Local TV & Radio

[dslackman]

Anyone have experience using local TV & radio to market your business? What are the best ways to get on local TV & radio shows? (Of course, without paying or doing a commercial.)

[jake_russell]

Getting on tv or radio for free is not easy but it can be done. The main thing is to do something that the radio station or tv news will want to cover. This may be some sort of community event, charity event, or whatever will cause a stir that has something to do with your business. The other key is to do it on a dead day. A dead day in news is the days after a big event and before another. Think about the holiday season coming up. Congress will not be doing anything during christmas so the news will not have anything there. And in between christmas and new years alot of time they dont have a lot to talk about. This is the time to do something. Call up a reporter tell them about your project and good luck.

jake

[DerekS]

I worked in radio and have experience with TV/Radio marketing. I can't ever think of an instance where someone got advertising for free.

You could plan a ridiculous publicity stunt (like painting your logo on the side of an elephant and sending it on a rampage in your local mall), but sometimes they backfire.

As suggested above, if you can help a cause, or do something community oriented, you have the best shot at getting media attention without buying airtime.

[dslackman]

If I host a community or charity event what is the best way to let local media know about it? Should I use a press release or is it better to try to contact local media directly?

[deansutton]

There are methods of getting free PR and media attention. That being said, there has to be an action and legitimate cause worth writing about. When that has taken place, there are many facets of media that will show exploit you and your story. I've done it, and know many others who have.
Branding yourself!