Last year’s International Consumer Electronics Show was another record breaking event, boasting 170,000 visitors and more than 3,700 exhibitors. One of the fastest growing areas at CES is startup arena where hundreds of young companies from around the world showcased their products hoping to find new partners and capture the attention of industry media. Unfortunately however, one of the main complaints I heard from startup exhibitors was “We are just a small company. We can’t compete with Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. for attention. Journalists don’t want to talk to us”.

I happened to be among these “bad journalists” and I’d like to give you some ideas that will make your next show experience a lot more rewarding.

The CES 2015 organizers reported having almost 5,000 journalists and bloggers in attendance (more than exhibitors!). Major tech media brought huge teams to cover the announcements of industry leaders and to find rising stars. Engadget had 35 people on the floor, CNET had 100. How can you NOT attract attention of ANYONE among such a huge army of hungry for news reporters?

Participation in the major show (especially, if you’re coming from overseas) is very expensive, and not every startup can afford to hire a PR agency on top of that. Don’t feel bad about it! I am going to let you in on a secret: many PR firms charging thousands of dollars for their show services cannot actually guarantee you media coverage either. So, I’ve come up with some ideas here that you can apply to the next show which will help your brand stand out from the crowd:

• Contact early – Journalists at TechCrunch and other major media outlets receive hundreds of messages from show participants each day from around the end of December through the beginning of January. Make sure to be ahead of this crowd. Monitor the industry media, identify journalists covering your topic, read their articles, learn about their “voice”, and be sure to follow them on Twitter. Did I mention that you should grow your online community first? It looks really sad, when a company claiming that it’s going to change the world has ten followers. It is never “too early” to begin doing this. I really like using www.anewstip.com as a discovery and monitoring tool for finding and engaging with “your” media.

• Relate to their previous articles – Don’t simply send the journalist information about your product, instead tell them WHY you are contacting them, and HOW their readers will benefit by learning about your product. Pay close attention to the subject line of your message and monitor the email open rate. If your initial emails are not opened, try sending another message with a different subject line. There are many email tracking tools to help you with this, such as sidekick, or yesware, for example. But don’t spam!

• Look for those who are responsible for creating product lists (for example, fitness wearables, robotics, car accessories) and tell them HOW your product is different from the others (your UVP) and WHY it deserves to be included in their next review.

• Make sure to confirm appointments – Do not expect journalists to remember about your email conversation happened three weeks ago. Send them polite reminders that include your phone number. Be mindful of the locations of your meetings. You will have a better luck by offering to meet at places that are convenient for journalists instead of trying to get them to visit your booth. For example, schedule your pre-show meetings at Mandalay Bay where the press day is hosted.

• Be helpful – Journalists appreciate when you offer your expertise on subjects they are writing about or suggest experts, even if they have nothing to do with your business. Remember, the media doesn’t exist to promote your business. Don’t send a reporter your marketing materials asking them to help you spread the word about your product.

• Don’t be afraid of unorthodox ideas – For example, you can help journalists attend more events by hiring local kids (remember, it’s winter break in schools) to stand in lines to press conferences during the Press Day. At the CES 2015’s Press Day, I missed several events because the lines were outrageous, and I would have had to be in several places simultaneously to get to the most popular briefings! Another idea is to hire a van to transport journalists between the show venues. You can post a sign “For the media only” with your logo and your brochures inside of the vehicle.

• Be fun and friendly – I was amazed by the number of exhibitors who stood at their tables appearing to be bored, barely spoke English, and not even tried to engage with the show attendees. No one is going to notice your startup unless you create noise and go after the crowd! Naturally, many attendees will visit your booth if they notice that others are interested, so consider creating contests with prizes, use fun technology (buy a drone on Amazon, for example), and/or host short useful seminars and demos.

• Create marketing materials – Don’t generate more paper waste. Make use of technology, produce useful souvenirs, and create visuals that will make your booth more attractive to the eye. Last year for example, Seagave’s backpacks were a big hit amongst the attending media.

• Also, keep in mind that there is an information overload during the show days. Journalists have to go through tons new products, so it is YOUR job to make it easy for them to write about you. Make sure to prepare in advance a press kit that includes a short, fact based blurb about your product, your company, and high resolution images.

• Use the CES resources – There is so much going on throughout CES that it is easy to feel invisible. Don’t hesitate to approach the organizers and ask for their help. They want your startup to succeed and to create more buzz about the event. Spot in advance the booths of major media outlets where they host live reporting and talk to those who are in charge there.

• Apply to be a speaker – CES 2015 hosted 250 sessions with panels on every topic you can think of. As long as you can speak English, and are an expert in your field (and you should be, otherwise you are in the wrong place), you have a chance to take the stage. If you get accepted, use your speaking engagement as leverage when approaching the media.

• Participate in various award contests – Even if you do not win anything, you will have a chance to present your product in front of your target audience, as well as use it within your pitch to the media. Plus, due to the number of contests, you will have a pretty good chance of being among the finalists (or top 10). Check out Engadget’s Best of CES, Last Gadget Standing, or Pitch Contest at LaunchIt ShowStoppers, for example.

• The week of CES in Las Vegas is all about networking. You will make a huge mistake by spending all of your time at your booth. Bring as many people from your company to the show as you can afford. Walk around, talk to the people, and make friends!

• Participate in small gatherings where you aren’t competing with industry leaders or hundreds of other startups. For example, you may present your startup at the Tech Cocktail Startup Night, or if you are lucky to be a woman, the Girls Lounge is the place you don’t want to miss. They host a great line of events and are loved by the media. Last year for example, I really enjoyed a Wearable Workout hosted by CNET and a Floor Tour organized by Engadget. Plus, it’s a great place to unwind and meet friendly people in a less stressful environment.

• Use social media – Make sure to monitor tweets related to #CES and its variations. Re-tweet, comment on popular tweets, and share your thoughts about the happenings. Twitter during shows like CES is a great conversation starter and is an important tool in spotting cool news and events. You may want to have someone who is not in Las Vegas curate your Twitter feed in order to have an active presence there. This will help you beyond the days of the show. Our clients usually see significant increase in their number of followers after each event. Also, look for CES apps (such as the CES News App) to discover events organized by the show participants outside of the venues.

• Follow-up – Don’t let all your hard work go into waste. Contact those you meet at the show within a week after coming back home. Stay in touch with the journalists and offer them your expertise. In this case, you will find it to be much easier to get publicity long after CES is ended.

To summarize, there is a lot of work involved pre-show and during and post-CES, but if you follow some of the suggestions listed above I can guarantee that you will ultimately be much more satisfied with the monetary investment you have made, as well as the results of your participation! See you in January!