Be Seen and Heard with Broadcast PR
Nothing beats the thrill of seeing your brand on TV. Having your story told by a leading broadcaster, to an audience of millions, is guaranteed to get you buzzing. Broadcast PR coverage is a powerful tool for driving awareness and behaviour change. So when opportunities present themselves, it’s vital to get things right.
Getting broadcast ready
If you’re wondering how to get TV or radio coverage, remember the journalists’ mantra: “We’re trying to source interesting news stories; you’re trying to get coverage for your brand.” The challenge is to make sure you meet both aims. But how? For starters, you need to consider the following:
Do you have a broadcast worthy story?
First and foremost, you need to make sure you have a strong story. New stats, facts and topical talking points can give your story the appeal it needs to stand out to journalists. Make sure you’ve pulled out the angles that work for the media you’re targeting and give your story the springboard it needs to generate coverage.
Do you have the right spokesperson?
Is your spokesperson relevant to the story and are they going to represent your brand in the right way on TV or radio? Make sure they understand the brand’s key messages, and the purpose of their role as ambassador. They don’t have to be a celebrity, but they do need to be authentic and have a direct link to the story.
If you get these two things right, you’ll be a step closer to getting that interview on the BBC or Sky News, just like my client Ross Mendham from Bare Naked Foods, who featured on BBC Breakfast talking about appearing on Dragons’ Den.
Diamond Manufacturers
Or take another client, diamond entrepreneur Vashi Dominguez. In order to raise awareness of his online diamond business, I focused on establishing him as an industry expert – interweaving it with his inspiring personal story.
A former law student with a passion for precious stones, Vashi did a night course in gemology in his early 20s, and embarked on a tour of the world’s diamond centres, in an attempt to break into the tightknit industry.
Using the knowledge and contacts he gained along the way, he built up a multi-million pound ecommerce business, that’s now taking on the likes of US jewellery giant Tiffany & Co.
Vashi’s rise to success caught the attention of CNBC, who invited him on to talk about why diamonds are a worthwhile investment. His passion and expertise came across and he was subsequently invited by Sky News, CNN International, ITV, Channel 4, Bloomberg TV, BBC1 and BBC2 to talk about diamonds.
The coverage transformed Vashi’s business. Millions of people watched him talk knowledgably about diamonds, and he soon became a respected celebrity entrepreneur. To capitalise on his new found fame, he rebranded his business to Vashi.com, and expects to turn over £100m in 2018.
Top Tips
It’s possible to get TV or radio coverage if you have an interesting back story and an understanding of your market. But what else will help pique journalists’ interest? Here are a few tips:
Know your audience
Familiarise yourself with the shows you’re pitching to, and the range of topics they cover. The last thing you want to do is spam producers with calls and emails that will never be of any relevance. Radio 4’s hugely influential Today programme would not be interested in a fluffy celebrity feature story for example!
Broadcast first
Broadcasters love exclusives and the latest, hottest stories. If a story has already been splashed across every red top in the country, radio and TV may see this as old news and may not be interested, unless you can offer a fresh angle, insight or comment from a topical spokesperson.
Give them a fully formed idea
When pitching for broadcast, it’s imperative to present producers with a fully formed segment idea. This will make their job easier, and they’ll be more likely to feature it. But don’t just pitch your product. Give the producer a rounded idea of what the story is, what it will look or sound like on TV or radio, and how it’s relevant to their audience.
