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Should I Pay to Be on TV?

January 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

The News Interview You See Might Actually Be a Paid-for-Promo

Beware.

The person you are seeing interviewed on TV might have paid for that spot.

It’s true.

There seems to be a new trend going on among local TV shows as well as cable news shows to sell interview spots to authors, speakers and business people for fees ranging from $900 to $4,500.

While this isn’t illegal, the practice is disturbing.

As a viewer, I expect the news directors and producers and reporters to carefully decide who they want to interview for their spot segments. These people should be interesting, newsworthy, and controversial or pass the general litmus test of “news.”

It could be hard news like a politician defending her views. It could be the head of a charity group talking about some feel-good event he is promoting, or anything in between.

They all have one thing in common: a news person felt they passed the test.

But there appears to be a pay-for-play element creeping into the news biz. Producers are actually asking potential guests to pony up a few hundred or thousand dollars to appear on their shows.

The spots are labeled as news, not advertising.

One of my clients says the producer told her this was part of a new trend called “branded entertainment.” There’s even a Wikipedia entry about this!

The producer said that infomercials aren’t working any longer, so this form of 5-minute interview tied to a news show is the new, bright shiny object that people are chasing after.

Another client said that he can get a contract to appear on a local TV show for 50 segments for $900 a pop.

Apparently, I’m the last person to know about this (or maybe you are). But the cat is out of the bag. TV stations want to make money and they are looking to guests to foot the bill.

What should you do?

First, remember that there still are legitimate TV shows that will be horrified to hear about this trend. I don’t think Oprah or Regis or Ellen or Piers will allow pay-for-play.

Second, I’m sure there are late-night talk shows that have always operated on a quid-pro-quo basis that allowed celebrities to come on to a show to promote their movies or their books. That’s where the commercial line begins to blur. But it’s been going on for a zillion years and isn’t about to stop.

That puts us back on point. What should you do if a producer from a real TV shows asks for money?

First, determine if this is a real show or not. There are lots of companies that claim to be TV shows that will film you for a fee and say they will air the episode. But they are frauds. Either they don’t air the show, or the show is viewed by a very small audience. It’s a scam.

Second, if the show is legit (as the above two cases with my clients show), then determine if you can win. Ask yourself: “Will the money I invest make me as much or more money?”

For example, if I pay $900 to appear on this show, will I sell $900 of books, consulting, coaching, speaking or products?

If the answer is “Yes,” then go for it. That’s what advertising is supposed to do.

But beware:
1. Don’t commit yourself to a long-term contract you can’t get out of. You might have good success in the beginning. But if the sales start to diminish, you could lose your shirt.
2. Make sure the show actually does reach your target audience. It is nice to be asked to be on a TV show in Sweden, but will that reach the people who can buy my your services?

3. Make sure the show airs at the prime time to reach your audience. Does your audience watch TV as they eat breakfast, or at 2 in the morning when they can’t sleep?

4. Make sure you get copies of the video to use in any way you want. You will want to get the most value you can out of this video. In addition, it will be much higher quality than anything you can do with your Mac and a green screen.

Once the interview airs, make sure you make the most of segments. For example:

1. Link to the videos from your website.

2. Publicize the fact you were on TV, especially if you signed a long-term contract and you are now the expert correspondent for the show on your specific topic.

Remember, not everyone sees every minute of every episode of every TV show (or newspaper for that matter). You must promote your appearances to the people who don’t watch TV or read newspapers or who happened to be working at the time the show aired.

The old newspaper editor in me cringes at the thought of paying to be on TV and the station not labeling this as a pay-for-play event. But they didn’t ask me for my opinion. I’m just showing you how to maximize your opportunities in this new age of media when all the rules seem to be changing.

Filed Under: publicity Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to Build an Effective Media List That Generates Coverage for You

October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The most effective way to get your message to the media is to target the most interested reporters and avoid the ones who aren’t interested.

Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how often small businesses blast press releases and pitch letters to any and every reporter

BullsEye Publicity.com has the best press lists I've found

they happen to find on a generic media list. Reporters hate this. If you can personalize a pitch or target a press release, you’ll stand a much better chance of being quoted.

