Whether it is a product or service, most clients want to get on TV!
Here at Tucker Media we've had some amazing success with getting our clients television coverage.
So, here are 10 quick tips to take into consideration before preparing for your TV debut.
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 have never been on TV before.
Case Studies: These are people who are willing to try or have tried your product or service and are prepared to go 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.
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.
Stock: When something appears on TV it usually goes gang busters and stock has been known to sell out – so be prepared with your inventory so you can cater to a high demand.
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 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.
Lose control: As with most journalism, we’re unable to control your message once it’s in the hands of the reporter or presenter. However, if you serve it up on a silver platter to TV, the chances of getting your messages across are more likely.
Things come up: Sometimes your segment is planned to shoot or even air, and then a natural disaster happens overnight, 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.
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.
Location, location, location: Often, current affairs or news programs shoot stories at a “location” – which means you may need to find a venue (i.e beauty salon) which can closed for a period of time that 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.
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.