I was just at my industry’s biggest event last week, and I was run off my feet the whole time. I go in part as a consultant to see what’s up and meet clients, but also as a quasi-journalist who “covers” the event.

I knew this already, but it was really enforced last week how issuing PR on the day of a big trade show is a great way to ensure the potential readership will drop like a rock.

Think about it. The people you most want to read about your newest set of pots and pans, or latest conquest, are at the show. They have breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, dinner meetings and late night drinks. They are on the trade show floor all day. The most reading they do is urgent emails on their smart phones.

They don’t, as a result, have any time to read press releases or press coverage. The same goes, to some degree, for what passes for working press at these shows. They are swarmed and only have time to cover the biggest news.

If you want to time news releases to your big trade show, time them for the week ahead of it. That makes people aware that you have something they want to see, should they be going. They are also still at their usual desks and will typically have more time to read that day or in the evening, and in a perfect world, they may even contact your company to schedule a booth visit.

Put it out the day of the show and your prime targets may never know you have what they need, as they walk on by the booth, oblivious.

The same goes for trade media and bloggers. On a busy week, you have to scrap for attention. The week before the show, your shot at getting the coverage you are after is much higher.

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1. Tell readers, immediately, why they should care