Marijane Funess October 1, 2015 | 10:54:08
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PR And The 6 Signs Of A Successful Broadcast Placement

For top PR teams working on B2B or B2C campaigns, it’s hard to dispute the power of a broadcast placement for driving web activity or even foot traffic. When planning a broadcast campaign, first ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve – specific goals such as site visits or downloads, or broader general awareness of a company or brand. Although there are more news and talk show opportunities than ever, the guest booking universe is very competitive and restrictive. It’s important to know what constitutes success in such rarefied media air. Start by using the following to help set your own metrics.

Nothing is left to chance. It’s part of the PR pro’s job to sell in a segment that really works for the product or service. This often means negotiating up front with a producer to make sure proper images are used, a website address is provided (verbally, but especially visually) and there is enough time to get the message across. There are no guarantees, of course, but work as hard as you can to make a segment compelling enough so that a producer will do her level best to keep her end of the bargain.

The key messages are conveyed early and naturally. Success here results from proper spokesperson prep. This usually entails at least one formal media training session and follow-up with less formal discussions about messages. It pays to employ a seasoned pro who has done several TV interviews, understands the hectic broadcast environment and can “punt” when necessary.

The piece wasn’t too “cluttered.” An element of effective spokesperson training is the mock interview. Our advice here is to stage simulated interviews for broadcast that incorporate all the elements of the “real deal” to make sure you aren’t including too many complementary items in your “round-up” or trying to get across too many messages. Keep it simple!

The interviewer was interested and engaged.  When the stars truly align, the PR team has done its homework and knows, for example, that CBS medical reporter Dr. Max Gomez has suffered from a back injury and is genuinely psyched about your company’s new wearable device for pain. Short of that, it’s still your job to know as much about the interviewer as you do the outlet, and play to your strengths wherever you can.

Phones rang, downloads increased, site traffic spiked. Here’s where the rubber meets the road with a successful broadcast placement. Have you got the tangible analytics that link your perfect segment to demonstrable results and quantifiable outcomes?

Post-appearance, the company merchandised the piece well.  A broadcast segment has many lives. The smart PR team takes the clip and posts it to all its social media sites, the company website and YouTube, for starters. It can also be leveraged for sales team efforts and to potential marketing partners. And, because broadcast begets more broadcast, the segment becomes part of your spokesperson “sizzle reel” to help score more placements.

Interested in guidelines for how to pitch broadcast journalists? Download our Broadcast Pitching Tipsheet. . . .


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