by Terry Segal on August 11, 2009
in Marketing
It seems like a good idea – make the day’s top story the lead in your news topical.
Think again.
Every other station is doing the same thing. Your topical gets lost in a sea of sameness. That’s okay if you’re the news leader. Viewers expect that station to run with this story. It has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Not the leader? All you’ve done is feed that monster with little to show in return.
Why not lead with a story that’s unique to your station? Stand apart from the others. Give viewers a distinct reason for watching your station.
You can always promote the day’s top story later in the topical. Give it a mention and let viewers know that your station is on top of things.
Give it exposure, but not prominence.
The importance of differentiating your product holds true in promotion as well as in the actual newscast itself. This effort never ends.
Successful stations work at creating an identity all their own. News and promotion are partners in making it happen.
by Terry Segal on August 7, 2009
in Marketing
Don’t forget the impact of video in producing effective news teases. Writing alone does not create powerful teases. Strong visuals also serve as a hook to entice viewers.
Feel free to use your best video excerpts in the tease. In fact, it’s a must. These visuals grab the viewer’s attention. That’s your goal.
Avoid “saving” your best video for fear of giving the story away. Video works differently than copy in a tease.
The copy serves to create a sense of anticipation on the part of viewers. You want to set up a mystery of sorts that can only be solved by watching the report.
Copy that gives away the story resolution works against these purposes.
Video can evoke a visceral reaction in viewers that copy can’t. This reaction doesn’t depend on viewers having the full context of the story. The power of the visual itself is what serves as the lure.
People will readily watch intriguing video over and over. Using it in teases will not diminish its value in the story itself. In fact, its impact grows in the short term. People see how it relates to the story as a whole, giving it more meaning.
Movie studios always use their best video excerpts in trailers. They know it’s an effective way to sell the movie to audiences. Nothing is held back and people don’t object when they see the scene again in the movie.
Keep visuals top of mind when producing your teases. The right combination of copy and video will get your audience coming back for more.
Imagine a stranger starts talking to you about a product you rarely use. Maybe you’ve never used it.
His reasons for using it sound very similar to ones that other people use to describe competing products.
How likely are you to try this product?
Not very. I thought so.
Guess what? Stations fall into the same trap when they use this approach to introduce a new anchor.
Just watched a promo where a new anchor talked up his new station. He cited the familiar reasons of great people, strong news commitment, concern for the viewer, a great place to work, etc.
My guess is he changed few minds.
His reasons didn’t break any new ground. They failed to get viewers to see the station in a different light.
More importantly, why ask a stranger to make this sale? How much trust has he earned with viewers?
The station is asking a relative unknown to get people to change their viewing behavior. And all he’s offered people is his kind opinion of the station.
That’s asking a lot – both of the anchor and the viewers.
Why not let viewers get to know the guy first? Let him make his mark in the community. People will then listen to and value his opinion more after he’s earned their attention.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a new anchor automatically has influence with your audience. He or she must first sell themselves before they can effectively sell your station.
The three most overused – and least effective- words in news promotion are
accurate, complete, and dependable. They sound good and highlight attributes every station desires. Attributes that every viewer expects.
Therein lies the problem.
Using accurate, complete, and/or dependable in describing your news and
weather efforts does little to differentiate your product. You end up making
the same claim that competitors do. Why then, should viewers watch you as
opposed to the other guys?
Your promotion (and its news product) needs to make your station stand
apart from others. It should showcase strengths and capabilities unique to
your station. That’s why viewers watch you. They lose out if they don’t.
Here’s another reason using claims such as accurate, complete, and dependable fall short. People need a reference point against which to evaluate the claim. Thinking about the opposite is the easiest one people can use.
Broadband suppliers compared their speed against slower dialup. Just saying broadband was fast would give people little, if any, reference point to judge the claim.
Go back further in time. The car was introduced as a horseless carriage. The comparison gave people a reference point to judge the value of this new invention.
What’s the counterpoint to accurate in terms of news and/or weather coverage? None of your competitors is billing itself as the “inaccurate” station. Same with the complete claim. No station is boasting about incomplete coverage. Dependable? It’s unlikely your competitors suffer from an image of not being dependable.
Your claims lack a reference point that allow viewers to see their value. They become empty rather than powerful attributes.
Let’s hope that your news provides differentiating factors for you to promote. Otherwise, your promotion will resort to using concepts such as accurate, complete, and dependable. They’re coverups for a news effort that fails to set itself apart from others.
You’ll notice a bias on this blog regarding the importance of marketing. It stems from a simple, yet firmly held belief.
Businesses that win in the future will be the best marketers. That’s what the game has become. And, there’s no turning back.
