Even though many companies are set to increase their PR budgets this year, a number are still having to make do with a smaller PR investment – but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great return from your broadcast PR activities. We’ve put together some top tips in order to help you get the best return on your broadcast PR budget.
Consider an integrated campaign
It’s better to have one well-funded campaign on multiple platforms that creates a real buzz, than a number of scattered campaigns that fail to make an impact. Consider investing the money you do have in one campaign that stretches across TV, radio and online for maximum exposure.
And if you have any concerns about putting all your budget in to one basket, make sure any video created for online is also repurposed for use on your online channels and social media – giving you collateral you can use throughout the year, and giving your campaign longevity.
Invest in research
You’ll have a much better chance of getting your story told if you can back it up with compelling statistical research. But beware of picking an angle that’s too promotional – if it is, no news station will run it and you’ll risk wasting your budget.
‘Toothpaste company says toothpaste is great’ isn’t news, and with the BBC funded by the licence fee, and commercial broadcast media funded by paying advertisers, neither are going to plug a product for free. Broadcast PR agencies are great at selecting angles that TV and radio journalists are willing to pick up, and can talk you through compliance and broadcast regulation in more detail, so consider investing in some one-off consultancy.
Make it easy for the journalists
Budget cuts are hitting broadcast journalists and newsrooms hard – just earlier this month more cuts were announced at the BBC so anything you can do to help out broadcasters is likely to make them think of you more favourably – and any story you are pitching to them.
Long gone are the days of multiple camera crews sat around in newsrooms waiting for a story to break, news desks are often desperate for good moving pictures to fill bulletins, so if you can offer them B-roll it may make the difference between your story getting coverage or not. Find out more about the type of visuals that broadcasters by reading our blog post: The icing on the media relations cake: the trick that will help you secure the best broadcast PR coverage.
Get a spokesperson
To generate maximum coverage for your story, make sure you have a spokesperson or spokespeople available for whenever broadcasters want to speak to them. This can mean the day (or days) before an embargoed story is dated for, and from very early on the day, to very late. Some broadcasters may even choose to cover the story in a different way after it’s broken as news – as part of a wider piece or as a feature, and you don’t want to miss out on opportunities because you don’t have anyone available to speak on behalf of your organisation.
Often the more high-profile someone is, the less time and flexibility they will have when it comes to giving interviews. By using someone less high-profile, you are likely to save twice, as they are likely to charge a lower fee and be more flexible when it comes to giving interviews.
If you have a smaller broadcast PR budget, and you invest it wisely, you can see a big return. Once you’ve realised the results you can get with a small budget, it may be easier to convince the decision-makers pulling the purse strings to increase your budget for more coverage.
Want more tips and advice on maximising your broadcast PR coverage? Download our free media relations guide now.
