So you’re getting ready for the next big trade show. You’ve prepared for key attendees, printed literature for customer presentations, made appointments with dealers and suppliers, and educated your sales staff on the latest offerings. All that leaves is prepping for the media, right?

Sadly, far too few exhibitors put thought into the trade press attending the shows, even though it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to gain reputable exposure for your brand. The fact is, many of the key members of the media are there and they want to talk to you. More importantly, they want to talk about your new developments in their magazines, e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts and websites. 

That being said, there are right and wrong ways to tap into their influence. The following are a few bits of advice we’ve picked up directly from editors and publishers over the past 20+ years:

1. Be Prepared
We’ve heard many comments about trade press members having trouble connecting with people manning the booths. They walk in and are basically ignored. Yes, they aren’t going to buy anything. But these are people who can communicate your message to thousands of potential customers. Greet them like they are just as important as a key customer and be ready to talk about what makes your new equipment unique.

2. Arm Yourself with Info
Fewer and fewer exhibitors seem to bring press kits to trade shows. While press people do prefer digital communication, editors still ask for press kits when visiting booths. Having kits available is a great way to prepare anyone in the booth to talk about the right products. Conversely, if a person doesn’t feel comfortable presenting, then they can simply hand off the kit. Editors compile these at the end of each show to fill their mediums with content.

3. Don’t Be Afraid
We’ve seen it many times. A salesperson is more than happy to talk to a customer who enters the booth, but when asked a question by an editor, runs away to find the company marketing manager. This is caused by a fear of saying the wrong thing to a person who is going to quote them. Relax. This isn’t Woodward and Bernstein looking to earn their next Pulitzer. This is a very friendly press. Not only will they typically paint you in the best light, but many times they’ll let you see the write-up before it goes to print. More important than finding the absolute perfect person to address the media is to have someone engage the contact in a timely manner with good information, which leads to…

4. Respect Their Time
Understand that when a media representative enters your booth, their time is limited. Between press conferences, booth tours and other industry events, their schedules are incredibly tight. So if they take time to visit, respect their time by hitting the high points of your latest innovations. Avoid touring old equipment. Editors want “take-home value,” meaning new information they can immediately use.

5. Share Ideas
Editors are always looking for angles, and that goes beyond introducing new equipment. If you think there’s a trend in the industry that is going unreported or you have an end user who is doing something interesting, let an editor know about it. They are interested, and many times this can lead to your involvement in getting the word out or more substantial exposure for your unique solutions.

6. Get to Know Them
Few moments are more cringeworthy than when an exhibitor makes it clear to an editor that they know nothing about their publication. Worse yet is when they confuse their publication with the competition. Like anyone who is passionate about what they do, editors have pride. Sure, it’s pretty easy to get confused with multiple publications – many with similar names – but just try to use some tact. Even if you have to pretend to know their publication, it’s better than saying, “hmmm, I’ve never heard of you guys before.”

7. Reach Out
Want more publications to come to you? Then contact them a couple weeks ahead of the show and try to schedule a booth visit. But if you do plan to reach out, be sure you have something to talk about. An editor will never tell you this directly, but there is nothing more frustrating than getting a tour of yesterday’s news. Again, think “take-home value.” Also, know that certain shows are almost impossible to schedule booth visits due to their size. For a huge show, like CONEXPO or Farm Progress, consider doing a press conference instead.

8. Make it Matter
Speaking of press conferences – these are a great option if you’re revealing something major at a show with a lot of press in attendance. It’s just a very efficient way to reach most of the right industry influencers in a relatively short period of time. But for every concise press event providing great take-home value, there’s at least one colossal waste of time. Editors are typically overly kind about it, not saying a negative word to the company throwing the event, but during candid moments – usually over a couple adult beverages – they will share these press conference nightmares. Scheduling a press conference to discuss a product that you introduced the previous year at the same show? Not a good idea. Throwing a two-hour event to simply introduce your executive team? Not newsworthy. Going through the PowerPoint for the first time during the actual event? Not impressive. All real stories…and all have happened multiple times. Respect editors’ time and the true purpose of a press conference and you’ll be rewarded with respect back.

9. Ask for Help
It’s expensive to exhibit at trade shows, so if you’d rather put more of your focus on customer contacts, (cue shameless plug) consider tapping into an experienced marketing firm that can help drive and manage these editor relationships for you.

10. Keep it Simple
Understand that many editors haven’t been steeped in the industry like you or your customers. In fact, sometimes they might be right out of college, learning industry basics as they go. Ask questions to determine their base knowledge of a particular technology or product category before jumping into the details. It may take extra time to get to the real message you want to deliver to the market, but the result will be a better overall understanding, which will help ensure they report the information more accurately.