie-eating contest to raise money for a national charity and landed coverage on NBC's "Today" program.

First, you need to decide what makes your event newsworthy. Each type of media has different requirements. Magazines, including trade press, have lead times of three to five months and are usually interested in advance features on noteworthy industry events and stories about celebrities or causes, while newspapers and radio stations are looking for local angles. Many radio personalities are often available for special appearances, and hiring one guarantees you'll get lots of on-air mentions.

TV is a visual medium, so you're less likely to get coverage of a speaker standing behind a podium--unless the speaker is making a highly newsworthy announcement--than if the speaker is met at the airport by 200 schoolchildren. More TV crews are assigned during the week, so it's best to schedule your event on a weekday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.