Cable Promotion Video

Artículos Técnicos de Video, Film y Televisión

Last edited 28/11/05 © Copyright 1981-2006 Signal Group All Rights Reserved ©

Esta página se ve mejor con frames cárgalos si no los tiene

If you don't tell cable subscribers about your leased access program, they won't even know it exists. The cable operator is not likely to invest much effort in telling viewers about your show; the cable system is selling a package of programming.

Sponsors are only one type of customer--viewers are your other customer group. You can't have one without the other.

When you promote your program to viewers you also publicize it for current and potential sponsors.

You can promote your program in many ways -- from buying expensive full-color magazine advertising to sending out a simple press release. Full-blown promotional plans practically guarantee increased viewership, but they're often too expensive for an independent programmer. But there are less expensive ways to promote your show.

The Press Release
The press release is the most widely used and abused promotional technique. This one-page synopsis tells the media what you want them to know about your program. Media outlets such as newspapers and magazines receive dozens of these daily. To make sure yours receives proper attention you need to a) submit it in regulation form and b) make it stand out from all the others.

Press releases follow a standard format. Deviate from this format and no one will read it. This sounds harsh but it's true. If you want the press to read it:

Keep it short. You don't need 10 pages to communicate your message. One page is best, two is the maximum. If it's longer, re-write it; include just the basics.

Title it. Without a headline, they won't know what the release is about. Trust me; they won't take the time to read it to find out. The best headlines are short and to the point.

Say who sent it. The upper left-hand corner of the page should set out the following information: your company's name, address, telephone number and -- most important -- a contact to call for further information. The producer or program host is usually the best contact; make sure you choose a contact well versed in all aspects of your program.

Provide a release date. Write "For Immediate Release" at the top of the press release; this tells the press that they can use the information revealed in your release now. If you don't want the information released until a specific date, then provide this embargo date in place of the usual "For Immediate Release," i.e., "For Release 10-10-95."

Use the standard form. Type the release, double spaced, with ample margin areas. Check for any errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar or content; this kind of mistake screams amateurism.

Include a photograph. Small publications are especially short-staffed and will welcome a "free" photo to liven up a story. A glossy black-and-white (5 x 7) of your program's opening scene or a studio portrait of the program host will work for most publications.

Now you think your press release is going to look like all the others -- and if the format is correct, it probably will. But Lois Editor down at the Daily Globe doesn't care about fancy formats, she's looking for interesting content. Write your release so it not only answers the stock journalism questions (who, what, where, when, how and why) but also leaves the reader wanting to know more. Appeal to the natural curiosity of the editor, without getting cute, and no doubt your program will see some press.

Mail, fax or hand deliver your release to every possible media outlet. The wider the distribution, the better your chances of getting press. If your program competes with the local broadcast stations then don't bother sending them a release. But you should send releases to PBS stations.

Radio Interviews
Turn on the radio. Flip through the stations. Listen. You hear a lot of talk, don't you? More than 80 percent of the 11,000 radio stations in the United States air some sort of interview program; getting on one of these interview shows is easier than you might think. Best of all, it's free.

Call the stations you know that air interview programs or feature guest hosts and ask how they book their guests. Send the person in charge of booking a press release, some data sheets naming the subject, cast, crew, location and length of your program and a cover letter. The cover letter is important; think of it as a sales letter selling you (or the host of your program) as industry experts. This letter should persuade the booking manager that you are an ideal choice for the radio program. Point out the exploitative elements, controversial theme, local interest or whatever "hook" your program has which will prove irresistible to the radio station.

With any luck, someone will give you a call to find out more about you and your program to determine if you would make a suitable guest for the radio show. When you get the call, be sure to answer all queries with confidence and grace; you want to prove you're a coherent, interesting individual who won't freeze up on the air.

Interviews are great promotional vehicles, but they do offer one distinct disadvantage: lack of control. You don't have the benefit of complete pre-planning. You can't predict what the interviewer will ask you or what part or parts of the interview will air. With live, call-in formats, you face the additional challenge of fielding questions from the audience, who may or may not approve of you or your program.

Listen to the radio program before appearing on the show. Observe how the show's host deals with guests. By listening, you'll discover if the host and callers are friendly or abusive, the show is live or taped and whether the focus is straight news or fluff. Prepare your answers based on your observations.

Screeners/Trailers
"Can you send me a tape?"

