How to Get Your Product,
Service, or Idea on TV News
by Dr. Kevin Nunley
DrNunley.com
Few things in
media are as powerful as television exposure. Anyone who has ever
been on TV can tell you, a few shots on the tube and people are
recognizing you in the supermarket.
Local
television news has taken off as one of the most trusted voices in
media. Like it or not, when your local TV anchorperson says
something, huge numbers of people regard it as hard truth.
Imagine this
scenario. You're trying hard to introduce the general public to your
new service. Advertising is expensive, so you're having to get
creative to make your marketing ideas stretch. On the local nightly
news, the veteran anchorperson who everyone in town has watched for
20 years, turns to the camera and mentions your new service. Then he
cuts to a video of a promotion at your store.
Impossible? Not
at all when you know how TV news works. You can have your business
featured on TV for free if you follow these guidelines.
ALWAYS
REMEMBER...TV IS VISUAL!
The most
important thing about television is that it is VISUAL. In many cases,
the story may not sound interesting or be interesting, but if it
LOOKS interesting, it gets on TV.
Once at a
fund-raiser, all the media personalities in town were gathered
together for a banana split eating contest. Knowing that every
television station would be sending a camera to cover this novel and
VISUAL event, I decided to be the most novel and visual person in the contest.
We all sat
down, television, radio and newspaper people alike, and prepared our
chops for the starting whistle. As the eating commenced, I pulled out
a giant silver spoon the size of a small shovel. The television
cameras immediately swung to me.
That evening,
at the neglect of all the other media contestants, footage of my
spoon and I were prominently featured on the news of several
television stations. The visual approach to TV worked.
FIVE THINGS
THAT TV PRODUCERS LOOK FOR.
There are five
basic categories of stories that television likes to cover. You won't
find these written down anywhere on a newsroom bulletin board. They
are instinctive to assignment editors.
Number one are political
stories. Anything
that has to do with local, state, or federal politics gets on TV. If
the Gotebo, Oklahoma dogcatcher does something that upsets two
people, it's somehow viewed as a worthy news story. Expect to get on
TV if you mount an accepted challenge to a government official,
entity, or proposal.
Big
community problems get the same kind of coverage. These are often
things that touch everyone. Potholes, mosquito eradication, garbage
service, flood control, and crime all fall into this category.
Activities that
solve big community problems, or potential problems, get attention
too. This could be something like people planting fifty trees in the
city park.
Education
and Health earn a lot of television coverage these days. The
first one is because everyone is concerned about kids. The second is
because television news viewers are disproportionately middle-aged.
They have an
increased interest in health information and issues.
Celebrities
always get television time. The reasons are obvious. The man or woman
who couldn't care less about the other topics mentioned will always
look up when the local NBA star or visiting movie star comes on.
I will
awkwardly lump sports into this category as well. Sports make up to
50% of local news in many towns.
Finally,
television loves novelty. Some experts say that anything
visual and original will get on. I'm not sure I agree. Strictly
original stories often leave assignment editors wondering why they
should cover it. You are far better off doing something that's done
once every year or two. The cameras will show up for something that
they know from experience will be a winner.
Contestants
diving into a swimming pool of green jello to grab a key that starts
a free car is the oldest stunt in the book, but it invariably brings
the TV vans out in droves.
"BUT
HOW CAN I GET MY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ON TV?"
If you can
ATTACH your product, service, or idea to a topic that the news wants
to cover--you're in!
Just like the
person promoting an issue that wanted to get their position on the
news, you can get your business on TV news by finding some way to
attach your biz to a topic that TV would cover. Can your business get
involved in a community service program that will be newsworthy?
Not long ago
two boys decided to camp out on top of their house in hopes that
someone would notice them and give them tickets to a hot NBA
basketball game. It's was just goofy enough to get the TV cameras
out. Everyone laughed. One sharp business person called a TV station
and explained he was on his way over to the boy's house to offer them
his tickets and bring them down off the roof. The TV news director
immediately saw a story happening. He ordered a camera crew to meet
the businessman as he arrived at the boy's house.
Did the guy
with the tickets get on TV? Yes! Did he look good to people watching?
Yes! Did lots of new customers arrive at his store the next day to
tell him what a great guy he was and buy a few things? Of course!
HOW TO
CONTACT THE NEWS DEPARTMENT.
The media is
very telephone oriented. Your best bet is to call the news department
and tell whomever answers all about your story. Get to the point.
Make sure your story is good. Tell the reporter that answers the
juicy or visual part first. Remember that while you're talking, the
reporter is thinking:
1. What's in
this for us? Will our viewers be interested?
2. Will my boss
think this is a good idea?
3. How much
trouble will it be for us to get this on tape and on the air?
If you can get
positive answers on those three points, you've got a great shot at
getting some TV. Keep in mind that TV stations run short-handed and
on a very tight deadline. They've got a lot of work to do in very
little time.
---------------------------------
Kevin Nunley works with small businesses and
organizations providing affordable marketing advice,
copywriting, and Internet promotion.
Reach him at kevin@drnunley.com
or (801)253-4536.
Get his FREE email course "Make Your Website SELL!"
by sending an email to bizguru@aweber.com.
See all Kevin's articles on his Marketing Info Supersite:
http://www.DrNunley.com |