Getting higher ratings becomes increasingly difficult unless you know how to cultivate a relationship with viewers. Suppose you have a more dynamic anchor team and more advanced weather and news gathering technology.
Guess what? Both mean little unless your audience sees you with these advantages and buys into your story about them.
That’s where marketing comes into play.
Don’t take my word for it. Peter Drucker was considered the father of modern management and a famed business consultant. Here’s his take:
“Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business.”
Back in the early days of cable, I was struck by the different mindset that cable and local TV executives had toward marketing dollars. Marketing expenditures were a line item in budgets for both camps.
The difference? Local TV guys always talked in terms of it being an expense. Cable guys talked in terms of it being an investment.
What’s your view?
Mine is clear. Marketing is an investment. An investment that pays off in higher news ratings.
Make sure your entire station sees it that way.
Why does some on-air news promotion fall flat? Even with the best of intentions, the end results fail to move viewers. Blame the poor results on the following seven sins.
Poor understanding and knowledge of the product
You cannot sell what you don’t know. Effective salespeople know their product backward and forward. Promotion/creative services people need the same insight regarding news.
What differentiates your news from the competition? What elements are considered its strengths? These aspects are the ones you highlight.
The same approach works for individual story promotion. What’s the hook? Find out from the reporter and/or producer. It’s their responsibility to know that information. They do you and the news effort a disservice if they don’t.
Promotion and creative services people often cringe when identified as “sales people”. That’s unfortunate. Promotion is sales. Consider another line of work if that makes you feel uncomfortable. You’ll fail to reach your potential thinking otherwise.
Target audience not taken into account
Your promotion should appeal to the likely program viewer. This targeting especially holds true for individual stories aimed at specific audience segments. Make sure you know what type of viewer your newscast is chasing after.
Newscasts sometimes have a different feel depending upon the daypart. A lighter, more easygoing morning newscast needs promotion that captures that feel.
Visuals get in the way of the message
Don’t let the visuals overwhelm your message. Visuals are used as cover when the messaging is weak or nonexistent. Overpowering visuals can’t compensate if the viewer is left ignorant regarding the purpose of the promotion.
Super Bowl commercials are a prime example of this problem. Viewers talk about the spots from a production standpoint, but can’t recall the product or service.
The result? A waste of time and money.
Uninspired Copy
The writing lacks the color, urgency, and specifics to make the product stand out. Every promo producer should burn the following rule into their mind when it comes to creating copy for TV:
Write for radio.
People aren’t necessarily glued to the TV watching. It’s often a background companion.
Write descriptive copy that is crisp and clear for those only listening. Do so and you’ll also heighten its effectiveness for those watching at the same time.
Doesn’t include a “call for action”
Make sure viewers know when they can watch. Tell and remind them. Reinforce the info both visually and audibly (remember the “write for radio” suggestion).
It’s sales time again. Effective salespeople ask for the order – it’s the only way you get it.
Opens weak / ends weak
First and last impressions are the strongest. You only have a limited amount of time to entice viewers. Grab them immediately with strong visuals and/or compelling copy. Leave them with a powerful ending.
Which is more effective? I always favor the strong open. You grab them at the beginning because there’s no guarantee they’ll be around at the end. Consider it insurance.
However, a great open increases the chances of them sticking around and you get a second chance to impress them.
Try not to make this decision an “either or” proposition. Make sure that you do at least one – preferably both.
Tries to do too much
Limit each spot to one message only. This approach conveys the message more clearly to viewers. Multiple ideas compete against each other and weaken their impact with viewers.
Know in advance the one takeaway for viewers and produce material to that end.
A lot is expected of you. You’re asked to make it happen in 15 or 30 seconds.
Meet those expectations. Avoid these seven sins for more effective on-air news promotion.
A lot of time and money is wasted on ineffective news promotion. I’m not referring to poor messaging or weak production values. They matter, but they’re not the issue here..
No, I’m referring to a fundamental misconception about the influence of promotion. It’s a myth that once recognized will alter your entire promotion stategy.
Pick a subject in which you undeniably have no interest. For me, it’s opera. Got yours?
Now suppose you view a series of on-air promotion spots that showcase a program on that subject. These spots are the best quality spots you’ve ever seen. Stunning visuals. Captivating copy. Placement that catches you time and again.
Guess what? In my case, I’m still not watching the program on opera. Are you planning to watch the program on your uninteresting subject? Probably not.
Therein lies the issue. The myth exposed – that well crafted promotion will get people to watch your program. In your case, your news.
Here’s the real truth – promotion can’t change a person’s mind. Read that again – promotion can’t change a person’s mind.
