Shout! Communications

We say broadcast PR is the cherry on the top of the cake. Well, we would, wouldn’t we, as former broadcast journalists turned PR specialists. But we know, from the reaction we get from clients, in the nineteen years we’ve been in business, that so often opportunities on radio and television are the ones that really thrill.

Broadcast PR, the definition

Broadcast PR means promoting a brand, or a person, or a campaign on radio, television and online. Services include everything you might need to get on-air, editorially and when you decide to self-broadcast too, from:

• Radio days. Coverage across the UK on BBC and commercial regional and national radio stations.
• TV media relations. Coverage on regional, national and international stations.
• Media training. Teaching spokespeople the fine line between giving the journalist the content they’re looking for and communicating your own key messages.
• Video production. From B-roll for television and corporate videos, to online and social media shorties.
• Podcast production. We can support you with pre-production, scripting, recording, editing and distribution.
• PR survey research.
• Third party spokesperson sourcing. Taking the commercial sting out of a story, we can find the best brand ambassador to front your campaign.

Firstly it’s the knowledge that your brand and key messaging has reached millions of people. Even specialist programming, such as business news, has mass audiences. Online does that too, but is sometimes perceived as lacking the credibility that broadcast has, both on news bulletins and live chat shows.

As far as the journalists go, broadcast news is mainly the straight forward communications of facts. With a few notable exceptions, broadcast journalists are not often given license to express their own opinions. They’re OFCOM regulated and the BBC has its own Producer Guidelines, meaning you can trust what you see and hear. And that’s where the credibility comes from.

Add to that the thrill of live broadcasting and being interviewed by a well-known voice or face and you generally have happy clients.

First of all, the story. For television you’ve got to think pictures. Ask yourself: What can a journalist film to illustrate a story? What footage can a client provide in terms of B-Roll? Where could a journalist report from on location?

These days a lot of TV output is live rather than pre-recorded – it’s cheaper. So you need to have a spokesperson who can handle this. Live interviews can take place in a studio or on location. Some stories are visual and lend themselves more towards television, whereas research stories, for example, are more suited to radio.

Both mediums have channels with distinct audiences. Television attracts older viewers, whereas radio has stations, including BBC Radio 1, Capital or Kiss FM, that are primarily younger.

Another factor to consider is the likelihood of coverage. Television is an unpredictable beast, which is why we offer this service with a small selling-in fee and the rest payable on results. Radio, meanwhile, we guarantee a minimum level of coverage.

As the popularity of podcasts continues on an upward trend, there’s never been a better time to include the medium in a broadcast PR strategy.

There are two routes to this. The first involves placing your spokesperson on someone else’s podcast. This works in the same way as selling-in to radio and television. You’re competing editorially with everyone else who also wants airtime there.

Where the process differs is the time this takes. Radio and television producers make relatively last minute decisions about whether to take a PR story. For podcasts, however, the lead-up time is much longer.

The second way to include podcasts in your strategy is to have your own series. Podcasts are great for targeting a niche or specialist audience, whatever sector you work in.

Email hello@shoutcommunications.co.uk to get our Podcast Guide.

No! If you want to reach millions of people this is a really effective way of maximising your budget. Nearly all our coverage is offered as either payment on results or with a minimum guaranteed level of coverage. The risk to you is minimal.

In comparison, advertising on radio or television can cost thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands. And editorial coverage has a much bigger impact too. People only half listen to an advert, but they’re much more attentive to a radio or TV programme.

Research shows that video is powerful, emotive and ultimately engaging. That’s why it should be central to any PR campaign. If you want to secure coverage on TV then consider B-Roll to illustrate your story – newsrooms will thank you for it.

But the same footage can also be re-edited to used as a corporate video; or as a social media video; or part of a YouTube strategy.

We offer both. A project works well when you’re ready to secure the coverage and need that extra layer of broadcast specialism, or extra hands. The story is likely to be fixed to a particular date. Broadcasters like to have a “peg” for a story – a reason for doing a story at a certain time. The majority of interviews will happen on the one day.

Retainers start with a minimum period of 6 months. Some clients use their retainers for us to news hi-jacking. That means we secure opportunities for them based on the news agenda of the time. We guarantee a minimum level of coverage, averaged out over the period of the retainer. Typically this is at least 2-3 opportunities per month.

But you can also use a retainer for specific projects. A retainer buys you so many hours of our time per month and you can use that time for any of our services. If you buy other of our services, in addition to your retainer, we offer a 10% discount off our rate card.