| Amanda Hicken 
A common theme on Beyond PR and many other marketing and PR blogs is the importance of a multichannel strategy. Strategies that take into consideration your audience’s preference to consume content across paid, earned, social and owned channels. Multichannel strategies, though, are like nesting dolls. When you open up your earned media strategy, you’ll find a mix of print, television, radio, digital and other channels. Drill down even further – take tv and radio as an example – and you’ll find a mix of local and national shows, cable news, podcasts, streaming tv, public radio, online/social-only video, and much more. Needless to say, it’s all a bit overwhelming. Although you want your story to reach the channels that matter, you also need to do it efficiently. “Satellite media tours are a great vehicle to reach a large amount of viewers, listeners and readers within a short window of time,” explains Risa Chuang, Director, Media Relations at MultiVu and the author of Media Tour Boot Camp, our newest how-to guide. "A media tour enables your spokesperson or expert to sit in a fixed spot, either in a studio or at a remote location, while being interviewed by network and local news anchors, radio personalities and bloggers via satellite from around the country." When deciding whether a virtual media tour is a smart option for your brand, Risa encourages communicators to consider the following benefits: Satellite media tours save on travel and time. Your brand leaders, spokespeople and on-air talent have limited time. Plus, travel and transportation can be expensive. "A satellite media tour can incorporate 20-30 interviews within a 4-5 hour time span, as opposed to sending a spokesperson travelling around the country," Risa says. Satellite media tours reach a national audience with a personal touch. A face-to-face conversation (even one that's virtual) creates a stronger connection than an email or phone call. "When your audience is national and you have a good visual story with a 'news you-can-use' element, it's the quickest way to reach a broad audience across all parts of the country." Satellite media tours make it easy to repurpose resources. When recording and broadcasting satellite media tours, the studio is typically booked for a half day. However, you don't have to use it solely for the purpose of the media tour. "You can utilize the crew during breaks to capture additional footage and/or soundbites to be used for social media, client websites and other channels. Some clients even like to have their celebrity talent record a 'shout out' to their employees to distribute within the company." Like most media relations tactics, satellite media tours have evolved over time. "When SMTs started out, the first interviews started around 6 AM. Most of the hits were live and it was a lot easier to book within top markets, even with an unknown talent," says Risa. "Budgets were getting tighter, newsrooms had to cut staff and stations were looking for free content. There were only a few big players in the space, so competition wasn't very high." Now, though, there's more video content to compete with and more limits on the types of branded content a newsroom will take. 
"It's typical to see at least half of the interviews taped, and even more so when it may appear to be heavily branded," explains Risa. "Either the producer is taping for a show that airs much later in the day, or the news director for a station mandates that all interviews are taped so they can review the quality and number of brand mentions before deciding if it's worthy to make air." Fortunately, today's brands can stay competitive with a creative, multi-tiered approach. Risa recommends these tips. DO Go Digital. Traditional earned media is always going to be a top priority for satellite media tours, but you can extend the value of your investment by looking beyond broadcast. "While broadcast is still the mainstay, we are now weaving in interviews with bloggers and websites in some media tours to micro-target particular demographics and verticals," explains Risa. "Moreover, there has been an explosion in social media – with many brands wanting to reach Millennials and seeing that medium as the path to do so." SMTs are an effective and efficient tool for cultivating relationships with a combination of television, radio, bloggers, websites and other media types. However, you need to approach your strategy with a deep, research-backed understanding of whom you're trying to reach and where those audiences go for news. DON'T Overlook Multicultural. According to Pew Research Center, the United States' Latino population grew to 55.3 million people in 2014, with the Census Bureau projecting it will increase to 119 million by 2060. As this audience continues to grow in importance, are you doing enough to get on their radar? "Hispanic and bilingual SMTs are more prevalent now than ever before. We often encourage clients to consider a bilingual SMT if they have a Spanish speaking talent and a desire to reach that demographic." DO Get Creative. While the SMTs of years past may have gotten away with a heavily commercial angle, those won't make today's cut. "Stations can afford to be extremely picky when deciding on content for their morning shows. News directors have set limits on what types of branded content they will take, and in general are more sensitive about brand mentions," comments Risa. "They receive literally hundreds of pitches a day so it's a lot harder to grab their attention." This means taking the time to shape a story that deftly balances brand promotion and the media's need for entertaining and informative news. "We have to be a lot more creative with story spin and angle, and try to advise clients much earlier in the process so we can help guide them on spokesperson decisions, brand mentions and overall messaging," Risa explains. The good news is that "there's a lot of creativity and value to be had in SMTs. You can dress up a studio to look like a garage, a backyard, a kitchen – even a winter wonderland.” “If budget is higher and you're able to go live from a remote location, the possibilities can be endless. We've done media tours from mountains, national parks, racetracks, restaurants, homes, convention centers, city parks and stores. There are very few limits to what we can accomplish." A satellite media tour can help you engage with broadcast media, bloggers, and websites around the country – all within a few hours and from the comfort of a single location. Learn more about planning a successful media tour by downloading Media Tour Boot Camp: What You Need to Know to Get Your Story on TV and Beyond. This new guide explores how to ask the right questions, craft a compelling pitch and measure your media tour's success. Author Amanda Hicken is PR Newswire's senior manager of strategic content and managing editor of Beyond PR. Follow her on Twitter @ADHicken for tweets about marketing, the media, Cleveland and comic books. | 