That's what you can expect to hear many times while promoting your program. There are two types of demo tape you can send the press, depending on what kind of coverage you want.

A screener is a full-length copy of one of your programs. The press uses screeners most often for reviewing purposes; media outlets occasionally request them as well, primarily to check out authenticity. Nobody wants to devote space to a "phantom" program, especially national magazines.

Providing screeners to everyone who asks for a tape becomes an expensive proposition. There is, however, a low-cost alternative: the 5-minute trailer.

Short compilations of your best scenes, trailers can accomplish all a full-length screener can -- at less than a third of the cost. A rule of thumb: use screeners for press outlets that want to review your program and trailers for those who just want to "take a look."

Press Kits
It's now time to compile all of the press you've received thanks to your promotion strategies and organize it into a press kit.

The most useful weapon in your promotional arsenal, a press kit represents the culmination of all your efforts. Its purpose: to show the attention your program has received, proving that your show is worthy of further coverage such as newspaper space.

Some people think you should include only the big "headline" stories. I say include everything -- from that one-paragraph blurb in your local newspaper to the full-page story in Variety.

Press is press. The more you can show a media outlet, the easier it is to get more coverage. Some tips on putting together a decent press kit:

Use a high-quality bond paper for reproduction of the originals. The heavier weight paper lends a classy look.
Place articles in descending order of importance, starting with the most prestigious -- usually national media.
Articles buried in the editorial section should be shown with the cover or masthead of the publication; copy it and place it on the reproduction with the article.
Allow for only one article per page, unless the articles are extremely short and from the same publication.
Put all the print elements along with a cover letter into a slick folder.

If you've also employed the other promotional strategies you may find you cannot include everything -- your kit would be so thick, you'd go broke on postage. So choose only the best of your material for your press kit.

The Fruits of Publicity
Execute a proper and thorough low-budget promotional campaign, and your life will drastically change.

The good news is viewers and potential sponsors will learn about your show. And current sponsors will feel that they're getting extra value for their ad dollars.

The bad news is the grief that accompanies all promotion efforts: reviews.

Reviews are a necessary part of the marketing process; you'll need to develop a thick skin to survive the nastier negative criticism.

Remember, you are notifying practically dozens of media outlets about your program, hoping to generate publicity and resources for a press kit. Among all these people watching your show there will undoubtedly be some who don't like it.

Who cares? What do critics do, anyway? They sit in front of a monitor all day, pointing out faults in something they never had the guts to try to do themselves. These people make their living by proclaiming what -- in their own minds -- is good and what is bad.

At least this is what you must tell yourself when bad reviews come in. You will, on the other hand, admire the intelligence and good taste of the reviewer who raves about your show.

There's one sort of criticism to which you should pay special attention -- that of your fellow producers. Send your screener around to other producers (except your competitors, of course) who have "made it." Suggestions and insight from such individuals are very valuable, often saving you time and money on your production.

Encourage favorable press coverage by restricting contact with the media to yourself or one or two other people associated with your program. You should coach these people -- talent, director, sales rep -- on appropriate responses to possible questions. You certainly don't want your program's on-screen host giving out details that contradict your press release or the director revealing that your leased access contract is only month-to-month and you could go off the air at any time.

Tell 'Em and Sell 'Em Again
With the right promotion strategies, increased viewership can be yours. The key is persistence. It takes time to create and execute a promotion plan, but it's worth it.

If you believe in your program's success, as you surely do, nothing can stop you.

Mark Steven Bosko is vice president of marketing for a commercial production company.

BUDGET PROMOTION IDEAS

Newspapers
Place ads in TV section
Place ads in sections that would attract readers likely to watch your program
Offer to write a regular column on a topic related to your program

Radio Ads
Check the demographics of the listening audience
Morning and evening "drive time" usually draws the largest audience

Flyers
Give laminated flyers to your retail sponsors for counter display
Hire a high school student to hand out flyers at shopping malls
Place lots of flyers in the Chamber of Commerce office

Television Ads
Barter ad time on the broadcast stations and other leased access programs
Sponsor a related PBS show

Billboards
Choose billboards on heavily traveled roads and near related businesses
Use humor and brevity in this form of advertising

Publicity Stunts
Tape a program live at the county fair or other community event
Sponsor a local sporting event and cover it on your program
Make sure the press knows about your special event in advance