Seven top tips for running a successful broadcast campaign

“What I really want for this one is to get national TV.” Sound familiar? As most PRs know, achieving that golden piece of shiny TV coverage for a brand can often be the key to a successful campaign, not to mention an extremely happy client.

While getting your story the cut through it needs to achieve broadcast is often harder than it looks, there are some tips on what you should think about before your next broadcast campaign.

Is it a story?

First and foremost you need to make sure you have a strong story if you’re going to catch the eye of broadcasters. New stats, figures and topical talking points can often give your story the appeal it needs to stand out to journalists. Make sure you have pulled out the angles that work for different, specific media and look out for news lines on the day that could give your story the springboard it needs.

Can you sum up the story in one sentence?

Journalists are inundated with pitches and story ideas so you need to ensure yours is punchy and understood in a top line – this applies verbally as well as editorially. Many TV and radio outlets have news bulletins as short as 30 seconds, so short and to the point are key when thinking about broadcast.

Do you have the right spokesperson?

Are they relevant to the story and are they going to represent your brand in the right way? Make sure they understand the brand’s key messages and values and the purpose of their role as your ambassador. They don’t have to be a celebrity, but they do have to be authentic and have a direct link to the story.

Are your spokespeople media trained?

Even if your spokesperson is a natural on TV and radio, it is a good idea to encourage media training on a regular basis. This ensures a polished, strong broadcast performance and can help you prepare to bridge any tricky questions that might be thrown at them in a live environment.

Are you in the right location?

It sounds simple, but in order for some broadcast interviews to happen, your spokespeople may be required to physically be there and it is a good idea to prepare for that as much as possible. Do you have a spokesperson who can be available in Salford if needs be? Is there a secondary spokesperson available to attend if there’s interest from London broadcasters? Have you booked a studio to do down-the-line, back-to-back interviews to cover regional/global interest from one location?

The TV/online package

With newsroom resources getting increasingly leaner, it’s a good idea to think about providing A-Roll (edited) or B-Roll (unedited) content to work alongside your story. Having the full package ready for a broadcast journalist ahead of the campaign date can often mean the difference between getting that TV / national online hit or not.

What do you want to achieve?

This question is vital when thinking about planning a broadcast story. What does success look like to you and your brand? If it’s national business TV, do you have facts and figures that are relevant for that audience? If it’s regional consumer online, for example, do you have case studies and moving image to target those areas?