If someone has no interest in your news, no amount of promotion will change that. No matter how good you think it is.
Get Inside Your Viewers’ Mind
The real value of promotion is two fold. First, it serves an alert to those predisposed or favorable to watching your news. Call it a program reminder.
Second, it reinforces their decision about watching your news. You’re patting them on the back for their wise choice.
These values have nothing to do with changing a person’s mind. They deal more with connecting with what is already IN THE MIND.
Bottom line? Your promotion is ineffective unless you:
- have a clear understanding of why people watch you.
- showcase the specific elements that attract people to your news.
- use a consistent strategy that integrates the two preceding points.
Focus on your strengths. Promotion that emphasizes these attributes resonates with your viewers. They’re receptive because they already perceive you in that manner. You’re not asking them to change their view.
Producing great spots with no consistent message or no intended audience (everybody doesn’t count) doom you. You’re betting that you change people’s minds. History is littered with companies that tried to do so and failed.
Ford Edsel. New Coke. Crystal Pepsi. McDonald’s Arch Deluxe.
Promotion doesn’t work that way. Give up the myth.
Local news builds the reputation and identity of those stations offering it. This fact makes it critical that four key station executives operate together on all strategic and tactical matters concerning the marketing of news. You can take a big step toward this goal by instituting what I call the Four Horsemen meeting.
Who are the Four Horsemen? They are the General Manager, News Director, General Sales Manager, and the Marketing/Creative Services/Promotion head. The title of the latter person changes at different stations, but his or her responsbility for our purpose is clear – they market the station to the public.
These four people should meet regularly to insure they are on the same page regarding your news marketing. These meetings are where key decisions are made on how to “sell” your news to viewers and advertisers.
Department head meetings don’t count because specific strategic and tactical news decisions don’t get made in that setting.
Another meeting??? Boo, hiss!!!
Please make it a good one. Every two weeks with emergency meetings called when necessary. You can’t leave the marketing and sharing of news goals to impromptu meetings between department heads.
That’s how too many stations do it – scattered and with little attention paid to the big picture. For example, Sales needs a special promotion. The GSM meets with the News Director to hatch one. Creative Services is then presented with the fait accompli and asked to make on-air “sing.”
Or, the News Director and Promotion head develop a new on-air campaign. It goes on air without Sales being told the reasons for it. An opportunity is lost to sell advertisers on the value of this new approach.
The hectic nature of television often encourages insular decisions. Sharing
information and/or seeking input is perceived as a roadblock to getting things done.
Yet, the benefits of the Four Horsemen meeting far outweigh these misplaced concerns.
Each department understands its role and expectations regarding it. Input from each creates richer ideas and averts potential conflicts and roadblocks. Greater coordination across the group promises more effective execution.
You’re rewarded with a more cohesive and targeted marketing effort.
And, you’ve built more trust and respect among the departments that are the drivers in your news success.
When’s the next meeting?
News promotion should always highlight your station’s strengths – never use it to prop up perceived weaknesses. Your strengths define you. They’re the reason people watch. It’s a good practice to consistently reinforce and showcase them to viewers.
The Coca-Cola Company still heavily advertises Coke, despite it being the most recognized product in the world. Procter & Gamble still promotes Tide. Take a cue from these guys – go with your strengths.
Don’t fall victim to the practice of using promotion to punch up news elements that lack widespread viewer appeal. Stations take this route when operating under the mistaken belief that more exposure will remedy this problem.
Truth is, the opposite happens. People are reminded of what they don’t like and your key viewing magnets get underexposed.
You can never promote your strengths enough.
Imagine the Lakers taking the ball out of Kobe Bryant’s hands and making Lamar Odom the centerpiece of the offense. The rationale? Lamar’s a good player and people need to see how good he really is. Let’s ease the throttle on Kobe because everybody already knows how great he is.
Ain’t going to happen.
Consider this situation. If you have the most popular anchor team in town, your promotion should center around them. Showcase them in a variety of approaches – tell their life stories, get their perspective on the station’s news coverage, have them endorse other newsteam members, show them interacting with viewers, highlight their memorable news moments, have them “sell” your news effort, and so forth.
Avoid the temptation to showcase another news element in the hopes of building it up. Wait until viewers give you clear evidence that it’s a key to your success before doing so.
Otherwise, you diminish the importance of your anchors as a promotional tool. You assume that the popularity of the news anchors needs no reinforcement.
The real issue isn’t about reinforcing anchor popularity.
The real issue is effectively promoting your station by showcasing its strengths – that’s why viewers watch you.
It’s news promotion done right.
