CorpComms Magazine

(1) NURTURE REACTIVE REQUESTS

Researching reactive requests from series producers or one-off documentary makers is crucial. Beyond the basics try to ascertain the time commitment of your organisation and the likely resources needed to manage it. With the vast majority of projects now outsourced to independent producers, be skilful in determining the objectives of both maker and broadcaster - it's your brand's reputation on the line. Ask which other organisations have contributed previously and discover their experience from negotiations through to TV.

(2) GET STAKEHOLDER BUY-IN

Give production staff opportunities to talk within your organisation before the cameras roll. Keep all stakeholders updated from the research stage and invite feedback to support your decision to participate. Consider the scale of the project and inform accordingly. Providing 'insider' info on the project and showing an 'advance screening' to everyone from the board down to interns will make them feel part of a dynamic event. This buy-in is especially useful if your project is successful and could be re-commissioned.

(3) BE HELPFUL

Providing material at a research stage can pay dividends. If you have directly helped to get a production to commission stage by providing examples of riveting case studies, statistics and access to engaging internal contributors, the production team are far more likely to show your brand in a positive light.

(4) HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS UPFRONT

Be open and honest with producers from the outset about the limits on access to your organisation. Being mindful of limited production budgets - more squeezed than ever by multi channel broadcasting - when you are satisfied that your brand will benefit from the exposure, negotiate an appropriate contributor fee for your organisation.

(5) PUT MEASURES IN PLACE TO PROTECT YOUR ORGANISATION'S REPUTATION

Most producers will provide an agreement that sets out access to your organisation. Putting the work in to make sure this agreement is watertight will avert crisis at a later stage. If you don't already have a robust contract/agreement template, now is the time to prepare one. In addition to a legal check, if available, look to your peers to sense check the agreement. Understanding the governance issues of the broadcasters - such as the frequency of brand mentions - will help to not waste time during production.

(6) USE THE MEDIUM OF BROADCAST TO BRING YOUR BRAND TO LIFE

Television is a proven water cooler medium; therefore your organisation as an ingredient needs to be relevant to the audience watching. Be prepared to open up the heart of your organisation and the staff that make it tick. Take a few risks with content and forget the idea of 'spokespeople' - for this medium you want your organisation's most chatty upbeat characters, not formulaic responses.

Using themes within each Missing Live programme, Missing People was able to demonstrate the wide range of reasons people go missing, the impact of missing on the families and society, and the ways that the charity can help the search. We re-prioritised resources and conceded access issues to make this possible.

(7) THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT BRIEFING

Reality productions will rely heavily on the real life case studies you provide - whether it is a fly-on-the-wall documentary on your office cleaners to a day in the life of your most senior staff. Gather participants together for a group briefing at the start of production. If this is not possible, keep participants involved with short frequent updates on the production and feedback from others already filmed. Every communication is an opportunity to reinforce the key messages you want to get across and to do so informally - the secret to success for this format.

(8) CROSS PROMOTE OTHER ACTIVITIES

Producers will be keen to have content ideas fed to them to help fill air time. Providing lists of activities happening across your organisations - however trivial they may appear on paper - can make valuable televisual material. Don't forget your clients too. Reality formats often have opportunities to show how other companies and individuals are involved in your work. Good broadcasters will also be keen to know about key activities in your calendar to help decide a broadcast date.

(9) MAXIMISE PR OPPORTUNITIES

Any opportunity to make your brand into screen time is also an opportunity for further coverage. Consider all the content you have provided and every opportunity to utilise this - from placing contributions in the local media and features for listings titles - to working with assigned publicists to place national features. Seek out a news hook you can piggy back: When Missing People was the main source of material for BBC One's The Day They Disappeared in 2004, one contributor's disappearance at an airport heavily mirrored the plot of the Tom Hanks' movie, The Terminal. Missing People used this to secure coverage across flagship BBC news and broadsheets.

(10) MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY SUCCESS WHEN YOU EVALUATE

Think about every element of your organisation that has been impacted. Do your staff feel more motivated? Have your clients remarked on the project? Did enquiries to your business increase before, during and after the production? Missing People experienced a 1,500 per cent increase in calls during the Missing Live series, found 17 vulnerable people during the series and consistently achieved the highest viewing figures of any programme in the time slot. In short, a host of tangible outputs and outcomes to feed back to beneficiaries, stakeholders and the consumer and trade media like Media Guardian and Broadcast - many of whom had had never reported on the charity before.

Missing Live returns to BBC One Daytime on March 16.

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