Make your story the party everyone wants to crash

Confession — I worry if I throw a party, no one will come.

Start with my birthday. It’s in the winter near the December holidays. It’s not like people would want to travel to Wisconsin if I still lived there.

I get similar uneasy feelings when I pitch media. Maybe you do, too.

We might have what some think is the best story of the year (or best birthday 🎂), but…what if no one comes?

I’ve been there. I’ve learned through the years that there are few sure media lures. Kids, puppies and A-list professional athletes, maybe. I’ve pitched story angles that, as a viewer, reader—consumer of all media—would have been informing or entertaining, but reporters passed. Then I’d pitch something cheesy, and they’d show up. Go figure.

PR and publicity aren’t exact sciences. You can only control what you can control.

Example: mixed doubles at the U.S. Open. Mixed at the Open—or at any Slam—has long felt like an unwanted stepchild. This year, powers-that-be decided to make mixed doubles an appetizer for the final major of the professional tennis season. The modified draw didn’t fare well inside but the result felt like an overwhelming win for fans. Some who might not otherwise score tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium during the singles main draw saw a modified format but 100 percent competitive tennis. Unlike past years when mixed were played at the end of the fortnight, the place was packed. I own that I’m an all-season tennis fan, but I think this juiced the crowd for exciting tennis to come. It’s the same with PR. Sometimes, tweaking the format makes a story irresistible.

How the change came

U.S. Open planners took a chance and flipped a script from what’s long been done. But what if they made changes and still no one came? It’s the same gamble every PR pitch carries.

Sometimes you have to look at something differently and take a chance while keeping your eye on the prize. In this case, the prize was fans getting to see exciting and strategic matches. As tennis reporter and Bounces editor Ben Rothenberg wrote, the Open’s senior director Eric Butorac “mined a diamond out of a previously ignored scrap heap.” In PR, that’s what you’re after too: uncover a gem and package it so people pay attention—and want to be there.

Oh, those fans? They were treated to a third-set tiebreak before Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori defended their 2024 title.

To all who observe, Happy U.S. Open (main draw starts August 25). And let me know if you want to spice up your always-done-it-that-way event.

©2025 Gail Sideman, gpublicity.com, SIDEbar

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