Breaking through to high-value prospects is harder than ever. Inboxes are overflowing, LinkedIn is noisy, and outreach fatigue is real.
Meanwhile, conferences have re-emerged as one of the best ways to connect face-to-face, but they’ve also become overcrowded and expensive. Sponsorships, booths, and travel can easily cost tens of thousands, often for little more than a few passing introductions.
There’s a better way to stand out: one built on content-based networking.
Instead of chasing prospects at cocktail hours or hoping they walk past your booth, imagine inviting them to participate in a short, on-site video series during the event. You’re not pitching them. You’re featuring them. The topic could be something timely, like “How CPG marketers are adapting to retail media” or “The future of storytelling in an AI-driven world.”
This approach reframes your role from salesperson to collaborator. Busy CMOs and VPs who might ignore a cold outreach pitch are far more likely to say yes to a genuine conversation where they can share insights and elevate their personal brand.
The magic is that the relationship comes first. The content is simply the byproduct. You walk away having built trust and familiarity with decision-makers you’ve struggled to reach before. And yes, you also leave with great material to repurpose across social, newsletters, and thought leadership assets.
Here’s how it works in practice:
- Pre-event outreach: Invite executives to participate in your “Insights at [Conference Name]” video series.
- On-site filming: Record short interviews in a nearby suite or quiet lounge.
- Post-event follow-up: Share their clip, thank them, and keep the conversation going.
When done right, content-based networking transforms conferences from crowded marketing expenditures into targeted relationship-making opportunities, and those connections can pay dividends long after the event concludes.
