A satellite media tour is the best way to get your experts and spokespeople interviewed on multiple TV stations across the country in a very short period of time. The tour can target specific geographic regions, or a large national audience. During the five hours your spokesperson conducts 25 or more interviews with stations across the country, reaching millions of people. The tour can take place from a broadcast studio, or on location to add visual interest and convenience.
The way it works is you develop a storyline and angle that is pitched to media knowing that the executive spokesperson will be available at a specific time period. You’ll know going into the SMT what is on the schedule. There is a control that’s very different than say a press conference where you have limited knowledge about what the coverage will be. It usually takes about two to three weeks to get the stations lined up. After the tour some TV stations even repurpose the interviews on their websites, creating even more exposure for a campaign.
Emerging Trends that You Need to Know About
We’re seeing a major movement towards using your own experts as spokespeople for a brand or non-profit. That number increased by 38% in 2019, and we expect for the trend to continue. In fact, journalists overwhelmingly prefer to interview your experts or your client’s experts than a third-party spokesperson by a preference of more than 86%. Additionally, 83% of journalists agree that it’s more authentic to use an internal spokesperson as an expert in a media tour.
We also discovered that the average local station will spend less than 25% of its program on politics in 2020, creating a significant opportunity to feature your experts on television news.