How to Tackle TV Industry PR on a Tight Budget
If you're on a tight budget, what are the best ways getting the attention of the press prior to a big TV industry event like the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) or the annual event hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas (NABShow)?
The perennial question of how to win valuable media coverage and attract the attention of important TV industry analysts and reporters can be broken down into three core elements.
1) Relationships
Building relationships is critical. But you need to start ahead of time. Give the task of establishing relationships with the press and analysts plenty of breathing space. When is the best time to reach out? When you do not need their help, of course. Establish a steady schedule for outreach instead of trying to do it all at once, when it is crunch time just before an event.
If you can’t meet them face-to-face, or connect with them through correspondence, one way to get on their radar is to comment publicly on some article or presentation they have made through social media. That can be done via LinkedIn or Twitter very effectively, especially if you are completely unknown to them. Commenting or connecting publicly is a really good way to get on their radar. Done right, it can work like a charm! You can highlight your own comments and opinions on the topic at hand, and demonstrate that you have something valuable to contribute to the discussion. Never use this type of platform to pitch your products. There is a time and place for everything, and this is not one of them!
If you send your press release cold, you're almost sure to be told to advertise or sponsor something in exchange for editorial. That is a very common pitch. (And even if you have a great relationship it may not change things!) They're running a business just like you. It's especially important to also evaluate, genuinely, whether the sponsorship, editorial and other opportunities they offer could be useful to you. There is no better way to make a new friend than by spending a bit of money.
Get to know what they are up to and what they are working on. Besides printed media, there may be podcasts, interviews, special reports they are working on - you name it. If you don’t take an interest, you just won’t know.
Journalists and analysts like to see that you are genuinely active, innovative and well-connected. Help them look smarter and better informed then their peers. Discover ways to be useful to them with their own network of contacts.
Being useful can include providing them with exclusive insights or data. In this case you might find that they can use your information in presentations they make at various conferences throughout the year. Don't underestimate the power of third-party endorsements, especially by an important analyst who has a network bigger than your own. Having them talk about or mention your company is way more powerful than you doing it on your own.
Don't carpet bomb them with impersonal communications. They are inundated and so are therefore highly selective. Plan to make some effort, say hello, and establish yourself as a player in the industry, before you need a journalist or analyst to help you with something specific. After all, they are just people, and often very nice!
Take-away #1: Don’t reach out cold just before a major trade show or event. Lay the necessary ground work and give yourself plenty of time to build genuine and meaningful relationships with important analysts and the press.
2) A Clear Purpose
Be clear about what you are planning to say and why.
A press release is a document that has a very established format. It is meant to be sent to journalists in the interest of being picked up and published. It also has to have a genuinely newsworthy angle.
It should go without saying that if you are making an announcement, it has to be properly newsworthy, right? If your company has genuine news it is likely to be picked up. Genuine news comes in many forms. Some include new funding rounds secured (or new investors), company acquisition news, new major clients signed, new company launches and financial news. This list is not exhaustive, but you get the picture. It’s the kind of stuff you already regularly read about in the press.
Product launches, however, are possibly the hardest news announcements to get published, unless a deal with a major client is being announced at the same time. There are specific trade publications that routinely publish product announcements but there are not that many, and, it usually depends on the sector. There is a specialist trade publication for just about everything digital, so tailoring your release towards different publications is another consideration. One version simply may not do the trick – you may need to create a more tailored version. That being said, it may not be worth the extra effort. You have to evaluate the bang for the buck in going this extra step. It may be better to focus on the publications that matter most to your industry sector, while not ignoring the lower-hanging fruit where you can get a mention that will help to raise your profile with an industry audience.
What you do not want to do is use your press release for your contacts and prospects. Doing this entirely defeats the point.
The goal is to have your industry contacts and those in your sales funnel to read about your wonderful developments in the press. You can re-purpose your news and put it into a newsletter or mailshot to announce your latest news, but it’s not good practice to send them the press release in its raw format.
