Ten Tips for More Effective TV PSA Campaigns

1. Cultivate The Networks

It is difficult to determine the exact impact of network support because current tracking technology does not completely separate exposure delivered via network feeds versus what you get when you send their affiliate a tape. However, suffice it to say that it is very important to get network clearance of your TV PSA. To technically qualify with their requirements, you should send them your scripts and storyboards at least a month before production begins, but few producers do. At a minimum you should contact them by sending your storyboard and/or a preview tape to see if your PSA is acceptable. If it is not, they will tell you what you need to do to get it cleared which often is as simple as sending justification for claims made in the PSA.

For more information on how to approach the networks and their requirements, see the article "Network Clearance - A Producer's Checklist"

2. Know What Local Stations Want

There are roughly 1,400 broadcast TV stations and 10,000 cable TV stations in America today. Each has its own PSA material preferences. If a station wants a l" video tape, send them l" not 3/4" or what you think they want. You'll increase the chances of getting airtime.

3. Put Pizzazz In Your Package

CBS network alone received 17,000 PSA packages a few years back. The demand for network air time increased 40% in six years. The competition is tough, and you've got to outsmart them to get on the air. Your packaging could be part of the answer, because it's the first thing the public service director sees. Consider:

§ Include some brief facts on your issue and your organization in the package. If you are not a well-known organization or a federal agency, include your IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit number and if you are registered with either of the two charity watchdog agencies - the National Charities Information Bureau and the Philanthropic Division of the Better Business Bureau. This will save stations a lot of time trying to decide if you qualify for airtime or not, and if they have to think too much, they'll toss your PSA aside and choose one they don't have to think about. Also, remember, you have about one minute to make your point, so keep whatever you do very brief and concise.

4. Alert Stations In Advance.

Think about sending a telegram, note, or specially designed promo piece to local stations on your mailing list in advance of distributing your PSA. Tell them why your message is important to their viewers, rather than your organization's interests. Also, think local, local, local in the tonality of your "pitch" because that's what stations care about.

5. Use Strategic Distribution.

With roughly 12,000 broadcast and cable TV stations available in America, which ones should you target? You should give the same thought to distributing your materials as you did in producing them. You should be able to answer: Who are my primary and secondary target audiences? Where do they live? What stations reach them most efficiently? Which ones regularly use PSAs? Answering these questions will help you plan a more strategic distribution procedure.

6. Build Good Station Relations.

If a public service director takes the time to return your campaign business reply card, send them a thank you note. Have your local representatives take them to lunch. Send them premium items or unique certificates of appreciation. Have their photo taken with your local rep awarding the certificate. It's corny in the big cities, but it plays well in Peoria.

7. Involve The Media;

Don't Just Use Them.Grey Advertising sent the media a special newsletter on the progress of their anti-drunk driving campaign. The U.S. Coast Guard invited the networks to the Statue of Liberty re-dedication to see the kinds of work they perform. Other agencies use briefings, luncheons, or whatever works. The point is, don't always go to the stations asking for a handout. Make them a part of your campaign in some imaginative way. Maybe you can get their news department to do an editorial on your issue; maybe there's a way to tie the weatherman into your campaign; see if they will do a remote to cover your special event.

8. Evaluate Your Campaign.

We can't stress how important it is to know where and when your public service announcements are airing. It's even nice to know what they are worth. Perhaps as important, you should know where they are not playing and why. If you don't know, your boss will probably want to know:

What are we getting for our money?
In which of our primary markets are we getting air time?
What kinds of audiences are we reaching with our message?
Where are we NOT getting results and why?

9. Act Upon Evaluation Results.

Once evaluation is complete, use the results as a basis for taking corrective action. Send letters of appreciation to all supporters; test the effectiveness of local versus national distribution in selected markets; contact stations which have not used your materials and determine why. Evaluation data is worthless unless you use it to improve performance.

10. Consider "Contracting Out."

Even after the challenging job of getting your campaign "in the can," you've still got a lot of work to do. There are mailing lists to compile, labels to produce, video or audio tapes to duplicate in the proper quantities and formats, printed elements to produce, materials to be inserted, labels to affix and postage regulations to follow. That's just to get the campaign to the media; then there's a separate evaluation effort to organize. You may be able to reduce costs and use your staff more productively by selecting a full-service vendor to handle these important but tedious details.

