When planning a TV PR campaign, it’s important to keep in mind that while you should of course strive to create content that is interesting for your audience, you also need to make sure that content is interesting for the broadcaster. First and foremost, TV stations need to make sure what they air is of high quality. If people turn off, it can be a death sentence for them. So everything that gets submitted is subject to rigorous scrutiny. If your story isn’t good enough, it won’t get on air. This goes double for TV, where there must be an engaging story alongside visuals. If one side is weak, it puts the entire campaign in jeopardy. You have to plan your campaign based around the broadcast methods you’re using; if you try to spread one method over radio and online and TV, for example, it won’t work. Each route to coverage requires its own unique methodology, they have their own needs, their own demands, and their own positives they can bring to your brand. In the case of TV, you have to make your story visually exciting as well as editorial. If done well, it can be a fast way to more brand recognition and a better view of your business. So here are some guidelines to keep in mind when planning a TV PR campaign: 1. You have to understand who you’re pitching to. Think about what different programmes need, and what makes them distinctive. Think about what this specific station will respond to, what their viewers will want to see. Tailor everything from the very first idea to the finished product to your audience and your broadcaster. 2. Don’t stick to the script. If you’re on TV talking about a topic, you need to be an expert on that topic, in case the interviewer decides to change tactics. Have the confidence to know that you can handle anything they throw at you, and that if your script is getting in the way of your argument, you can drop it. A more animated interview makes for better TV anyway, so don’t be afraid to take it in a different direction if it means you can make it more interesting. 3. Planning ahead is crucial. Think about what else is coming up in the calendar, if big political or sports events get in the way, your story may get dropped. But you’re not psychic. You can’t plan for everything. Luckily though, you don’t have to. Controversial or outright negative stories break and develop all the time, if you can edit your content to address or highlight things in a relevant way, you can take advantage of the ever-changing media landscape. 4. Spokespeople make any content more relatable, giving your brand a face people know and trust. Even if the audience isn’t interested in the story, they’ll still watch if they know who’s on screen. Check out our tips on finding the right spokesperson for your PR campaign. 5. Be careful of too many brand mentions on air. It’s not an ad, you’re there to sell a story, not your product. If the story is strong enough, people will remember who brought them such important or interesting information. TV Relations can help you plan, prepare, and practice for the big day, making sure your interview goes smoothly: TV can be an incredibly effective and powerful way to get noticed. If you’re considering doing a TV PR campaign, call us for a free consultation on 020 7158 0000.
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It's National Thank You Week this week, so we thought there'd be no better time to thank clients we've worked with previously. We were inspired by the idea of 'Paying It Forward', giving one gift to the person we wanted to thank, and one more for them to send on to someone they want to thank. Hopefully it goes on to create a ripple effect, with dozens or hundreds of people feeling appreciated. There are few things as rewarding as chocolate, so we thought this would be the perfect way to say thank you to businesses that have helped us grow, given us testimonials, and referred us on to others. And it was certainly appreciated: This is one of the ways we try to be more than just another PR company. We want people to know they matter. Our contacts aren't names on a database, numbers on a spreadsheet, or means to an end.
They're people. And they deserve our thanks. It’s a well-known fact that adverts often utilise less-than scrupulous methods to get a reaction from their audience. ‘Sexy’ ads have been around for decades, relying entirely on showing the public an attractive person, who just happens to be holding a product: We aren’t sold based on the product’s merits, its prestige, or its appeal. We are sold through the association we have with the person, and how they make us feel. By linking the product to the feeling of attraction, the brand has successfully created a positive feedback loop: we see the ad, like the person, thus like the brand. We don’t particularly care about the product, but we damn sure like the feeling we get when we think about it. Subconsciously, we are reminded of it whenever we look at whatever it is we bought. This is called classical conditioning, and has been a topic of psychological study for decades. It requires a stimulus that triggers a response, this trigger is then remembered as a direct link to this pleasurable sensation. Advertising used this link to push products for decades, again and again until it became a tired technique, overused to the point of cliché, even eventually becoming a punchline for stand up comedians like George Carlin: 'Advertising sells you things you don't need and can't afford, that are overpriced and don't work. And they do it by exploiting your fears and insecurities, and if you don't have any they'll be glad to give you a few by showing you a nice picture of a woman with big t*ts. That's the essence of advertising: big t*ts. Threateningly big t*ts.' However, we are now seeing a move away from such simplistic cause/effect conditioning, as people have become increasingly resistant to advertising, especially this type of hyper-sexual exploitation. A recent study has found that, while sex-appeal is more likely to make people remember the ad, it doesn’t make them more likely to remember the actual brand, and it has literally zero impact on the target’s intention to buy. Furthermore, people are now actually more likely to form a negative opinion of brands that use sex to try to sell its product. So with that in mind, perhaps it’s time for 21st Century marketing teams to embrace the shift, and start creating content that works. As we mentioned before, people hate to be manipulated, and they hate to be relentlessly sold to, so adopting a gentler approach is a smart move. PR allows brands to get exposure in a far less aggressive way than advertising, which people respond far more positively to. By creating interesting content parallel to you, you guarantee your audience will listen, then they have the power to decide to pursue you further. By allowing them to make that choice, they’re already inclined towards you, instead of being on the defensive. This is the perfect way to attract people, and will create a genuine personality for your brand, rather than a persona which people can see through. One way to establish credibility in an authentic way is to use a celebrity spokesperson that people can recognise or identify with. Celebrities in ads are paid to endorse a product, celebrities in PR are paid to deliver a story. This will still ensure the viewer’s attention, without the obvious attempt to utilise aesthetics for financial gain. Check out this video we made that utilises a celebrity without detracting from the core message: Creating genuine relationships is what we do, so if you’re interested in pursuing a broadcast PR campaign, get in touch with us on 020 7158 0000.
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