How To Get on The TODAY Show
Advice for Making the Most of Your TV Experience
Written by: Rita Tennyson, Orca Communications publicist
The TODAY Show on NBC is a top American news and talk morning television show. Starting in 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world and is the fifth-longest-running American television series. It won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Morning Program in 2021 with a total of five wins. It takes some time and finesse to appear on The TODAY Show, but here are my best tips and examples for putting your best foot forward:
Tip #1: Go to contributors and work into their needs for a story
In my experience, I’ve pitched producers there directly, but I’ve had the most success (two appearances this year) by pitching presenters that already have regular segments on the show. It’s great to suggest an original idea and have a reporter follow through on that–but it’s more likely that you’ll find a reporter already writing a story and find a way to fit your product into that piece. Both times I’ve had products reviewed and showcased on The TODAY Show, I’ve talked to presenters who I know are regular contributors on the show, particularly in the entertainment-focused 3rd hour with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush.
Example #1: Steve Greenberg has been bringing technology products to TODAY for years.
Greenberg has also done media tours in America’s top TV markets, including CW11 NYC, WGN Chicago, NBC Seattle, NBC Washington DC, CBS Houston, and ABC Tampa. He’s at every trade show and can always do media tours for a pay-for-play cost. If you want to pay, it will be worth every penny as he’s a great presenter and very well-watched. Networks nationwide go to him to have them do a tech segment from all the big tech shows like CES.
He gets pitched 5,000 products every year and only a handful get on The TODAY Show–you need to keep an eye out for when he is given topics by the show like ‘Holiday gifts under $100’ or ‘Outdoor Tech for Summer’ and then pitch him something that is visually interesting for him to demo! As you can imagine, these requirements narrow down the playing field! And he can choose to bring you to the producers, but they may say no. Once chosen, you may get cut for time or any other reason.
Our client Plankpad is the first ever plank-based bodyweight trainer that uses interactive games to help you plank longer! It’s visually fun to demo so I thought it would be perfect for this holiday segment and I pitched it and lucked out! We had a planning meeting with Steve and we suggested that he use the holiday game called ‘Gift Rush’ and stream it to a TV so the viewing audience can see what he sees on his device while playing. Again, everything is up to the set decorators and logistics team at the network and depends on what they can do that day–but that’s exactly what they did! Not only did we get a big screen behind Steve on The TODAY Show with our logo and product photo while he was introducing the segment, but they also chose to film him doing Plankpad when they did the break to commercial before the segment ran. I understand that Plankpad sold 700 units in one day and they rose from #60 to #2 on the list of balance boards on Amazon! We call this PR Gold!
Example #2. Another great presenter who is regularly on The TODAY Show is Lifestyle expert, Brittany Levine.
Levine let us know that she got a call from The TODAY Show to do a Spring Guide called, Psyched for the Season. We sent her SPOTMYUV, a sticker that you put on your skin, apply sunscreen, and the sticker uses technology to tell you when to re-apply! The TODAY Show absolutely loved SPOTMYUV and asked us to create a visual graphic of what the SPOT looks like clear and then what the SPOT looks like in purple and put them side by side so the SPOTMYUV graphics department worked with them to get them what they needed.
Tip #2: Give them shopping info
One really great feature of a TODAY Show placement is that they put all of the products from their filmed segments on their website, TODAY.com. The site gets 23 Million Unique Visitors each month. Visitors to the page can click right on the buy now button to purchase the product and buy easily. Make sure you let the producers or the contributor who did your spot know where you’d like people to be directed. HERE is an example.
Tip #3: Share with your sales & marketing team
The TODAY Show has a physical store in NYC at the Westfield World Trade Center so any products that appear on air can look into this option, as well! This will provide an additional sales channel for brands that appear on the show. You should also leverage your PR in as many marketing channels as possible, including social media, email marketing, and even in the sales sheets you provide to retailers.
When it comes to PR and earned media, there is never a guarantee. A lot of times we’re at the mercy of producers, writers, and editors – as they are the gatekeepers of the stories. We are simply messengers. But there are certainly a few strategies we take to make a PR campaign more successful and increase your odds of securing that coveted placement on The TODAY Show or another top-tier media outlet. If you’d like to learn more about launching a PR campaign for your brand, schedule a consultation today and we’ll get it going for you!