Ten Tips for More Effective Radio PSAs

Generally, any non-profit organization qualifies for broadcast public service air time, including associations, local, state, and federal government agencies, think tanks, health organizations, unions, foundations and many others. In short, competition for air time is intense and getting tougher each year. Besides competition, there is a need to think about appropriate formats for stations on your list, geographic considerations, and how materials will be packaged.

On the plus side, a radio PSA campaign can be produced and distributed with a modest budget, yet yield air time valued in the high six figures.

The following suggestions will help you get the maximum return on your next radio PSA campaign:

1. Include The Networks.
There are dozens of radio networks ranging from national public radio to satellite music network. You should know which ones accept PSAs, the materials they require and the contact person to deal with at each one.

2. Develop A Strategic Distribution Procedure.
With over 11,000 radio stations in the country, which ones should you target? Radio can help you segment target audiences in a variety of ways including: age, racial composition, education, geography, and lifestyle. However, unless you are mailing to every station in the country, you need to think about who your primary and secondary target audiences are, where they live, and what stations reach them most efficiently.

3. Know What Type Of Materials Stations Want.
Radio stations regularly use a variety of different PSA and broadcast materials including live announcer scripts, recorded disks, sound sheets, cassette tape, and reel-to-reel tape. If you know what materials stations prefer and send them what they want, you stand a better chance of getting air time.

4. Provide Stations With Spot Length Options.
Even though cost considerations may dictate sending PSAs out in a less expensive material format, you should always send stations live announcer copy as well. Some will use it regardless of how you package your materials because it gives them maximum flexibility. Also, include PSAs in a variety of different lengths ranging from ten seconds to a full minute, which allows stations a variety of options. To give even more flexibility, use one side of a disc for several different musical formats, i.e. country, rock, easy listening, and the other side of the disc with musical 'beds' (no vocals) and a live announcer script. That way, a program director or DJ can produce their own PSAs custom tailored to their particular format.

5. Include Special Audience PSAs in the Same Package.
There are some Spanish stations that may not broadcast full-time in Spanish, meaning that if you send them Spanish and English PSAs, you can possibly increase usage. The same applies to other specialized appeals such as those directed towards African-Americans. By combining PSAs in the same package you not only increase your chances for additional usage, you greatly reduce the costs of sending separate packages for each different audience.

6. Provide Stations With Programming Options.
The U.S. Air Force produces a half-hour self-contained program that automated radio stations can use when station personnel are on break. The U.S. Public Health Service has a toll-free number which radio stations can used to download program material.

A CD contains over an hour’s worth of capacity, yet PSAs take up only a small fraction of that capacity. When planning your radio PSA campaign, think about including one and two-minute program pieces or news actualties to use more of the CD capacity. Most of your costs are already covered so you may as well get as much mileage from the package that you can.

7. Use Attractive Packaging.
Public service directors are important gate-keepers whom you must positively influence to get your materials on the air. To generate maximum impact, create an attractive PSA package for your campaign. If your packaging is dull and unimaginative, they may not even take the time to look inside, let alone play your PSAs. Think about adding a second color and compelling graphics to the external packaging.

8. Evaluate Your Campaign.
We can't stress how important it is to know where and when your public service announcements are airing and who they are reaching. You should also know what they are worth ion dollar terms. Perhaps as important, you should know where they are not playing and why. If you don't know, your boss will probably want to know:

What are we getting for our money?
In which of our primary markets are we getting air time and where are our weaknesses?
What kinds of audiences are we reaching with our message?
How does radio compare to TV and/or other kinds of media options?
How has it helped us educate, inform, change behavior, generate requests, etc.?

9. Act Upon Evaluation Results.
Once evaluation is complete, you should use the results to improve performance. Depending upon what the results show, consider changing the materials you send stations in the future; test the effectiveness of local versus national distribution in selected markets; contact stations which have not used your materials and find out why. Send a reminder postcard to the non-responding stations. Evaluation data is worthless unless you use it to improve future performance. .

10. Consider "Contracting Out"
Even after the challenging job of getting your PSA materials recorded, there is still a lot of work to do. You've got to: prepare a budget, compile a mailing list, generate labels, reproduce audio tapes and scripts, print packaging elements and supervise labeling and mailing. You may be able to reduce costs and use your staff more productively by selecting a full-service vendor to handle these important but tedious details.

Also, when it comes to analyzing results, management usually reacts more favorably to external evaluation because they feel it is more credible. Often they regard reports prepared by internal staff as a case of the fox guarding the hen house (no pun intended).

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