You’ve done your research, and you’ve decided that a media tour with KEF Media is just what your business or organization needs to reach that next stage of growth. But there’s one more thing you need to consider before we begin to book talent and set up interviews — would an In-Person Media Tour or a Virtual Media Tour be the best fit?

Both are great options, and KEF Media has worked hard to achieve amazing results for our clients...

It doesn’t matter the time of year, whether it's a celebration or just another Tuesday, whether it's been a good day or a bad one, food plays a huge role in our lives. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,...

The holiday season is filled with celebrations, time with loved ones, and spending–lots and lots of spending. The National Retail Federation reports that holiday retail sales hit more than $936 billion in 2022, and some experts...

Time to take a deep breath–the hustle of dozens of back-to-back interviews is over, your spokesperson nailed each of the talking points they needed to hit, and your brand was showcased in a way that should make a lasting impression on your target audience. While you can relax–KEF Media just executed an exceptional media tour for your business or organization after all–our team is just getting to work.

A media tour is a huge investment....

You’ve hired a celebrity, retired athlete, or well-known newsmaker to help give your brand a major boost. Now, you need to maximize that investment. This was one of the reasons why KEF Media developed the Customized Media Day. It’s a tactic that takes full advantage of time, resources, and talent to produce the highest level of results for your organization or company.

A Customized Media Day is a condensed time frame filled with a...

It’s time to put on your team colors, get the tailgate ready, schedule the watch party and even partake in some friendly competitive banter with your rivals. Football season is here — the time of year that holds so much meaning for American culture and so many opportunities for brands to grow. Imagine reaching nearly...

Your next media tour is scheduled, and you’ve signed a celebrity spokesperson who will deliver the brand’s message. Then you find out — there’s a conflict of interest. The spokesperson recently represented a competitor, and now they’ll be representing your brand, causing confusion for the audience. What now?

A celebrity spokesperson can be the right fit for Satellite Media Tours when the goal is to increase the visibility or reputation...

In today's fast-paced media landscape, businesses and organizations compete to capture the attention of journalists and influencers. Often, that’s why brands like to bring in a celebrity spokesperson — someone who will make media companies think, “I have to book that tour.” It’s a win-win since celebrities also tend to capture audience attention.

This can be a pretty expensive (although effective) strategy, since working with...

Media tours continue to play a pivotal role in connecting brands and organizations with their audiences. As we venture into the second half of 2023, media tours are set to bring even more excitement, innovation, and engagement.

Now is the time to create a strategy for the rest of the year. From here on out, there’s an opportunity every single month that brands can strategically use to increase visibility.

Just take a look at the...

On-demand. Audience-focused. Choice-driven. Podcasts have gained significant popularity in recent years because they have the power to reach niche audiences.

That’s why we developed podcast tours — an ideal set up for every client looking to create a halo effect around their spokesperson or brand. There are several benefits. Podcasts tend to have a longer shelf life than most media interviews. Plus, your spokesperson will likely have...

The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France. With a rich culture and history — the excitement of holding the Olympics in a European City is already building. Plus, the world is ready to celebrate athletes in person after COVID-19 delayed the 2020 Games and limited access to the 2022 Games.

Summer is right around the corner and families are already planning their summer vacations! This year, it seems like everyone's itching for a vacation, and travel plans are starting to pick back up from the drop during the pandemic. 85% of Americans plan to...

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of U.S. adults say they sometimes or often get their news from radio. That’s great news for anyone looking for a fast way to reach millions of listeners over the airwaves — and it’s why we recommend audio news releases, especially when...

How many media tours should you produce in a year? Are you worried that if you execute too many, your message will feel stale?

A lot of our partners choose to take advantage of multiple opportunities throughout the year to produce media tours. And we can tell you from experience, there are plenty of opportunities to freshen up your brand’s or client’s message so that it never feels like a rinse and repeat.

In...

Satellite Media Tours, or SMTs, have been a key component in PR agencies’ toolboxes for thirty-plus years. For twenty of those years, SMTs were straightforward: your spokesperson is in front of the camera talking to local morning news anchors in dozens of back-to-back interviews. Effective and efficient. PR pros could get their message in front of millions as they got their morning news before heading out to work.

While...

Yvonne Hanak, a 22-year veteran of KEF Media, has been named CEO of KEF Media, the Atlanta-based video, audio, and digital production company serving public relations professionals across the U.S.

