Event PR FAQ
Here are 47 direct answers about event PR in Los Angeles, from what it costs to how early to start.
These answers are written by Susan von Seggern, the Los Angeles publicist who publishes this site. Where a question depends on details she has not published, such as exact fees, the answer explains what drives the figure and how to confirm it through her contact form.
Last updated November 2026 · Published by Susan von Seggern
Know what makes your event news. A clear angle, confirmed date and venue, and a realistic budget let a publicist plan outreach, announcements and media invitations from the first conversation.
Event PR is the work of getting journalists, podcasters and influencers to cover an event before, during and after it happens. For Susan von Seggern, events are one of four tactical pillars, alongside sustained media outreach, press releasing and lead service monitoring, so event coverage is planned together with the wider media relations effort.
Event publicity services usually include media outreach, press releases, media invitations and follow-up. In Susan von Seggern’s framework, event PR can take several forms: large-scale celebrity and media events, small media intro events such as cocktail hours or luncheons, event sponsorships, exhibiting or speaking at conferences, exhibiting at gifting events, and gift bag inclusions.
Event PR earns coverage from journalists and other media, while event marketing usually pays for reach through ads, promotions and activations. Many Los Angeles agencies blend both. Susan von Seggern focuses on media relations: pitching outlets and podcasts, servicing press releases, and monitoring journalist lead requests that match a client’s story.
Events with a story the press can use benefit most. Susan von Seggern has worked on hundreds of events, including festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events and premieres. Press releases on her website also cover a fashion week show, a Hollywood parade, product launches and book launch events.
A public relations specialist finds the angles reporters care about, builds a target media list, writes and sends releases, pitches interviews and coverage, and often handles press at the event. The exact scope depends on the agreement, so ask any specialist which of these tasks are included before you sign.
An event can be the centerpiece of a public relations campaign, but a campaign usually runs longer than the event. Susan von Seggern builds individualized campaigns that pair events with sustained media outreach, press releasing and lead service monitoring, so coverage does not depend on a single night.
Hyper-local coverage means placing stories in outlets that serve one city, neighborhood or community, such as local news sites and newsletters. For events, local outlets often drive attendance because their readers can actually go. Susan von Seggern uses hyper-local coverage alongside podcast pitching and established PR tactics.
Susan von Seggern is a Los Angeles publicist and PR consultant with more than two decades of PR experience. She has worked as a major label publicist, as CEO of a boutique PR agency, in political PR and in corporate PR, and now consults for event, corporate, cause and cultural clients.
An LA event publicist brings existing media relationships, a tested process and time you may not have during production. Susan von Seggern has spent more than 20 years in Los Angeles and has a broad network of media contacts and service providers, which helps when an event needs coverage on a deadline.
No. She is based in Los Angeles, but press releases on her website cover events and clients in Joshua Tree, Indian Wells, the San Francisco Bay Area, Miami, London and Iceland. Media outreach is not limited by geography, though local knowledge helps most with Los Angeles events.
Her style is described as honest, positive and tenacious. In practice that means pitching stories accurately, keeping relationships with journalists friendly, and following up persistently through sustained media outreach rather than sending one release and hoping for the best.
Yes. She was interviewed by PR News about the event PR framework she developed over decades of PR work and hundreds of events. Her main website links to that interview from its event PR framework section, so you can read her approach in her own words.
She works directly with clients as an independent publicist and consultant, after earlier running her own boutique PR agency as CEO. If you are searching for an agent for public relations, you most likely want a publicist like this, someone who represents your event or company to the media.
Her main website at susanvonseggern.com publishes press releases and portfolio pages. Examples include SewDown at LA Fashion Week Fall 2024, CONTACT in the DESERT in Joshua Tree, the Hollywood Carnival parade and festival, the DIY Convention in Hollywood, and the Remotesome AI Transformation launch in October 2026.
Through lead service monitoring alone, she has placed coverage in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost and Best Life, among many other outlets. According to the 2017 CONTACT in the DESERT release, coverage of a sighting at the 2016 event appeared in the Daily Express and on Coast to Coast AM.
Susan von Seggern does not publish fixed prices, because each campaign is individualized. Cost depends on scope: how many weeks of outreach you need, how many announcements you make, whether you add a newswire release, and how much on-site media work the event requires. Request a quote through her contact form for a specific figure.
There is no published off-the-shelf package. Campaigns are built around the client’s event and goals, combining any of the four pillars: sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring and events. Ask for a proposal that lists which pillars are included and for how long.
Not always. Releases are email-serviced directly to targeted journalists, and wire posting is added only if budgeted. For wire releases Susan von Seggern recommends Business Wire because of its respectability, and her annual deal with Business Wire significantly saves clients money compared with one-off wire releases.
According to ZipRecruiter, the median wage for public relations event planning jobs in California is $19.84 per hour, with most workers earning between $16.15 and $25.38. ZipRecruiter also reports U.S. median annual salaries of $50,000 to $75,000, and over $90,000 for some senior planners.
Cost usually rises with a longer outreach window, more announcements, a paid newswire, talent or celebrity coordination, multiple event dates and on-site press management. Small media intro events, such as a cocktail hour or luncheon, take less to run than large-scale celebrity and media events. Ask for scope in writing to see what drives your quote.
Often, if the scope fits the budget. A smaller campaign might focus on targeted outreach and email-serviced releases without a paid wire, or on hyper-local outlets that reach people who can actually attend. Share your budget range early so the plan is built to match it.
It works differently. Earned coverage is not bought placement, so it carries third-party credibility; Richard Branson put it this way: a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad. Editors decide what runs, so coverage is never guaranteed, and many organizers combine PR with some paid promotion.