To make the best use of your time – and not waste a reporter’s time, here are 10 tips to selecting an effective media list.

1. Is it correct? Make sure the information is correct. It won’t help you to find that there are misspellings, wrong phone numbers or other errors.
2. Is it up to date? Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised at how many sites on the Internet sell outdated information. Ensure that the information is updated at least every quarter. There’s a lot of turnover in the media. An old list is a worthless list.
3. Does it contain complete information? A list should have name, title, publication or media outlet, email, phone and street address at a bare minimum. Give bonus points if the list shows you what topics the reporter covers in detail. For example, buying a list of reporters interested in women’s issues is a start, but how will you know if the reporter is interested in women’s politics, women’s health issues or women’s family and relationship issues? There’s a big difference! Give bonus points to a list that has relevant data, such as links to articles the reporter has written. A good list provider would have personal information about the reporter’s focus and slant so you know what angle to take. You won’t get this from a bare-bones list. You want a full-featured database.
4. Sortable. Ask for the list on a spreadsheet so you can sort on any number of fields, such as city and state, or type of publication. This can be useful if you are going to be in a new city and want to target the media there.
5. Informs you of the type of media outlet. You’d pitch a TV station differently than a print reporter, so make sure the list has this kind of information available. Today, you’d want a list that identifies print, TV, Radio and online media.
6. Contains website address. Every media outlet has a website today. You can research the reporters and the media by going to the website so you know exactly what they cover and how they cover it. Doing this research will help you pitch your story more effectively.
7. Circulation figures for print publications. This number will help you identify the market leaders ands the smaller players.
8. International contacts. The world is shrinking today. If your product or service can be of use to people around the world, then you should contact reporters at other countries.
9. Language spoken. If you stick to the U.S. media, this won’t be as important, but if you pitch international reporters, some will speak English and some will not. In fact, some international media do have correspondents in the US who speak English. Those would be the ones you might want to target.
10. Preferred contact method. How does a reporter want to be contacted? By email? By phone? By fax? By regular mail? Knowing this answer will help you get on their good side!

If you ask these questions before you buy a media list, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and confusion. And you will have a better chance to get the coverage you seek.

I’ve created a new business unit that sells media lists. You can find great lists at BullsEyePublicity.com

Want to learn how to pitch reporters effectively? Download my special report “REVEALED: The Quick And Easy Way To Get Publicity From Reporters And Bloggers Through Social Media And Press Releases!” http://www.bullseyepublicity.com/reporters/ For the most up-to-date, full-featured media database available, please visit www.BullsEyePublicity.com

This article can be reprinted on your webiste or ezine.

Filed Under: book publicity, press releases, publicity Tagged With: , , , , ,

Reporters Want to Receive Press Releases by Email, New Report Shows

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Reporters are always looking for news. A new report shows they want to receive press releases by email.

The new report by Bulldog Reporter and TEKGROUP International shows an overwhelming majority of journalists—79.4%—prefer to receive information about corporate, not-for-profit and government news by e-mail.

Here are five ways to make your press release stand out.

1. Target the media carefully. Reporters love press releases that are in their subject area. They go bonkers when they receive press releases that are not targeted for them. So before you send a press release, make sure it is suitable for that reporter.
2. Use a headline that indicates the press release is targeted. If the headline isn’t arresting, the reporter might not read the rest.
3. Put all the good information up front. Remember, this isn’t a mystery novel. Reporters don’t want to find out who-done-it on the last page. Put the important information in the first two paragraphs.
4. Put relevant links back to your website. A press release should be only 400-700 words. That means it is hard to tell the whole story. You have to omit secondary information. Put that info on your website so reporters can get as much info as the need.
5. Put links to photos, line art and surveys. Reporters might need this info. But artwork can take up a lot of space in email and some email systems might reject large files. That means you can’t put those art elements in the press release. Put them on your website instead and include links so reporters can find the information easily.

If you follow this advice, you’ll stand a better chance of having reporters read your press releases.

Do you need a list of reporters in your subject area? BullsEyePublicity.com maintains the most comprehensive and up-to-date media data bases for the US and International Reporters. For information, go to www.BullsEyePublicity.com For a special report on “The Quick And Easy Way To Get Publicity From Reporters And Bloggers Through Social Media And Press Releases!” go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com/reporters/ Dan Janal is a thought leader, speaker coach and consultant on the topics of publicity and Internet Marketing.