Take-away #2: Be sure your purpose is clear when designing your communications. That purpose should fit in and support your overall business strategy.
3) The Tools of the Trade
This is something of a mystery to most who have not had the luxury of being able to work with a dedicated PR firm or external consultant. There are many perfectly good reasons to use them if you have the budget. They have three main things going for them:
One, they already have the industry relationships and connections that will serve you well.
Two, they already have the industry experience and insights to help you refine your purpose and contextually position your company.
Three, they already have all the tools of the trade at their disposal, from press release writing skills to getting the word out through their extensive press distribution lists.
This last point boils down to acquiring the tools of the trade for yourself, if you can.
Press release writing and distribution are key reasons why companies flock towards PR firms and consultants. They often believe they wield a magic wand to make your company news appear in the press.
How to manage, though, if you don’t have a budget for a PR firm or consultant?
Writing a press release is something of an art form. If you do the job right, your press release may be printed nearly “as is”. You want to make it as easy as possible for a publication to simply lift your text and republish it. The trick here is to model your release on those of others. Follow the format and the spirit and you´ll do just fine.
If are not already regularly exposed to the multitude of TV industry press releases, you can visit the websites of major trade shows to get a feel for how they are written. Then you can emulate the style and format into your own.
You can locate news releases for the main trade shows by making a search on the name of the show plus “news releases” or “press releases” or “press room”.
As for press distribution lists, these are available if you know where to look. Feel free to contact us if you need help. For example, the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) publishes a list of all the journalists registered as press every year. If you use this list as a starting point, you can begin to build your own.
Another way to approach building a press list s to start making a running list of the journalists and analysts whose articles you are already reading (and liking) in the press. Pay attention to those who matter most to your business and go from there to obtain permission to mail them your news. This is a wonderful way to begin to establish relationships! You reach out, comment, and ask if you can keep them informed. Of course, sometimes you may not get a response, but the upside is that you are now on their radar.
Take-away #3: Knowing how to craft a press release that compels attention and supports your company’s strategy is a skill that can be learned. Building your own press list, or accessing third-party sources is key to getting it out there and the exercise in itself can help build good relationships.
Recap
Obviously, there are many other ways to promote your business aside from this topic of how to tackle PR on a tight budget. For now, hopefully you are now a bit better prepared and certain about what to do, and not to do, when it comes to your company’s ongoing PR activities, especially if you have to manage that on your own.
Remember:
1) Relationships are key.
Prioritize building relationships, leaving aside the pitch, in the first instance. Put this activity at the heart of your company’s communications philosophy and reap the benefits. Now you know how. Laying the ground work for your future PR (and ultimately, your sales) outreach in a smart way is absolutely fundamental.
2) Have a clear purpose.
Have a deep think about which news, or series of news announcements, are going to advance your business the most. Plan that out. Once it’s clear, execute your plan with strategically written communications that have a topical and newsworthy angle.
3) Acquire the tools of the trade.
The keys to unlock the kingdom of do-it-yourself PR is learning the tools of the trade. The two main skills are crafting a good press release and knowing how to distribute it. These things that can be learned. For press releases, you can outsource this work or do it yourself by studying the format and style of others. As for distribution lists, ask me if you need help, or build your own list that’s very specific to your needs.
Conclusion
Yes, it’s more work, but you can do it!
With a bit of effort, and more certainty about how to go about these things, you can be confidently running your own PR operations in no time. Truly, no one has that magic wand, and stories of disappointment and disillusionment with PR firms are many. Being better prepared on your own steam means you´ll be better armed to get your message out there, no matter whether you decide to do it independently or use outside support.
In an ideal world, a whole series of different PR strategies need to work in tandem. It's easy to apply the principles, but it does require some dedicated effort. At the end of the day, if you don’t have time we can always do it for you and provide the support that’s needed.