Getting Publicity on TV for Your Charity Event
Getting pre-promotion on the evening news is tough. You might get a mention or two if the station has a “community
calendar” segment or “bulletin board” feature, but that’s about the best you can hope for until the day of the
event itself.
But you do have a good chance of getting pre-promotion on early morning shows, public affairs shows, or magazine
shows if you supply as many of the following as possible:
A good spokesperson If possible, find someone who’s comfortable and experienced in front of a
camera. This person should also be familiar enough with your event to work date, time, location, and contact
information into the conversation not once—but several times.
If you can get a celebrity to make some appearances or do some interviews, you’ll be likely to
generate more interest both from the media and their audiences.
Video of a previous event You’ll greatly increase your chances of getting pre-event TV coverage
if you can offer the station videotape from last year, showing some of the activities that took place, and how a
good time was had by all.
Information They’ll probably ask you for basic information about the event so they can flash it
on the screen. Don’t leave this to chance however. If they haven’t gotten these particulars from you by the day
before your appearance, call them and offer it.
Reporter involvement in the story If you can offer local reporters a chance to do something unique
and report on it, you increase your chances of getting coverage. For instance, an amusement park might invite the
media out for a ride on its new roller coaster the day before the park opens.
“Media Day” San Antonio used to host a grand prix auto race every year. A month or so before
the event itself, they’d stage a “media day.” They’d take the local sports reporters to a nearby track and let us
drive an old racecar. If your event lends itself to such "reporter involvement " (remember photographers too),
don’t pass up the chance to use it to your advantage.
Related articles in this section include:
Free Publicity and Charity Events
Choosing a Charity to Publicize
Making Your Charity Event Media Friendly
Getting Publicity on Radio for Your Charity Event
For additional information on this topic, see our primary article on TV publicity.
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