This article can be reprinted on your blog, ezine or website.

Filed Under: book publicity, press releases, public relations, publicity Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to Buy a Media List That Gets You, Your Products, and Your Services in Front of the Right People

May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Reporters are dying to quote entrepreneurs, small business owners and consultants just like you. The trouble is, they don’t know you exist!

 

If only you can get your hands on a great media contact list, then you can get your name and credentials in front of reporters.  This way they will contact you when they are writing a story that would be perfect for you.

 

So how can you get your hands on a great media list that’s filled with information about reporter’s who want to quote you in their articles?

 

Many companies sell names of reporters. Like everything else on the Internet, they vary by quality, features and services.

 

Before you buy a media list, be sure to ask questions like the ones below.

 

10 Questions You Must Ask When Buying a Media List So You Get the Most Bang (Publicity) for Your Buck

 

 

  1. When was the list updated? Reporters change jobs quite frequently. And many newspapers and magazines are laying off people. So you want to make sure the list is updated on a daily or weekly basis. Otherwise, you’ll waste time, money and energy sending messages to people who don’t work there!

 

  1. What contact information is included in the list? You’ll want a list that has name, title, email, phone and snail mail address. Yes, snail mail. This way  you can send books or product samples. You’ll want email for sending pitches, press releases and press kits. You’ll want the phone number to pitch by phone. Of course, you will have much of this information on your website, but you’ll want to have every means available to contact reporters in the format they most desire. Reporters can be very, very picky!

 

  1. What information is included about the reporter? Most basic lists you’ll find on the Internet will have contact info, but not much else. That’s not enough to do target marketing. You want to know what topic (referred to as a “beat”) the reporter is covering as well. Some of the best companies offer additional insights into the beat. For example, some lists will tell you if reporter A  only covers politics with a conservative slant. That will help you when you fine-tune your pitch to her.

 

  1. Do you get a list that is sorted by the topic the reporter covers? Some list companies will sell you the entire database of each publication. That’s way too broad for most people and will lead to a lot of waste. In other words, it’s not enough to know that Jill writes for Business Week. You want to find the person who covers your topic. Because if Jill doesn’t, she’ll just throw away your message.

 

  1. Does the list contain a reporter’s personal information? Most lists don’t have information such as “like to bowl,” or “wrote a screenplay” or “recovered from cancer.” But if the list has this information, you might gain extra insights into the reporter and you might be able to build rapport faster.

 

  1. Does the list have the publication’s URL? Let’s face it, not everyone knows everything about every publication. Nor is every publication available at your local newsstand or library. However, if you have their URL, you can easily read about the publication, get its view on the world and read articles by that reporter. It’s a great time saver.

 

  1. Does the list have web-only publications, like websites and blogs? These outlets are beginning to play a much bigger role in telling stories to you audience. Don’t overlook the online-only opportunities.

 

  1. Does the list show circulation figures? Since you don’t have all the money in the world to send out books or product samples, or even to call everyone on a good list, you must decide who is important. That’s where the circulation figures come in to play. Start with the biggest and work your way down. If you don’t have the circulation figures, you don’t know who the big boys and girls are.

 

  1. Is the list searchable and sortable? Look for a list that is delivered in a digital form, like a spreadsheet or a word document. That way you can use sorting and searching tools to find the best reporters.

 

  1. What rights do you have to the list? Some companies give you one-time use of the list. They even “seed” the list with fake names so they can tell if you use the list more than once! Look for a company that gives you unlimited use of the list so you can get the most value for your investment.

 

If you follow these tips, you’ll find a list of media contacts than can serve you well at a price you can afford.

 

 

Dan Janal is media relations expert, author and speaker who coaches entrepreneurs, doctors and wellness professionals just like you on how to get publicity and turn it into REAL profits. Now, Dan invites you to go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com to get a free e-course on how to successfully pitch reporters with media lists. Go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com

 

Filed Under: free publicity, General Advice, Marketing, Marketing Misc., newpaper articles, press releases, public relations, publicity, radio publicity Tagged With: , ,