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Striving For Attention on TV
By
Adam Burgh
Publicity. In our day and age, publicity is everything. Not just any kind of publicity; good publicity. But how does a company or organization get publicity in the first place? The problem is that everyone wants to get publicity. If you have ever tried to have the media pay attention to your conference, business, product, etc., you know how hard it can be to get good media coverage, especially on television. If you really want to get the attention of the media you’ll have to follow the time-honored strategy of defining your who, what, where, why, and how. Just like your first exposure to writing in elementary school, these aspects are the key to a successful media event, especially if you’re trying to get publicized in a television newscast.
Why should you hold a media event (and why should the TV stations care)?
Every company and organization can always benefit from good publicity. Why a company or organization should hold a media event to gain this publicity is left solely to that company/organization. Whether it is a new product, an exciting conference, or a groundbreaking decision, you must remember one thing: why will the media care?
You may think that your product, service, or organization is the best thing since sliced bread, but people still prefer different sandwiches. If your product relates to something the public already pays attention to, then you’re in business. Publicity of your product is much more effective, and it’s much easier to get the attention of the media, if you can attach your message to a story that is already running and has public attention. In order for the media to care enough about your product you have to make the message compelling to them. Attaching your message to a story/topic that already has their attention makes it much more likely that the media will find your story interesting as well and will cover it. The competition can be fierce: for instance, if you take out national news, commercials, sports, commentary, and the weather, then you are competing with all the other local events of the day for a total of only 7-8 minutes of available television time.
Develop a good message and deliver it in as short, direct, and compelling a method as possible. Don’t just talk on and on about the event/organization, as this will most likely lose the media’s attention, they’ll think it won’t catch the viewer’s attention, and they won’t find it newsworthy. While it is important to have substance during all media events, you just have to use it to convince the media that your cause is admirable. The real thing that gets your event/organization time on a news broadcast is the ability to produce short, direct, and compelling soundbites to be used on the news broadcast. It must be short enough to fit within the limited timeframe of a news story. It must be direct enough to convey the pertinent information about the event/organization and to reach the desired audience. It must be compelling enough to draw the attention of the reporter and, ultimately, the viewer.
Where should the media event be located?
Focus on the location of the media event. The location and backdrop should reinforce your key message and the goal of the organization/event. This is also a chance to publicize the name of the organization/event. However, the backdrop should not be distracting from the message of the media event. A picture is worth a million words when it comes to reinforcing the message in a media clip. Supporters that are in the area should be at the conference to promote the event/organization and show that it is important. They shouldn’t crowd out reporters, though. The general location of the event should be easily accessible to the media. This means the building is easy to find, there are directions to it, not a lot of traffic or road construction, and not in a remote location (should be as central to the main television stations as possible). The room should be big enough for all of the reporters to sit comfortably, have enough room for the cameras to be set up, and the center stage should be easily viewable and accessible for questions.
When should the media event start?
Publicizing the media event to the different local television stations is important. A news advisory should be sent out to all of the local news affiliates a week before the event to give them a chance to plan and assign reporters accordingly. Another news advisory should be sent to the news affiliates the day before the event to remind them. Finally, a news advisory and a phone call to the news affiliate should be conducted the morning of the media event. This gives them one last reminder.
The media event should be held mid-week and mid-day. The reason for this is to eliminate any possible obstacles from hindering the TV networks in their coverage of the event. This means that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the most effective days. Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. are the most effective times. There are several reasons for this. First, more people watch the news Sunday-Thursday nights. Second, news centers have larger staffs on weekdays because that is when most news happens and when most people watch the nightly news. Third, having the media event after Tuesday allows a news advisory to be sent on Monday or later, which makes it more likely that someone at the news affiliate will notice it. Fourth, having an event mid-day lets the news affiliates receive the morning reminder and have time to act on it. Fifth, these times are also the least likely to have traffic, which could tie up reporters. Sixth, most television reporters have a deadline of 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. for their stories to make it into the nightly newscast, so starting a media event before that time allows them to edit and refine the story.
What else should you do for the media event?
Many of these ideas you can think of on your own. What would make it easier for the reporters to receive and understand your message? Publish a press release with key information to be handed to the reporters covering the event. Create an outline of the media event explaining when topics will be covered so that reporters can be prepared for areas that might be of interest to them or their audience. Provide a location where more in-depth information can be obtained after the media event. These are just a few ways to ensure the reporters will follow your message and goals for the media event.
How long should the media event last?
The prepared presentation, the meat that has what you really want covered, should only last five minutes. This ensures that the message will be short, direct, and compelling enough to sustain the attention of the reporters. This also makes the message more cohesive and increases the probability that the desired message will be covered and played on news broadcasts or written about in newspapers. If applicable, there should then be approximately a 10-minute question and answer session with the reporters to allow necessary questions and points of clarification. When answering questions, try to stay on the topic of your media event. Don’t be distracted by other topics not related to your event and/or organization.
Some say that television content has been reduced to a child’s level. Based on some of today’s programs, that could be true. The average attention span is getting shorter, and the media is catering to those shortening attention spans. This means your message at the media event should be as short, direct, and compelling as possible. So just remember, it’s all elementary. Figure out your who, what, where, when, why, and how, and you’ll be certain of a more successful media event.
This article was written with the help of Dan Schnur, political media consultant and professor of political science at the University of California – Berkeley.
Adam Burgh, world traveller and CTSO trainer, is an Assistant Trainer with Team TRI and a regular contributor to the Leadership Solutions Network. Click here to learn more about Adam and how to contact him!
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