• Eye Catching Video

    July 6th, 2011

    Viewers love weather video.  So look for opportunities not just to shoot it but also invite viewers to share their video.  This clip appearing in KRNV/Reno’s website makes you feel you’re right in the dust storm.

     

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »

  • Don’t Get Left Behind

    July 5th, 2011

    How effectively are you using Facebook? Yes, you likely use it with friends, but what about from the business aspect?  According to HubSpot, of businesses surveyed, over 92% were using Facebook as part of their marketing strategy, and 84% were using Twitter.

    Whether you’re a business looking for qualified leads or a multimedia journalist connecting with your audience, take advantage of this free opportunity.

    You should see yourself as a personal brand, and social media represent powerful ways to set yourself apart from the pack.

    For example:

    Ask questions to get a better idea of consumer needs.

    Answer questions to show your expertise.

    Join groups — like those in LinkedIn — to learn from others.

    Learn from others who are successful with social media — like WSPA-TV/Spartanburg anchor Amy Wood.  For starters, Google “Amy Wood WSPA-TV.”

     

    Posted in Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Twitter | No Comments »

  • Learn from Extreme Makeover

    June 30th, 2011

    You’ll find great storytelling elements here.  See how many you can spot, then look at my takeaways. This moves fast, which is the point.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training, Uncategorized | No Comments »

  • Teasing Tips

    June 30th, 2011

    You can learn alot from these examples of copy that sells.

    Here are takeaways from a popular magazine.

    Write tight.  For example, “Best cameras” and “Fast food losers” sell succinctly.  Same for “Repair or replace it?”

    Numbers work well. For example:  “Six ways to save on your pet.”

    “Most” and “least” grab attention.  People are curious.

    People want to save money. Especially “thousands” of dollars.

    These headlines effectively sell the benefit of reading the magazine.  And without the power of video — a huge tool in your toolbox.  Also, consider ways to employ these approaches when you write your stories so they engage your viewers.

     

     


     


     

     

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists | No Comments »

  • “No Pictures, Please”

    June 26th, 2011

    How do you shoot a person when you can’t show anybody else in the picture?  We often get this question when, for example, a multimedia journalist has permission to shoot one student in a classroom or gym but nobody else.

    First, prepare to pass up on some of your best shots.  It seems there’s always someone in the background.  So you have to consider your best options:

    • Shoot up, although sometimes these shots aren’t flattering.  Bottom left example below.
    • Shoot tight or tight enough so the people in the background are out of focus.  Bottom right example below.
    • Shoot down by holding the camera over your subject.  Bottom example.
    • Invite the subject of your shoot to move to an area where nobody is in the background.
    • Schedule the shoot when nobody else is around, but that didn’t work in this base because the idea was to capture the energy of the workout class.

    The client, The Four Seasons Resort, was happy with the results my colleague Regent Ducas and I produced and shot for this web video showing Sports Club member Meredith Johnston.  Nobody else working out was even remotely concerned about the video shoot, which was the goal.

    Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »

  • Planning Your Personal Brand

    June 26th, 2011

    With sweeping changes affecting virtually every business, what’s your lifeboat to the future?

    Yes, that’s a huge topic, so you need a tool to get started.  In our strategic planning with corporations and individuals, we recommend you include this simple tool called SWOT.

    It stands for your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  Since most of us our familiar with Nike, you can see how it frames their brand.

    Regarding your situation, fill in the sections.  For Threats, consider the fact if in you’re in broadcasting, the job you were hired to do may be eliminated in its original form.  That’s true for many reporter and photographer positions.

    If you’re in business, sweeping changes mean you need to get a grasp of social media and how companies are leveraging web video to dominate their category through search engines.  We’re working with several companies and individuals, so we like to begin our strategic walks with the SWOT analysis.

    One of their biggest mistake is to look at their direct competitors as threats.  It’s the same mistake a TV station can make thinking their competition is the other stations as opposed to something called digital media.

    Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Web Video | No Comments »

  • How to Eliminate Weak Links

    June 26th, 2011

    One of the big challenges in any company is successful and consistent execution. After all, that’s what it’s all about ultimately.

    One simple way to improve your batting average to plan an exhaustive discussion of the weak links.  Examine what will get in the way.  Yes, you want to cheerlead, but now is the time to be realistic.  Consider:

    Are people  ready to do this?

    Are you ready?

    What skills do you and others need to learn?

    What’s plan “B” when it looks like the yogurt is hitting the fan?

     

    The best time to consider these questions is in your planning process.  We discuss this when we help corporations, small businesses, and TV stations developing their strategies.

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Web Video | No Comments »

  • Power Tool to Break from the Past

    June 26th, 2011

    We developed a powerful tool to help companies execute innovative initiatives.

    It’s surprisingly simple, but many managers rave about it because it leaves the past behind, accelerating execution.

    This is for reporters at one TV station.  But it works for marketing managers, CEOs, multimedia journalists, and anyone wanting to innovate or lead a team trying to implement new initiatives.

     

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media Video | No Comments »

  • Power Tool for Producers

    June 26th, 2011

    How do you avoid stuff falling between the cracks?  What about getting criticized for something while you were focusing on something else?

    These are real world questions we get from multimedia journalists, marketing executives, and the new breed of innovators launching web video via social media.

    Producers pull it all together under deadline pressure, so this is a good example to look at.  And these goals are specific to this producer and station.

    Adapt this tool to serve your own needs whether in news, sales, or achieving your interactive strategies.  Notice when you don’t achieve a goal or the person reporting you doesn’t, identify what you’ll do to avoid the same problem tomorrow.  It sounds obvious, but if you don’t know the solution, ask or brainstorm with your team.  It’s our experience most problems recur.  Rarely do we hear “This is the first time this has happened.”  It’s more like:  “Yeah, I have that problem every day.”

    When I developed this Scorecard, it was for a late night news producer in Kansas City.  He wanted a powerful tool to use to learn and grow.  He made it work for him.  Some are threatened when they think they’re being evaluated by a Scorecard.  Turn that around to show the progress you’re making because you’re identifying the roadblocks and tackling them promptly.

    Posted in Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »

  • Use This Tool To Succeed Faster

    June 26th, 2011

    Use this execution tool to get projects done. It’s simple, yet powerful.  Whether you’re a manager, a CEO, or a multimedia journalist, divide your goal into steps.  Lumping everything together overwhelms.  But this way you can make progress, step by step.

    This is an actual example of a partially filled in template for a powerful franchise, Crimetracker, which alerts viewers to crime trends so they can protect themselves.  Most stations tell us they want to launch Crimetracker because it pulls viewer in.  But they usually flounder because they don’t divide it into steps.  This is just the first page of a series of steps, but you likely get the point.

    This is one of several tools we help clients “install” as part of strategic planning or simply answering the question:  “Why is it so hard to get things done?”

    Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »

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