3 Tips for Getting on Local TV

Getting your business on television is a great way to market your company to gain new business and create new opportunities. Something I like to call ‘growing your audience’.

I was invited on today’s Business Rockstars with Ken Rutkowski to share some insights about getting on a local television news broadcast. In case you missed it, here they are!

1. Educate yourself about your local broadcasts. Watch the news. Go to the stations’ websites to learn more about the reporters and anchors who are bringing you the news everyday. Here you’ll also be able to find contact information for the station, including direct email addresses for reporters or producers, twitter handles, and/or the emails and phone numbers to the news desk.

2. Think visually! Television is a visual medium. What visual components can you share about your business with the television audience? Is your story best told remotely on location or can you set up a fun visual demonstration on the set of a local morning program? Answer all of these questions when you’re preparing your pitch: who is this for or whom is involved, what, when where and how is it being done, and, most importantly, why? When you’re reaching out to a news person make sure you have a firm grasp on all of these elements.

3. It’s called ‘The News’ so make it new! What is new about what you’re doing? Are you solving a problem in a new way? Are you embarking on a new partnership with a local charity or school? Is there an event happening? What kind of value does your story provide the audience of the news program? If this last part doesn’t exist, then you must create it!

By walking through this process you will most likely discover new clarity about your audience, and being clear about your audience is a critical component to successfully growing your business.