TL:DR

• Create a virtuous circle; your content shapes your events, events inform and power your thought leadership 
• Have a content team on the ground
• Capture video for immediate and long-term use
• Engage attendees as amplifiers 

From the Sifted Summit to Bloomberg Live, events are now a key part of most media companies’ content strategies. Running events opens up new revenue streams but it also helps them further grow their audience and lead the conversations that matter to them. It’s a virtuous circle: the news shapes the event and the event shapes the news. 

If your business is organising an event, that’s the playbook to follow. Content strategy baked into the event, not bolted on. 

But, for in-house teams planning events, it can be hard to think about a content strategy. The event itself can feel all consuming. 

Here’s how you can maximise the impact of your event through content – lessons we’ve learnt from running events for our clients and our sister company, the early-stage venture fund Basis.

Use events as tentpoles for your content strategy

A strategic approach to event content doesn’t think of events as standalone activities. Your owned content should drive anticipation and awareness in the build up to the event, while still serving your wider brand and business goals. The event itself should then sustain a long tail of content afterwards.

Money20/20’s Content 365 approach – detailed in full by project lead Rosalie Durst here – is a perfect example of this: 

‍“Working cross-functionally with product, creative, sales, and editorial teams, I developed an always-on content plan that included two original podcasts, editorial series, executive interviews, and social-first storytelling. Every initiative was tied to key business goals such as audience growth, engagement, and the development of new revenue streams. The content was structured around thematic pillars that positioned Money20/20 as a trusted, year-round authority in the fintech space.” 

We took a similar approach when partnering with TAC Insights, who wanted to shift away from treating events as standalone moments to a content-first approach that builds an audience and community throughout the year.  For TAC’s flagship 2025 financial services event, that meant creating and sharing bitesize thought leadership pieces in the run up to the event and an in-depth report to provide long-term value to attendees  after the forum was over. 

Your content can also be used to shape an event agenda. Consider which topics and themes have sparked the most engagement or debate and perhaps set up a panel to continue the discussion on stage. The goal shouldn’t be to rehash or repurpose what’s been said but for your event to feel like a natural extension of the conversations you’re already having with your audience. For example, Moonfire’s piece “Seed is broken – here’s how to fix it” became one of the sessions at Pulse ‘24, while their piece on humanoid robotics inspired a panel the following year. 

Have content creators on the ground 

It can be tempting to rely on recordings to inform post-event write-ups, but there’s no substitute for being there. Having content creators embedded at the event means you can capture its energy and nuance and adapt your plan in real-time to pursue the most interesting line of argument. 

Your content team should act as roving reporters. Walking the floor, sitting in on panels, or even informally chatting with attendees sharpens the storytelling. A quick 10-minute interview in a breakout room can later become a blog, podcast snippet, or LinkedIn post that captures the real texture of the day.

For example, at the 2025 SAP and SAP Fioneer for Financial Services Forum – organised by our client TAC Insights – our writer Jake was onsite in Munich to speak to attendees and sit in on sessions ahead of writing a post-event report. This also meant Jake came away with a stack of ideas that could be used to drive TAC’s content pipeline for months afterwards. 

There’s never a better time to produce video content 

Events bring together senior voices who are notoriously hard to pin down the rest of the year. You’ve already got them in one place and prepped to reflect and comment on the major themes of the event. Let’s be honest, that’s often half the battle. 

Investing in video at your event will deliver long-term value, in the form of both immediate post-event content (think sizzle reels and voxpops) and  longer-term pieces after the event (founder and partner interviews captured at Moonfire’s 2024 Pulse event were used to drive engagement for months afterwards). 

This doesn’t need a huge crew or set-up. With a good mic and a small rig, you can create content that feels dynamic and polished, while riding the natural energy of the event itself.  

Even online events and webinars can be clipped up and edited for socials or made into podcasts via software like Riverside. 

This can be a smart, cost-effective way to ramp up your video output and take advantage of the broader shift to video. LinkedIn video watch time rose 36% from 2024 to 2025, with short-form video creation growing at twice the rate of other post formats. Video posts are also shared 20x more than any other content type – reach that can be amplified further by any interviewees and their organisations. 

Treat your event like a temporary broadcast studio and capture as much as you can - you’ll feel the benefits in your engagement numbers for months to come.

Tap into the audience of attendees 

Make a plan to harness the collective audience power sitting in the room. Attendees often have large followings and by interviewing them, co-creating social clips, or even tagging them in live posts, you can bring your ideas to their audience.

At Money20/20, for example, much of the reach came not from the brand itself, but from the attendees who shared content in their own networks. a16z also does this extremely well. Their American Dynamism series is routinely boosted by the founders, policymakers, and investors they feature – multiplying reach far beyond the firm’s already sizeable audience.

Create content-first events with HSG 

We love to help brands unlock the full potential of their events through content — whether that’s building pre-event momentum, acting as your onsite content team, or turning insights into long-tail thought leadership. 

Have an event coming up? Get in touch.