5 tips to break into broadcast across Asia-Pacific
By Thamsia Salam, Account Executive, FS
If you want reach more of your audience, more quickly, then engaging the broadcast media is crucial. Video consumption across APAC has been growing steadily and the region is now one of the largest pay-TV regions in the world. Over 80 per cent of TV households have one or more connected TV devices, and the average household has up to 4.1 connected TV devices in the region.
The popular quote, “if it was easy, then everyone would do it” comes to mind. And while broadcast opportunities don’t come without their challenges, securing spots on the likes of CNA 938 or CNBC Asia is not impossible, no matter the existing brand recognition. Our top tips below!
Planning makes perfect
Even reactive opportunities guided by breaking news stories need to be planned. Businesses must make sure they know well in advance upcoming events or milestones so that when news does emerge, they are already prepared to pitch to producers. A dedicated news gathering team or department can be created to make this a success.
Right person, right time!
Typically, assistant editors rotate between planning and news gathering, so phoning the news desk and finding out who is on planning that week is crucial. Often, emails sent directly to the news desk are unmanned and therefore become lost opportunities. Make sure you are also pitching to the right people and have built contacts who are either producers, editors, or assistant news editors.
Pitching in a pinch
It’s important that you keep an email pitch as succinct as possible. Don’t bother wasting time in a subject line with news release or comments, instead make it as concise as possible. For example, if it is a pitch around a budget, ‘Budget Day interview with XYZ’ works well. Although all media pitches require conciseness, broadcast pitches need an additional layer of being snappy and succinct. Additionally, it is super useful to link to previous broadcast coverage, even if this is just YouTube videos on your owned channels. It is also key to include as many relevant photos where possible to the story, in order to demonstrate that the story can work well on screen.
Keep it relevant
If your story is relevant to a specific region, then there is no use in pitching it wider to nationals. In that case, a regional programme will be your best bet. Understanding the media landscape means ensuring you are targeting outlets in a nuanced way, rather than with a broad stroke. If you have an emerging story, understanding if it needs to be fully localised or regionalised is key. Of course, what works in Singapore won’t necessarily work in Vietnam.
Pitch perfect!
It can be easy to get caught up in the frenzy of securing a slot for a spokesperson, even if they aren’t the right fit. For broadcast, it is key that the spokesperson is not only an expert in their field but is also adequately media trained. Anything less and significant damage could be made to your relationship with the producer – or worse – to the reputation of the business.
As we are coming across many technological developments alongside the fast-paced news agenda, broadcast media will continue to remain a powerful tool for building brand presence and real expert credibility. So, if you are keen to make an impact and build your brand presence in Singapore then talk to us at Aspectus.
