Insider Secrets to Getting Local TV News to Help You Build Your Program's Reputation
"Most athletic departments really don't know how to go about getting local media attention in a way that would benefit their programs."
That's the claim made by Charlie Adams, a former award-winning television sports director who spent
most of his career covering the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. Adams is now a motivational speaker and leadership training guru, and also serves as one of the media experts and Recruiting Solutions Consultant at Selling for Coaches.
What are some of the mistakes that college sports information directors and coaches make when they seek out TV media promotion of their program?
- Colleges focus too much on stats, records and game data. "What many college programs don't understand is that this kind of stuff isn't what gets the interest of the majority of their local and regional fan base", says Adams. Instead, coaches and SID's need to be more personality focused in the stories they recommend. "Coaches have the chance to reach the non-sports fans when they get profiled on local TV news. And those fans don't care about statistics; they want to know about the stories behind the athletes and coaches at the college."
- Colleges don't contact local TV at the right time. "This one's a biggie," says Adams. "Many coaches and sports information directors don't understand how important it is to get your story to the local stations between 2pm and 3pm, when sportscasters aren't up against a deadline and don't have time to let the story sink in." Adam's recommendation? Call early or mid-afternoon, and follow it up with an e-mail.
- Giving long, complicated story ideas. Be brief, but give them the important facts. "Don't make your local TV sports department search for information or read between the lines," says Adams. "Give them a good idea, and then the nuggets of information to run with it."
- Not giving them "the hook". What exactly is the hook? "We're looking for a story that will be different from the normal pre-game or post-game sound bites," says Adams. "News directors and sportscasters are under pressure to air stories that will appeal to the non-sports fans as well as your local sports nuts. Therefore, they look for stories that are going to be personality driven, human interest pieces." When you pitch a story idea to local TV, savvy college coaches and athletic departments have to ask themselves, "What's the hook with this story I'm calling them about?"
Adams says that most college athletic departments under-utilize their local sports media, and says that they are missing an opportunity to increase their recruiting visability and build their fan support base through effective relationships with their local media.
Dan Tudor, President of Selling for Coaches, agrees. "When we work with athletic departments and coaches who are SFC Premium Members, more often than not the conversation gets around to how they are promoting their 'brand' to the public. And in today's world, a big part of any college's public relations effort is centered around television media in their local region."
Because of this need for a better understanding of how coaches can use their local media to promote themselves and their program, Adams will be leading a session on how to successfully work with local media at this weekend's SFC Recruiting Kick-Off Conference in Indianapolis.
The session will focus on:
- How to get the attention of local TV meda
- What kinds of stories your area media are really looking for
- Tips for submitting stories that will bring positive attention to your program
- How to use local TV to improve your recruiting efforts
- The most common mistakes coaches make dealing with their local media
"If a coach has ever wondered how to effectively use their local sports media to promote their program and advance their recruiting efforts, we'll give them the secrets this weekend," says Adams.