Do you have a new product or upcoming event you’d like to get TV publicity?  Writing and sending press releases to media establishments might sound easy but remember that you’re not the only one sending them.  Most often than not, your story gets caught up in the blizzard of hundreds of press releases that blanket every editor’s table every day in a typical newsroom.  So how will you be able to get TV publicity without paying for airtime and still get the publicity you need?

The Nature of Television
The biggest challenge for makers of TV publicity is how to instantaneously catch the attention of viewers even for only 30 seconds of exposure because television broadcasts are fleeting media.  Do you ever notice the length of TV commercials?  Most of them are only 15-30 seconds long.  Anything longer than that and it will begin to sound boring or too detailed.  You can’t expect viewers to retain all those information in one setting.  Besides that, TV airtime costs high so television companies make sure to accommodate a specified number of slots in an hour.

Making Effective TV Publicity
If you’re aim is just to announce the launching or a product or an upcoming community event, the last thing you want to do is pay for airtime.  So should you come up with an effective presentation for a free TV publicity?  One thing is for sure – the media needs “good” stories in order to beat the stiff television competition.  Hence, in order to get TV publicity you need to come up with more than just a good story, but it should be something not of the mundane. Here are some tips from inside the typical newsrooms:

1.  Be extraordinary.  In the media, bad stories are good stories to tell.  The news would not cover things that customarily occur daily, they want to cover unusual events.  For instance, if a community event is expected to happen at a particular time of the year send a press release highlighting what’s new about the event this year.

2.  Be visual.  It’s important that you include pictures or videos in your press release to support your story, that is, if you’re aiming to get TV publicity.  After all, television is a very visual media so any story you have should be accompanied with pictures.  However, it should not just be any picture.  Refer to the first tip to get your story aired.

3.  Choose a timeslot.  Most stories aired during the week involve elements that good stories have, such as proximity, timeliness, and prominence.  This is why most stories cover celebrities, politicians, and other events that shape a nation.  Don’t feel discouraged, though, because there are weekend news and programs where your story could be aired.  Many people who can’t have the chance to see the 6 o’clock or 10 o’clock evening news watch weekend news where life is more laidback. 

Take advantage of the time where “slow news” is prevalent such as holidays or Thanksgiving in which most government offices are closed.  During these times, your story becomes the most important news across town.

4.  Pick the right reporter.  While there are general beat reporters, most reporters are experts on something, like “business”, “crime”, “lifestyle”, etc.  Be sure to categorize your story and find a reporter who is an expert or at least have specialty in the matter so he/she can expound on your story.  This way, you’re also giving the reporter a good story that he’s familiar with.

5.  Write in a journalistic style.  Notice how journalists pack all the highlights of a story in the lead paragraph.  Also make the story conversational to make it easy for editors to edit and TV anchors to read.  As much as possible, write your story in a manner that would not require editing.  Often, newsrooms are flooded with press releases, that choosing which story to air is made in a matter of seconds.

Now try to write your story using these tips and see how it fares. Goodluck!