Is broadcast coverage right for you?
Getting national coverage, and especially national broadcast, is the ultimate goal for many businesses appointing a PR agency.
It reaches hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of viewers. It provides a uniquely powerful, alluring mix of audio and visual content that is likely to impress your family and friends and make it feel like you're truly in the news.
But putting aside the ego boost that national radio and television coverage provides, whether it is useful for you depends on your business, what stage you're at and what other storytelling tools you have to hand.
In many cases, it isn't as useful as other channels.
So how do you know if it's right for you? When is the best moment to do it? And what should you expect?
Is it right for our business?
Broadcast reaches more people than any other single channel, but it is also a blunt tool in that it reaches ordinary folk, not only those in your sector. So, start by asking yourself:
Does this have relevance to people outside my industry?
In life sciences, the answer that normally comes back to us is 'yes, this will benefit patients'. This may be true, but patients on the whole do not care who manufactured the MRI scanner, the surgical scissors or the prosthetic hand. They care that one is available and that they can get hold of it.
This means selling the benefit is more important, and that the difficulty lies in ensuring you get the name-check and some of the limelight from a story that is fundamentally about the technology and not its developer.
Broadcast is only interested in the big ticket items - if you make a component that goes into a device, or you make a device that is used with others to treat a patient's condition, it's unlikely to make the cut.
If you're a biotech company developing a new drug for MND, that has national appeal. It affects a large number of people. It's an issue families feel passionate about. There are no cures, so new drugs are newsworthy. We used these factors to craft a compelling story that secured interviews in prime time slots with BBC Scotland and BBC Radio Tees for client Nevrargenics Ltd. who are leading the charge towards disease reversing drugs.
Kaye Adams interviewed clients Nevrargenics and the Mark Sommerville Foundation for the headline morning news slot
Can it be explained easily, or is it difficult to get past the complexity?
If you're really struggling to make it simple because the USP or the impact is buried in the detail, it's unlikely to be suitable for a broadcast. Television and Radio is by its very nature, concise and pithy. There isn't air time for waffle, jargon or lengthy explanations.
Work on your elevator pitch, and if you can't develop one that is concise and simple, then don't try to. There's nothing wrong with having something wonderfully complex, but it deserves an appropriate channel to explain that complexity - it's just unlikely to be a TV channel.
If you have something that works in a complex way, but can be explained simply, you're onto something special. Our client VentriJect has developed a device that can accurately estimate VO2-max in under 3 minutes without the need for exercise - or as it was described on a BBC News feature we secured 'it gives you an indication of how fit you are'. Clever technology with broad appeal - ta-da!
Filming with BBC News for client VentriJect
Would people find it interesting? Not to you, to normal people!
Use the pub test. If you met someone in a pub and you told them about your business or story, would the response be 'Wow, that sounds interesting!' or would it be 'do you want another drink, I'm going up anyway'?
If it's the latter, remember that pub goer is one of the listeners and production teams are acutely aware of needing to be relevant and engaging to as many people as possible (not everyone, but it needs to suit most listeners). This is especially true for the BBC as a publicly funded broadcaster with a remit to reflect society as a whole.
Many people are inquisitive, so you just need to tread the line between niche and mass appeal and explain why your work is worth knowing about.
When is right?
In most cases, broadcast stories are anchored in an existing story or trend, or they are hooked onto an emerging story. Here the value of a PR agency really shines.
Good PR agencies are plugged into the news agenda. Great agencies can sense a story building and insert clients at just the right moment.
Your focus should not be on ticking off broadcast coverage and making sure you get it within a defined period. Attention should instead be on getting the right type of coverage for the story you have right now. This not only makes strategic sense but also helps build your credibility with the media.
This usually requires some re-purposing, chopping and changing and shifting the angle but results in the right kind of product that reaches your target audience in the most persuasive way possible.
When you discuss your media calendar with your agency, they should advise you on the best channel, type of coverage and method of execution. If you trust them (hopefully you do, otherwise it might be time to move on!) then heed this advice and let them do what they do best - handling your reputation. Shoehorning broadcast in is a recipe for failure, but when it fits naturally it really does sing.
What to expect?
Make sure you put up your best spokespeople. This doesn't have to be the most senior person, but it should be someone who is both a confident media performer and has a brief that most accurately reflects the story. This might mean it is the Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Medical Officer or Chief Executive Officer - again, speak to your agency and take advice on who would work best.
Prepare. Again and again. Media interviews are not designed to trip you up or catch you out (unless you're a politician!), they are investigative processes where by journalists can help viewers and listeners to understand a story.
Make sure you can clearly articulate your message, and have soundbites prepared. The purpose of these isn't to be clever, but to provide print journalists with pithy headlines that enable them to repurpose an interview and extend the life of coverage.
You should also ensure you have the basics in place to make the most of the broad reach exposure that broadcast offers. An up to date, user friendly website. An email subscriber form. A contact page that works. Directions for media enquiries. Social media pages. Most ordinary people will google your business if they want to find out more, so make sure your public profile is as you would want it to be seen. Your agency should support with this.
Interested in broadcast?
We work with leaders and organisations across life sciences, engineering and tech to help them build reputations and become influential voices in their sector.
Sometimes broadcast coverage is right for them, and other times it makes much more sense to focus on developing an industry-focused profile.
