How To Get Coverage On TV and Newspaper For Your Startups
How proud will you be if your startup suddenly becomes the darling of the press with massive coverage by Television and Newspapers?
As you might expect, the benefits will be enormous. Talking about the benefits of this kind of coverage, Derek Halpern said:
- The RIGHT coverage can flood your business with hundreds (and sometimes THOUSANDS) of new users, prospects, and customers.
- The RIGHT coverage will make your phone blowup with calls (and text messages) from friends, family, and colleagues
- The RIGHT coverage will give your business an INSTANT credibility boost (Ever wonder why people show the logos of places they’ve been featured?)
Before you dream of getting this kind of coverage, let’s burst the myth about TV and newspapers….
BURSTING THE 2 MYTHS OF TRADITIONAL MEDIA EXPOSURE
Myth 1: TV and Newspapers are dead. Everybody keeps saying that TV, radio and newspapers are dead (or they will die soon). Yes, they are partly right. However, they still have a powerful grip on their audience and you should not neglect their market share. According to a 2014 research, the total viewership of DTH in Nigeria is in the region of 119 Million, that is way more than the Internet audience which is put at 97 million
Myth 2: Getting on TV and Newspapers is expensive and difficult. Also, there is the myth that it is difficult to get coverage on TV or newspaper.
Guess what? Producers/editors know that it is a tough job filling a 24-hour TV station with content or relevant stories for newspapers every day. So, these guys are dying for stories to tell. However, there are so many briefs that are rejected by journalists every day too. This is because, before a journalist published a story or news, she needs to ask herself; “does this meet the need of my audience?”
That is why you need to cultivate a media-centric mindset by defining a your culture to ask, “what do we want to tell the press today?”
HOW TO APPEAR ON TV AND NEWSPAPER CHEAPLY.
If you want to achieve this kind of exposure, you need to understand that before bombarding press with your pitch, aim to build relationship with them first.
The following steps will help you.
Do your research.
The first step is to do your research. Ask around for programmes that your target audience will be interested in, and columns that your audience read in newspapers. The next step is to identify the producer/presenter behind the TV show. Also, flip through the pages of your favourite newspapers and check the columnists/editors that write about your industry.
*Not all newspaper houses include the names of writers to each post.
Another opportunity (with the Nation Newspaper, for example) is that you can access their writers’ page.
Build relationship with journalists and broadcasters.
The next step is to see how to build a relationship with the person behind these programmes or columns.
That is where Google search comes in.
You can use Google to do a background research on them. For example, if they are on LinkedIn, you can easily see how you connect with them professionally and even add them to your connections.
Twitter and Facebook are other social networks you can use to connect with reporters. However, email and phone numbers still remain the easiest ways to contact people.
You can also use directories (like Sports Writer Associations of Nigeria, Civil Rights Writer Associations of Nigeria etc.) to find more details about a particular writer or groups of writers with interest in your topic.
Pitch your story in a newsworthy way
You must pitch your story with an angle to meet the writer’s existing objectives and audience. There is a way to make your story deserve media attention. Never pitch your story blandly; here are some things to keep in mind
- Let your pitch relate to trends, or recent happenings like the #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira hashtag trends.
- Invest in media kits and additional resources that journalists can pull to enrich their stories. (ex. Here is Tim Ferris of 4 Hour Work Week’s media kit).
- Make it so easy that all they need to do is just to copy and paste your press release draft for publication. In all the stuffs I have tried before (which included opEd in newspapers, featured stories, interviews and TVshows) in all cases (except on the TV show) I had pre-written the release and added useful materials that the reporter turned into the stories. I did 97% of the work.
So how do you turn a self-serving selfish press release to a newsworthy story…..?
KEY INGREDIENTS OF A NEWSWORTHY STORY.
The mistake many startups do is making their media coverage to be just about them. “How they are the best…how the technology is patent-pending…. and their interesting Alexa stats”.
That is boring.
Instead, there are so many ideas you can use that is not even focused on your product (here is a list). A hilarious example is how a hotel got media attention by giving a stuff bunny the hotel stay of a lifetime. Closer home; take for example when HotelsNG featured on CNN, it was totally unrelated to what the company does. Yet it made a really great feature story on CNN.
Some good resources to get you started on a strategy like this include the drafting technique. Another interesting tip is from the CEO of Onboardly; a startup PR agency and especially this insightful post. Tim Ferris wrote two must-read articles on this here and here
4 WAYS TO TALK ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS WITHOUT SOUNDING “SALESY or PROMOTIONAL” ON TV AND NEWSPAPERS
Let me share with you several opportunities for you to talk about your brand without sounding salesy.
1. In-line branding:
You can use this where you contribute your “expert opinion” on issues and you subtly make reference to your startup.
For example, while talking about online payment security issueS it was easy to discuss how VoguePay worked with international partners and government agencies and “subtly” corroborated the point with how security control was responsible for VoguePay’s 20% month-on-month growth as the largest online payment platform used by merchants in Nigeria.
2. Co-branding.
There is a dearth of information in Nigeria. That is where publishing white papers and advocacy documents provide an opportunity for savvy startups. The people at BudgIT are champions at this with newsworthy initiatives. Another good example is JobberMan’s “Online recruitment services report” which was produced in partnership with Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.
Note that for this to be effective, you must cite valuable data that is of public interest.
3. Sponsorship
Corporate social responsibility is another easy ticket to woo the media.
Is your startup donating to a cause or doing a benevolent act that is newsworthy?
Also, when you sponsor event that have other media partners, you can be sure you can leverage that to appear on TV or get an honorable mention in the newspaper.
4. News hijacking
News jacking is when you ride on a recent event to promote your startups. Here are five notable examples. Tim Ferris’s story (author of Four Hour Work Week) detailed how he was able to get on national TV for the first time by piggybacking on another author’s book.
Conclusion
It is somehow complex to calculate the direct ROI (return on investment) of TV and newspaper exposure, but it will definitely consolidate your brand. Also, a well-executed TV or newspaper features can easily snowball to online exposure and sales for your brand too. You should aim to appear in TV or newspaper this year.
Is there any important tip that can help startups leverage TV and newspaper effectively? You can share in the comment.
Originally published at spokentwice.com and reproduced courtesy of ProbityBooks.com; an online accounting + mPOS software for small businesses.
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