3 Reasons Why Getting Featured on TV Might Not Happen Overnight

One of the more popular offerings we have at Guide My Brand is television and streaming placement pitching. It’s appealing for a lot of entrepreneurs and authors to get featured on television. Getting a TV interview is exciting! A lot of our clients ask us how long it will take to start landing regular television spots once we start pitching. The answer? It depends. 

We have a lot of experienced former television journalists on our team who know how television stations work — and what would make our clients most appealing to them. We also know getting the right television appearance for you or your brand could take time. 

Here’s 3 Reasons Why: 

1. You have to hit the right message at the right time. 

TV producers and reporters are often working on multiple stories at a time — and they usually involve stories that are relevant locally or nationally. Does your message fit in with the current media talking points? You might not have the exact right talking points for the day’s news — but that’s okay. We use newsjacking to make your story relevant and intriguing to reporters, but you still have to hit the right fit with an interested producer/reporter. It can take time. 

2. Paid placements are becoming more popular. 

Many television stations offer “lifestyle” type shows which feature much lighter content. These shows offer 2-5 minute segments for guests to talk about their business, product or book, making them a good fit for many of our clients. 

Unfortunately, these shows are increasingly following a “pay-to-play” model. That means that they are willing to feature guests in exchange for payment. It’s essentially like buying a commercial. There are still feature shows which don’t require guests to pay, but they are becoming less popular — so it might take your PR team longer to find genuine coverage opportunities.

3. Virtual interviews are getting pushed out for in-person interviews. 

During the pandemic, virtual interviews via Zoom meant guests no longer had to be “local” to be featured on local news. This created many more TV opportunities for our clients. But as the world returns back to pre-pandemic life, TV executives are looking for people to come to the studio or meet locally with a reporter/producer for these stories, and they have to have a local connection. 

This means your PR team has to work to find the right opportunity for you. 

After you get featured on TV, you want to make the most of that TV placement. How do you do that? Check out our blog post on maximizing your television appearance after getting featured on TV. Still feel like you want to prep for your local or national news interview? Check out our guide on how to do your hair and makeup for a television interview.

Want to find out if television pitching is right for you and your company? Schedule a free discovery call with us to find out what we can do for your brand.