Putting together a TV package
When we say a ‘TV package’, we don’t mean a physical package, rather a collection of products, people and locale that offers a complete story for the producer.
It may be that you have some high-quality footage already – although don’t offer it if it has come from another network – some experts, models or people to be interviewed, depending on what your product is, and ideally a location that makes it easy for the network to get a crew there.
If you can put together a TV package, producers are more likely to sit up and take notice – but remember, TV is never guaranteed.
Once you have pitched the general story to the producer by phone and they have agreed that it sounds good, they will probably need to get it approved by the executive producer, who runs the whole show. Then they will come back to you to sort out how the segment will run, what they need to do at their end – for example, for a laundry powder brand they wanted to test the top 10 laundry powder brands in a laboratory – and what they need you to do. This may mean finding a location or people to interview to ‘round out’ the story.
If you can put together a TV package, producers are more likely to sit up and take notice – but remember, TV is never guaranteed. Even if they have shot the footage, it can still get pulled at the last minute if something happens in the news or a celebrity is suddenly available for interview. If you do get on air, however, the rewards can be huge, so it’s worth a try!
Jules Brooke, Handle Your Own PR