Earlier is better, because long-lead outlets and many podcasts book weeks or months ahead. As a general rule, start as soon as the date, venue and headline names are confirmed. A publicist can tell you which outlets are still realistic for your specific timeline once they see your details.
Timing varies with the story and the outlet. As a market reference, Los Angeles agency Public Haus says on its homepage that most of its clients begin seeing initial media coverage or influencer traction within the first 30 days. Lead service responses can land faster, because the journalist has already asked for that kind of source.
Lead service monitoring means watching services where journalists post requests for sources. Susan von Seggern monitors five lead service feeds daily, plus emails and Substacks from journalists looking for leads directly, then pitches the contacts whose interests match her client’s expertise. It often leads to strong coverage.
They are two ways to announce significant news. In the exclusive model, one outlet gets the story first. In the pre-brief model, selected journalists are briefed before the announcement. Either way, the release is then email-serviced to wider media and posted to a newswire if budgeted.
Podcast pitching is booking a client, organizer, speaker or artist as a guest on relevant podcasts. Susan von Seggern includes it in sustained media outreach. For events, podcast interviews give founders, speakers and performers a longer format to explain why the event matters and who should attend.
On-site work depends on the event and the agreement. Common tasks include running media check-in, guiding press to interviews and following up with outlets afterward. Event PR can also take smaller forms, such as a cocktail hour or luncheon designed specifically to introduce a client to the media.
In Susan von Seggern’s framework, media relations services include identifying target outlets and contacts, pitching for coverage including podcasts, writing and servicing press releases, optional Business Wire distribution and daily lead service monitoring. Events are the fourth pillar and can be added to any campaign.
No honest publicist guarantees coverage, because editors decide what runs. A publicist controls the story, the targeting, the timing and the follow-up. Susan von Seggern relies on sustained outreach and daily lead service monitoring to create as many qualified chances for coverage as possible.
It is for organizers and producers of premieres, festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, fashion shows, openings and launches who want earned media coverage. Susan von Seggern currently prioritizes event and corporate clients, and she also works with cause and cultural clients.
Yes. Corporate PR is part of her background, and corporate clients are a current priority. Press releases on her website include the October 2026 Remotesome AI Transformation launch, IceWind’s Arctic Circle turbine deployment and a Bitcoin Association scholarship. Corporate event work can include conference exhibiting, speaking and media intro events.
Yes. Premieres are among the hundreds of events in Susan von Seggern’s event PR experience. Her website also lists documentary campaigns such as DETOX and Mantra: Sounds into Silence, and the DIY Convention’s film festival screening at the Lyric Hyperion Theater and Café in Silver Lake.
Yes. Examples on her website include CONTACT in the DESERT, which its 2017 release described as the largest UFO conference in the US, the Hollywood Carnival parade and festival on Hollywood Boulevard, and the DIY Convention at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Yes. Cause clients are one of the four client groups Susan von Seggern serves, and fundraisers are among her event types. Her website includes work for the Sleep To Live Well Foundation, NextAid’s Kids for Kenya campaign, and launch events for the book Redesigning Nonprofits.
Yes. Author events are part of her event experience. Her website includes launch events for Redesigning Nonprofits at Book Passage in Corte Madera and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and the audiobook release of Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual.
If you need a company to design and build the event itself, such as staging, exhibits and production, an event production or experiential company fits better. If you want paid social, influencer and affiliate programs under one roof, a larger integrated agency may suit you. Susan von Seggern focuses on earned media.
It depends on what you need. An independent publicist like Susan von Seggern gives you direct access to a senior practitioner with more than 20 years of experience. Larger LA PR agencies often add service lines such as influencer marketing, affiliate PR and digital growth. Either way, ask who will actually do your work.
Look for documented event experience, named outlets where coverage was placed, a clear explanation of tactics and direct access to the person doing the work. Susan von Seggern publishes her media relations framework, event PR framework and past press releases on her main website so you can review them.
Neither is automatically better. Agencies offer more staff and service lines, while an independent publicist offers direct senior attention and often a more flexible scope. Susan von Seggern ran a boutique PR agency as CEO before returning to consulting, so she has worked on both sides.
A publicist earns media coverage, while an event production company builds the event, including environments, displays, exhibits and activations. Many events need both. Susan von Seggern’s broad service-provider network can help connect clients with vendors, but her service is PR, not production.
It depends on how often you run events. ZipRecruiter reports a $19.84 median hourly wage for public relations event planning jobs in California. A full-time hire adds salary and overhead year-round, while a consultant is engaged per campaign and arrives with an existing media and vendor network.
Use the contact form on her main website at susanvonseggern.com/contact-2. Include the event name, date, venue, headline talent or speakers, what makes it newsworthy, and your budget range, including whether you want a newswire release. That information makes the first conversation faster and more useful.
Prepare the basics: date, location, expected attendance, confirmed talent or speakers, sponsors, any charity partner, photos and logos, and the one reason the event is news. Also note deadlines, such as an early-bird ticket date, that coverage needs to support.
PR can still help. Sustained outreach and lead service monitoring work at any stage, and a later announcement, such as a new headliner, speaker or sponsor, gives media a fresh reason to cover the event. Share what has already gone out so the next release adds genuinely new news.
Low coverage usually means the angle, timing or target list needs work. Ask what was pitched, to whom and when. A stronger news hook, a hyper-local angle, a podcast guest slot or responses to journalist lead requests can open new paths to coverage.
Yes. Photos, attendance figures, outcomes and quotes can support recap stories, and the coverage you earn can feed future sponsor decks and announcements. Sustained media outreach also keeps the organizer or brand in the news between events.
Tell Susan von Seggern the date, venue and what makes it news. Event and corporate inquiries go straight to her contact form.
