Have you ever wanted to be interviewed on TV but didn’t know quite how to approach broadcast journalists? Broadcast coverage includes TV, radio, and podcasts, and can be a great way to showcase your expertise and reach large audiences. Broadcast coverage normally consists of either an expert in their field being interviewed by a presenter or journalist, or a filmed segment at an event or site to share information about it.
Pitching to broadcasters is different than approaching print journalists with a story or press release – so here are some top tips for how to get your approach right and win broadcast coverage.
Keep it short and precise
Broadcasters like to receive short pitches that give them precise information about the time and the place of the filming opportunity you are offering to them. Therefore, you should make this information very clear and straightforward in your approach – tell them exactly the place where you would want them to be and the time.
If pitching a spokesperson for a broadcast interview, it is a good idea to prepare a one-page short ‘expert sheet’ that can be easily shared with broadcast journalists to give them a top-line overview of your spokesperson’s background, credentials, and expertise on the topic.
It is also a good idea to structure your pitch around three main bullet points that give a top-line summary of the filming opportunity you are offering or the main messages that your spokesperson would relay in the interview.
Paint a picture
If offering a filming opportunity, for your pitch to be successful, it is important to paint a very clear picture of what broadcasters will be able to film and who they will be able to speak with on location. In the same way that a press release tells a story, broadcasters are similarly looking for a visually appealing story so your pitch should that you have thought about this through a variety of filming options.
For instance, if you are a charity inviting a broadcast journalist to film at one of your events, you should present how the activities you are organising can combine with interviews with your volunteers and beneficiaries into one comprehensive segment that tells a convincing story.
Questions to ask
Finally, if you have secured a broadcast opportunity, there are a number of things you should ask about the filming – for example, will it be a live segment or pre-recorded, what kind of questions will the journalists ask, and, if it is an interview, will there be any other guests on the segment.
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you better plan and prepare for the opportunity. It is important that your spokespeople are able to relay their key messages clearly and quickly – they will typically have less than a minute to get their points across.
If you are looking to secure broadcast coverage, it is worth considering media training for your senior spokespeople, to give them the practical tools needed to effectively navigate an interview and efficiently communicate about your organisation.
