Well, I have a solution!

Here’s a quick riddle:

It’s not easy, but it’s easier than you think.

It’s free, but it will cost you.

It’s new for you, but an old trick.

Have you guessed the answer?

That’s right… it’s the mini silver screen: Television.

For generations now, television has consistently proven to be one of the top methods for promoting your business.

But we all believe TV is for stars, lame reality shows, and depressing news, right?

EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH! WRONG!

It’s for you. The small/medium size business owner.

IF you have a new service or product.

IF you have limited resources ($$$) for marketing and the economy is kicking your butt!

The good news… make that the GREAT news… is they are waiting and looking for YOU!

This is the first part of a series giving you the principles I teach everyday in my seminars and to my consulting clients.

I have worked in the film and television industry for over a decade.

I have directed independent films, created and produced pilots for TV, and worked as a packaging executive for several companies.

I served as a consultant with companies such as American Idol and have learned many lessons the hard way… through good old fashioned failure!

With that in mind, I want to share what I have learned as it pertains to securing publicity on TV.
We will discuss topics from how to target your markets based on your niche all the way through to how to follow up after an interview and turn that lead into a regular appearance as an expert.

SO let’s get started.

The situation – The reality:

Let me give you some insight from a TV Producer’s perspective.

As a Producer, it is their very STRESSFUL job to create compelling new segments EVERY DAY that their show’s demographic will find interesting. More importantly, segments designed to drive that demographic thereby keeping them on their show and network.

Imagine if you will, all day every day looking for content that can be delivered in an exciting manner and isn’t on every other competing show.

Today there are literally thousands of news outlets, human-interest shows, DIY/how-to networks.

This means there are more outlets than there are worthy stories.

Now let me define WORTHY.

A story is only worthy when it drives viewers to spend money on the show’s advertisers!

Reality Check #1:

TV, Film and all other forms of traditional media are first and foremost BUSINESSES. Just like yours. This is not art, folks! This is not expression… this is cold hard cash!

You MUST understand this principle.

SO how does this business make money?

Primarily, TV lives and thrives off of ADVERTISNG dollars.

I will never forget a weekend seminar I took 12 years ago from a Producer.

The very first thing he did was to take an overhead projector transparency (gives you an idea of how long ago it was) and number it 1-12.

At number 1, he wrote “Money”. At number 2, he wrote “Money”. At number 3, and all the way through number 11, he wrote “Money”. Finally at number 12, he wrote “TALENT”!

He sat there until we all finished booing and said very simply…

“F@#$%&* you. Deal with it. It’s the truth”

Principle #1:

The entertainment industry has been the #1 most profitable non-government subsidized industry in the United States for over 40 years.

This means they are doing something right!

I have seen first-hand in my experiences with Hollywood that it’s MONEY that makes the Entertainment world go ’round.

Just look at the films and TV that get produced and STAY on the air.

The ultimate proof is the invention and staying power of Reality TV. It’s cheap to produce and frankly people like to watch train wrecks.

SO reality TV, with its lack of substance (in most cases) and lack of production value, continues to be the fastest growing segment of television programming.

So what does this have to do with you?

In short… TV Producers NEED you.

To be more direct for the purposes of this blog, TV NEWS Producers need you!

Challenge #1 – Find Your Place

Every week I speak with professionals who are SHOCKED when TV News Producers don’t take them up on their ideas!

That’s because they have overlooked the basics.

Regardless of how good you think your idea is, or how good it really is, if you are serving gumbo in a steak house, you won’t get many orders.

How do you find the RIGHT news venue?

To keep it simple, networks design programming for specific demographics, or what you probably call “niches”.
This allows them to create what I call a “watering hole”.

For this analogy, the audiences are animals and the advertisers are the hunters.

The TV Game

Let’s say the “hunters” are after deer (specific demographic).
It is the networks’ PRIMARY job to gather as many deer in one place so the hunters can catch them off guard and … well, you get the picture.

So how do networks do this?

By laying out food (shows) deer (audience) are known to eat.

Not just throwing food out anywhere (that’s more like the old ways of advertising on the internet), but in areas where deer would come to rest (home while eating or relaxing) and socialize.

Do deer hang out? Hmm. I have no idea.

Anyway, I hope you get the picture.

Principle #2:

You don’t hunt deer with elephant guns and you don’t hunt sharks with a golf club!

Now use this strategy in identifying where you should look for publicity.

QUESTION #1:

What is your service or products’ PRIMARY demographic?

This is a much harder question to answer than it might sound, so here’s a practical trick.

Identify a company selling a product or service SIMILAR to yours, then see where they are advertising.

Major companies rarely screw up this basic step, so you can usually trust them. Watch where they are spending their TV, magazine, radio, and Internet advertising dollars.

Once you have identified where they are advertising, begin to study those channels.

As you do, observe everything you can about where they are advertising.

What’s the music like?

Who else advertises there?

What are the ages, race, and economic status of their target audience?

If you’re trying to get airtime on SPIKE (network for men) to promote your new line of make-up, you’re in trouble.

If you’re trying to promote your new walker for the elderly on Nickelodeon, you might be confused.

While these are extreme examples, we see this everyday on news programs.

We tend to think all morning news shows are the same, but the reality is they are just like any other program. They have a specific feel and focus. They tend to be subtler, but they are there.

All news programs report the same basic info, but when submitting for their morning shows, or as an expert to help explain a perspective on a story, you need to look further.

Watching news as a business will radically change your understanding.

Where do they spend money and why?

Principle #3:

ALWAYS track the money!

Advertising, remote broadcasts, local events, etc. will all give you a sense of what the Producers value.

Remember… they are the experts and we are learning from their methods, not what we think they are.

Look at the region they are in.

Conservative?

Liberal?

Demographic information such as economic status and even race all factor into what they are promoting and more specifically THE ANGLE they are reporting.

SO here’s this week’s objective:

Watch your local morning news for a solid week, from beginning to end. DO NOT SKIP THE COMMERCIALS because they are the most important indicator.

The Greatest News Team EVER!

• What are they advertising?
• What are the stories?
• Who are the guests?
• What are the locations they report from instead of from the newsroom?
• How many anchors?
• Demographics of the different anchors?
• What is the order of stories and why do you think they are in that order?

These are just a few to get you started.

Please share your thoughts, questions, and arguments with me.

While much of this can be seen as situational, I believe we grow when we approach our objectives with a true sense of wonder and scientific observation.

Once you have some of these questions answered for your local news, we will begin packaging your service or product to get you booked!

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