Whether it’s a product or service, most clients want to get on TV! Here at WordStorm we have pretty good relations with TV producers and reporters, and our success rate is rather high. But, this doesn’t mean the process is without bumps along the way, which clients should be aware of. We thought we’d offer 10 insightful tips to take into consideration before preparing for a TV debut.
- 1. Things come up! Sometimes your segment is planned to shoot or even air, and then a natural disaster happens overnight (i.e Japan tsnunami), ultimately delaying your story. This is the nature of news and you need to be prepared for this to happen because sometimes things just come up!
- 2. Case studies – These are people who are willing to try your product or service on air and talk about it. It’s imperative to have case studies when you approach TV, to increase the chances of your story getting picked up.
- 3. Spokesperson – it’s important that your company has a spokesperson that is willing to be interviewed about the product / service on air. Media training is usually necessary, especially if they’ve never been on TV before.
- 4. Trust – your product or service needs to work and be proven to work! There’s no point in getting on TV with a dud product or service – it will annoy the people who go out to buy it and the TV producers even more so. Ultimately, it will do you more damage than good.
- 5. Stock – when something appears on TV it usually goes gang busters and stock has been known to sell out in 24 hours – so be prepared with your inventory so you can cater to a high demand.
- 6. Website preparation – once people at home see your product or service on TV, they’re likely to check out your website while they’re watching or as soon as the segment is over. If you know when your story is going to air, contact your IT person to ensure your website is ready for a massive surge of hits. It’s not a good look if your website crashes when thousands of people are interested in purchasing your product or service!
- 7. Lose control – as with most journalism, we’re unable to control your message once it’s in the hands of the reporter. However, if you serve it on a silver platter to TV, the chances of getting your messages across are more likely.
- 8. Short notice – On a slow news day, or when another segment has fallen through, producers may request your product or a company spokesperson urgently, expecting a turnaround of a few hours. When approaching TV programs, everything needs to be in place to move immediately, because you never know the speed it can progress at.
- 9. Location, location, location! Often, a current affair type programs shoot stories at a “location” – which means you need to find a venue (i.e beauty salon) which can close for the time you need – this can potentially be hours long so this should be one of the first things you get sorted, if your story requires it.
- 10. It’s worth it! Despite all the preparation and hiccups that may occur along the way, TV coverage is totally worth the drama when you consider the exposure and potential sales that can convert from a successful TV story.
From Dom & the WordStorm team!
