The furious pandemic drives the need for online conferencing and webinars. Many companies even start to hold online press conferences. But it’s kind of a new topic, which inevitably leads to the currently overwhelming situation of online activities. Sometimes it even deteriorates the overall quality of online press conferences. For example, a client asked for making an online press conference through Facebook Livestream. The problem is, he would like to keep the viewers and comments being restricted to a certain extent. Such a request contradicts the nature of Facebook as being an openly accessible platform. It feels like ordering a congee with some fried churros in an Italian restaurant. It is surely a mismatch between the platform and the demand requested. More importantly, is it necessary to hold a press conference through Facebook Livestream? A press conference is initially held for delivering solid information. Most of the time, it may not be interesting to the general public. And thus, the press would be responsible for transmitting the message to the public in a much more easy-going way. If the press conference is not originally held for the public, turning it online doesn’t do much help.
Make it simple. If a brand is considering holding an online press conference, these five aspects should not be omitted.
First, would the content be appealing to the public? Second, is it openly accessible or restricted to a certain type of viewers? Third, are questions allowed? Also, would there be countermeasures if challenging questions are made? And finally, would there be any related contents made and published after the conference?
Once you are done with these problems, you would be able to clarify which platforms best fit in the needs. In brief, Facebook Livestream is suitable for openly accessible events. YouTube Livestream should be a good choice for private events. If these two couldn’t cover up all those restrictions, a video might be better.
Besides the above hardware and technical issues, a good public relation (PR) is a must. A good PR officer functions a lot in a press conference, from answering the questions to providing all other essential information. PR works will ensure the successful message delivery of the press conference. On the contrary, if the press conference is equipped with the best hardware and technical support but poor PR strategy, it still wouldn’t convey the message successfully.
Finally, let’s go back to the very basic step of the preparation of holding a press conference. Before one considers doing it online, try to maintain its previous practice first. Have good communication with the PR officers about your demands. Include the purpose of the conference, the number of invitees, and the press. Make a plan that meets the needs of the conference.
Reference: https://www.visiongo.hsbc.com.hk/zh-HK/article/online-press-conference-zoom-or-facebook-live
