Since I joined the IBA team three months ago and took my first foray into the world of PR and Marketing, there’s been a whirlwind of activity. From timely hot topic research to drafting insightful content on the latest industry challenges, it certainly has been a busy period, with plenty of varying skills to learn and hone, as I help the rest of the team round off the last quarter of the year and start planning for 2023 activity.

But enough about me! From placement levels scarier than the Halloween franchise, to hunting down journalists, and some frighteningly successful trends research – here’s the lowdown on everything IBA in the last month:

The importance of the post-event follow up

Whether distributing journalist pre-briefing documents or pre-pitching client software launches to target publications, it’s important to obtain maximum value from every event. But how you finish is often more important than how you start. Post-event pitching is about giving journalists a friendly prod in the right direction, exploiting the media facing angles of conferences and product launches, and securing placements by the pageful.

This month we’ve been supporting our clients as the event season kicks into overdrive post lockdown (what was that?), with one client hosting an international technology conference for the first time in three years – (ah yes) following Covid restrictions. We have been able to use our strong media relationships to follow up with key journalist attendees and secure during and post-event feature coverage from highly regarded aerospace publications, with more industries to follow!

Predict the next trends on everyone’s lips in 2023 

As we begin to close out the year and look ahead to 2023, it’s time to refresh media targets and optimize content to ensure it is hitting relevant market themes year on year – and this is where we see the real value of timely industry research. This month has been a busy time for the IBA team as media kits and event calendars for 2023 provide the perfect insight into what topics our top-tier media will be looking to cover.

For our business management client, we identified that the rise in plant-based diets was a perfect match for their solutions, given the impact that this new demand would have on the manufacturing industry. Looking forward, this research has provided us with a timely hook for our next food and beverage article for media pitching, and indeed the media are already chomping at the bit!

We’re well aware that there’s a balance between resurfacing old trends and emerging new trends. Trends such as plant-based diets are cyclical – but with ‘Veganuary’ just around the corner, tapping into this renewed topic focus is a great way to strengthen our client’s industry position and get them ahead of the game!

Practising what we preach – latest IBA thought leadership pitching begins

It’s not just our clients that have been busy this month. We’ve dipped our toes back into the Pitch & Place circuit with our very own thought leadership piece on the importance of SEO, Backlinks and Brain Engine Optimization. This article focuses on how B2B organizations can adopt an effective three-pronged PR strategy to go the extra mile and earn powerful media without the need for expensive ‘pay to play’ placements. We are in the early stages of pitching, but watch this space for further updates.

The action never stops at IBA

Everything we do here at IBA is designed to ensure clients receive the most value possible from a single piece of content. From initial trends research to follow-up event pitching, we maximize coverage potential at every opportunity. But as October draws to a close, it’s endings that have got my attention.

The trends cycle never stops. There are great benefits to finishing strongly but endings spring new beginnings. The need for cutting-edge new content never dies, and the benefits of intelligently reminding journalists of an exciting new development cannot be understated. With 2023 planning well underway, and the end of Q4 on the horizon – it’s been a devilishly positive October, and a thrilling time to be part of the IBA team. I’ve enjoyed the ride so far, and I can’t wait to continue developing my skillset alongside a team of talented and supportive colleagues.

Tom Wrath is a PR Executive at IBA International.

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