Changing public perceptions, promoting a product or offering your insights on a breaking news story – the objectives of broadcast PR can multi-faceted and vary for every client. But, despite fierce competition from print coverage, broadcast coverage is still perceived as the icing on the cake. There is good justification for this – broadcast PR can take your campaign to the next level – and here’s why…
Radio is booming and the latest 2024 RAJAR figures (the organisation that measures and publishes audience statistics for radio stations in the UK) shows that around 90% of UK adults listen to radio every week.
TV news too continues to attract millions of viewers. We may keep being told about the demise of TV news but it is all relative and viewing figures are still impressive. The latest Ofcom figures (2024) shows 70% of the UK watch TV news and we know from BARB the body who compiles audience measurement and television ratings ) data, that half
of all adults (51%) still watch news provided by the main public service broadcasters like the BBC 10’O clock news each week.
Online. We include podcasts as a digital channel and they are equally flourishing. Ofcom says 11.7 million people in the UK now listen to podcasts each week – that’s around 1 in five people.
From a PR perspective they are impactful yet cost-effective, an excellent way of communicating key messages to both mass and targeted audiences.
How to start planning a broadcast PR campaign
So there are the hard stats but before you commit to a broadcast campaign it needs to be integrated and can’t just be an add on. A research campaign that is ideal for print may not necessarily work for TV. Broadcasters always require a human-interest element, relevant spokespeople, case studies and for TV compelling visuals.
Unlike social media, online and even print, people trust broadcast PR. They believe what they hear and see. One of the reasons we turn to radio and television to hear about a big breaking story or for an update on an ongoing current conflict such as Gaza or the Ukraine Conflict. Other media reports are often anonymous, but on radio you hear from named presenters and personalities that as a listener you have grown to know. The BBC checks and verifies news before it appears on their platforms including radio TV and online. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bbcverify
The public trusts broadcast
Television, radio, and podcasts remain trusted sources of information for millions. When your brand is featured on these platforms, it gains instant credibility and exposure to a wider audience. Seeing your company logo or hearing your spokesperson interviewed lends legitimacy to your brand and positions you as a leader in your field.
People react far better to a human voice or presence than a piece of copy they read in a newspaper or online. A spokesperson or case study also brings a human-interest element to the campaign and makes the audience connect and listen. In fact, in our experience, a case study can make the difference between securing coverage or not.
- Who do you want to reach – is there a specific demographic or region/s you’re looking to target. Blanket coverage may not always be relevant.
- What do you want to say to them –do you want to totally control the narrative or are you happy to piggyback off the back of a breaking news story and comment on the broadcaster’s news agenda.
- What’s your tone of voice – is it better communicated by a brand spokesperson or do you have a third party in mind. The advantage of having a third party is that it takes the commercial sting out of a story making it more palatable for BBC’s in particular.
- Is there a call to action – and that can be as simple as driving people to a website or buying a specific product or more nuanced.
- But perhaps more importantly what matters most to you or your client ; audience reach, specific stations BBC’s or commercial – nationals or regional or is your key audience more grass roots in which case local community stations may be the best way to reach out to them.
- Finally is your objective to raise brand awareness or something more specific like communicating specific key messages.
The relationship between journalists and PR
Broadcast PR media relations is the link really between journalists and a brand and you could argue it’s a bit of an unspoken deal but with constraints – typically just one on-air brand mention. Radio and TV journalists accept PR generated content provided by PRs which they use editorially i.e. on news and lifestyle programmes in return for media coverage free of charge. This is different from an advertorial, product placement or sponsorship where you pay the broadcaster a fee. Podcast placement is more complicated a mixture of editorial and paid for.
Not only does broadcast ensure your campaign reaches people its broad by name and broad by nature, but it can ultimately reach the right people. There are many advantages and benefits to broadcast media and the medium allows you to be specific.
But our recommendation is not to be too prescriptive. As I write this a client has secured a massive potential new business deal in London after they were heard on a business slot on BBC Radio Cambridge. A second clinched a project as they were heard in Sweden online by a client listening to Radio 4 You and Yours.
PR objectives
Having established your goals, it’s then down to nailing your broadcast PR objectives which requires careful planning and logistics:
Critically when do you want your campaign to run? Our only golden rule is that any outreach for print, trade and online dovetails with broadcast outreach and that you embargo all media releases to 0001 on the day you want to secure coverage.
Who do you want to speak to …
For example, if you’re trying to reach decision makers, politicians and influencers are known to be amongst the audience of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme; but if you’re trying to target women it may be more appropriate to place campaigns on ITV daytime or Heart breakfast which has a higher female demographic than other breakfast shows.
Arguably, focusing on specific programmes that your chosen audience will be watching is far more effective than having your campaign in print or online for mass circulation. Think carefully about what voice will be the best fit for the campaign. Do this early on and ensure your brand spokespeople are fully media trained.
Potential spokespeople ae required to be comfortable with a live or prerecord interview and the difference between both and crucially a down the line interview where the spokesperson and presenter are in different locations.
These are the most likely scenarios guests will face. Wherever possible we recommend a live interview to avoid being misrepresented in editing
Timings
Unless there is a business critical reason for releasing a story on a particular day – take advantage of school holidays particularly half terms when shows are on air, but there is less competition as brands tend to avoid as their spokespeople are less willing and available. Christmas, Easter and the Summer holidays are also worth considering. There are still very decent viewing figures, but some shows aren’t broadcasting as their presenters take a break or are replaced by stand ins which can put off some spokespeople. Avoid a Monday, if possible, as this is the most competitive day of the week for launches and the day that is the most planned out by news outlets with fewer spaces for PR generated content.
It’s a very limited team who tend to work in broadcast newsrooms over the weekend – meaning it’s more difficult to confirm that a PR story will run. Feature led stories lend themselves more towards the end of the week broadcasters speak about a Friday feel good and are always looking for light and shade.. If you are planning an awareness week or ‘news hijacking’ someone else’s consider campaign activity the Friday before.
Spokespeople
Who is your spokesperson? Just having a company spokesperson can be a disadvantage as it makes your story more commercial. Having a relevant third party spokesperson to sit alongside them is better. If you want television however they might be required to travel; post covid the norm is for broadcasters to invite guests into their studios, so remember BBC Breakfast is based in Salford and Channel 4 News presented in part from Leeds.
Top line
In order to meet your broadcast objectives and get a story on air for maximum reach it is a case of back to basics can you some up a story in a sentence.? What is the topline have you condensed it into succinct elevator pitch. In many cases PR campaigns are aired on news programmes or bulletins. They don’t have the luxury of an expansive newspaper explainer. Broadcasters including podcast shows also like a hook by that we men a reason for running a story on a particular day, week or month to keep it topical and relevant.
Visuals
Finally, preparing in advance with assets such as B-Roll can help broadcasters bring a story together and more likely to be covered. Developing compelling, visually rich footage that can be repurposed across TV, radio, and online channels all serve to increase your chances of coverage and the ultimate success of a campaign.
Need some help with your next broadcast PR campaign?
Broadcast opens up a whole new audience and can make people connect to the campaign more than through other media channels so if you’d like help in getting broadcast coverage contact hello@shoutcomunictions.co.uk
