5 Reasons Your Video Doesn't Get Used on TV
Sending your own video to a television station is a great PR strategy. But just because you send it doesn't mean they're going to use it.
Television news is a visual medium. Reporters and producers need compelling video to tell stories, and when you provide them with quality footage alongside your news release or story pitch, you're making their jobs easier.
That can significantly improve your chances of getting coverage.
But there's a catch: Your video needs to be good enough to put on television. And not every video makes the cut.
Here are five common mistakes that can send your footage straight to the cutting room floor.
1. Bad Lighting
If viewers can't clearly see what's happening in your video, it's probably not going on TV.
Poor lighting, dark subjects, and bright windows that turn people into silhouettes can make otherwise useful footage unusable.
Make sure your subject is well-lit, clearly visible, and visually interesting. Remember, television is a visual medium. Give viewers something worth looking at.
2. Bad Sound
If you can't hear what someone is saying, neither can the audience.
Audio that's too quiet, too loud or distorted can ruin an otherwise excellent interview. So can background noise from wind, traffic, airplanes, sirens or even the hum of an air conditioner.
Find a quiet location, use a microphone when possible and listen to your audio before sending it.
Great pictures won't save an interview nobody can understand.
3. Shooting From Too Far Away
Your interview subject shouldn't look like they're standing at the other end of a football field.
Position your camera close enough to capture a clear, well-framed shot. For many smartphone interviews, two to three feet is a reasonable starting point, depending on your framing and equipment.
Yes, you can crop your video during editing. But excessive cropping reduces picture quality, creating blurry or pixelated images.
And television stations generally don't want blurry video.
Get close enough to capture a sharp, professional-looking shot the first time.
4. Soundbites That Are Too Long
Nobody wants to watch someone ramble for 45 seconds when they could make their point in ten.
A typical television news soundbite runs about seven to ten seconds. An especially compelling comment might run 15 seconds, but longer clips are much less likely to make it into a story.
When conducting interviews, ask questions that encourage short, direct answers.
And don't be afraid to ask the same question multiple times or in different ways. Sometimes the third answer is the best because the person has figured out how to communicate their message more concisely.
Your goal isn't to record everything someone knows. It's to capture the one thing viewers need to hear.
5. Not Shooting Enough B-Roll
This might be the biggest mistake of all.
B-roll is the supporting footage that television stations use to illustrate a story while a reporter is speaking.
If your story is about a new program, show the program in action. If it's about a person, show that person doing something relevant. If you're announcing a new building, show the building.
And even if you don't have footage directly related to your announcement, shoot generic B-roll that represents your organization.
For colleges, universities, nonprofits and businesses, that might include buildings, signage, employees working, students learning, people receiving services or activities that demonstrate what the organization does.
Here's a bonus tip: Don't paste your logo into the B-roll.
A physical sign featuring your logo? Great. Shoot it.
A JPEG of your logo slapped over the footage? Not so great.
Give producers clean, useful video they can incorporate into their own storytelling.
Make It Easy for TV Stations to Say Yes
Sending video with your news release or media pitch can be a powerful way to increase your broadcast coverage. You're providing a television station with something it needs to tell your story.
But remember, you're not just sending video. You're sending material that you want a news producer to put on the air.
That means it needs to look good, sound good, and help tell the story.
And while great video doesn't guarantee coverage, poor-quality video can certainly cost you an opportunity.
The easier you make it for television stations to use your footage, the better your chances of seeing your story on the news.
