For many PR professionals a broadcast television placement is the crown jewel of all media. PR pros constantly find themselves chasing network producers to get their clients placed on a broadcast segment, but like anything valuable it can be rather tricky to achieve. News is constantly changing and so is a producer’s interest. In our industry, financial PR, one Trump tweet can change the entire production schedule for the day. So how do you make your pitch stand above the fray? Don’t fear, there is a method to the madness!

I recently attended a PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) event with a few of my colleagues on how to pitch to broadcast media, where producers from The Rachel Ray Show, The Chew, The Huffington Post, and Cheddar TV generously spilled the beans on how to cut through the noise.

Here are 5 tips to consider when pitching broadcast:

It’s all about who you know

Producers are 10 times more likely to accept a pitch from someone they know and like. If you want to get in good with a producer, offer to take them out to coffee or invite them out to lunch. Be personable and try and find out what they are looking to cover. By forming a relationship with a producer they are more likely to respond and let you know if your pitch isn’t working; which allows you to go back to the drawing board to perfect your pitch.

Email is always best

Sometimes PR professionals are eager to pick up the phone and cold call a producer right away with their well-thought-out pitch that the producer just has to hear, this is a big NO! Especially if you don’t know the producer. If your pitch is relevant and well written the producer will more than likely respond if they are interested.

Familiarize yourself with the show

Don’t pitch a hedge fund manager to talk about stocks on The Wendy Williams Show or a dancing dog to 60 Minutes. Watch an episode, know what the show is all about as well as the target audience and demographics. Producers hate noting more than receiving a pitch that is completely irrelevant to their programming and audience.

Let the producer know who your clients are

This tactic will let the producer get familiar with who you are and the type of clients that you represent not to mention a HUGE step in your relationship building. This will also make the producer’s job a lot easier because if the producer is scrambling to find a guest they will have your list of clientele as an option to pull from; just make sure the clients that you provide are relevant to what the producer is covering.

Perfect the pitch

So you’ve found the perfect show to pitch to and you’ve found the perfect producing contact. How do you perfect your pitch?

There is an art to crafting the perfect pitch email:

• Always have perfect spelling and grammar.
• Always say who or what you are pitching in the subject line and first paragraph.
• Always bold names of the person or project you are pitching.
• Always use links instead of attachments when sending additional content.
• Always share potential talking points or trends.
• Always keep pitches short, sweet and to the point!

Now start pitching away and dominate the airwaves!