Make the most from TV coverage

This week, I saw a local business pop up on the regional TV news as part of a bigger feature.  The company was portrayed in a good light, the MD said a few unremarkable words, then the story moved on. 

You might think that that was great PR, but you would be wrong.

It was a good start, but that was all. Being on TV is just a tiny part of the opportunity. Without the right follow-up and amplification, (which sadly, in this case, the company didn’t do) you can really waste the publicity’s impact. 

Here are my seven top tips on how to make the most of media coverage:

• Firstly, let’s be realistic.  The chance that your customers will see your 20 second slug on a regional programme, are slim. Even if it is repeated later in the day.  So take the opportunity to share the exciting news that you have been on TV on your own social media channels, particularly Linkedin. And Twitter too.

• If you have been filmed offering an opinion, reiterate this in your social posts – and ask what your audience thinks on the topic too. 

• When you have TV cameras around, make sure a colleague takes some ‘behind the scenes’ photos – so that you have some images to use.

• Rehearse the point/s you want to make, so that when you are faced with a microphone, you can succinctly give a meaningful soundbite.

• If it’s good enough for the TV, it’s probably worth making a similar comment to your own trade press, or the local papers

• Make sure you thank the reporter/s

• And finally, make sure there is reference to your ‘5 minutes of fame’ on your own website – you should definitely create a blog post, reiterating what you said, and giving some extra details. 

Whilst positive TV coverage is a great start, the work doesn’t stop there – you need to put in the effort to make sure your customers and potential customers know about it.

If you want to find out more about maximising your PR opportunities, we’d love to help. Email hello@tigerfishpr.co.uk and let’s start a conversation.