Kevin Foley, who founded the firm in Chicago 37 years ago, is stepping down from the role but will assist Hanak as she takes on her new responsibilities.

“Yvonne joined us as a freelance production assistant and has distinguished...

You’ve probably heard this line many times before: “The media landscape is changing.” With the constant evolution of digital and social media, there is no doubt that the media landscape is much different than it was nearly 40 years ago when KEF Media was first founded.

That’s why we have worked diligently to stay ahead of the demands. After all, we don’t just produce Satellite Media Tours anymore....

Game time is here!

It’s almost impossible to predict who’s going to win the biggest football game of the year — will it be the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles?

Sometimes one team wins by a landslide. Other times the game is close. At the end of the game, the goal is always the same: to WIN. KEF Media is excited to be on site for the big game in 2023, helping our clients deliver a W for clients.

Perhaps you have a...

Instead of paying costs for airfare, hotels, and studio space, Virtual Media Tours offer the convenience of going live from the comfort of your own home - and the results have proven to pay off.

VMTs use Skype or Zoom to connect a spokesperson to media around the globe. When the world changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a major shift in our broadcast public relations industry, and quickly learned that PR had a whole new...

The year is coming to an end, so it’s time to start looking at media tour trends for 2023.

Part of the beauty of the new year is having a fresh start and trying out new ideas to make your business or product stand-out against the competition. Here are some tours to keep in mind:

When a pitch email lands in a newsroom inbox, it needs to be eye-catching and the opportunity should be unique. A b-flat pitch and dull spokesperson is not going to cut it with modern media outlets.

No matter if it’s an on-location, remote, in-studio or virtual tour, getting creative with the set/background is what will set your project apart and make for engaging TV....

When it comes to media tours, the last thing you want to do is blend in. Whether your next tour is at a remote location or in-studio, taking the set to the next level is critical to standing out — and it happens to be an area where KEF Media excels.

Below are a few examples of stand-out sets created for media tours that captured audience attention and took the tour far beyond standard.

Satellite Media Tours are effective for all types of messaging, but they especially offer extra value for retail stores.

When it comes to the retail industry, there is a lot of competition — but also a lot of opportunity. Global retail sales grew to $26 billion in 2021 and that number is expected to grow to $31.3 trillion by 2025. Separating your brand or your client is key...

Every year, KEF Media has two unique opportunities to hit the red carpet at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and the SCAD TVFest. While there is always a little glitz and glamor involved, we are there to highlight every celebrity who comes through the red carpet both as the house crew and as representatives for various entertainment outlets.

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is presented by...

When you’re making an investment like a Satellite Media Tour (SMT), you want to make sure every detail is covered and goes off just as planned. Once you hire us, our job is to take the tour to the next level with solid bookings, the right crew in place, and expert coaching for the spokesperson.

Whether you’ve had a bad experience in the past, or you’re just dipping your feet into the world of SMTs for the first time, we’ve got a few...

Satellite Media Tours take all shapes and sizes and it’s no surprise. After all, there is no “one size fits all” solution for getting the right message to the right audience. Still, sometimes it’s helpful to see examples of successful Satellite Media Tours to have an understanding of the strategy behind each approach.

Example #1: Holiday Entertaining

When a global PR agency wanted to boost sales of Navel oranges,...

Shopping malls, overseas resorts, even private islands — KEF Media recently produced Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) from all of those locations. There is something special about an on-location Satellite Media Tour. You have the ability to transport viewers to another place. Producers tend to gravitate towards on-location interviews because they are so visual. And that’s exactly what the audience wants to see.

Producing live tours outside...

Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) may have taken a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now they are back in full force. Many of our partners are returning to Satellite Media Tours to get their clients' message out, but like many other aspects of our lives, they look a little different than they did before.

SMTs are a tried and true broadcast PR tactic with high-quality results. They build excitement, cast a wide net of awareness...

Some of the largest target markets in the country — like New York and Los Angeles — also contain the largest Spanish-speaking populations in the United States. Around 13% of people in the U.S. speak Spanish at home.

Although Spanish-speaking content may...

How many emails do you get per day that start, “Can you spare 10 minutes for a conversation about (fill in the blank)?”

The topic may not even be relevant to you because the salesperson never bothered to learn what your company does or how what they’re pitching will help your business. These pitches are cookie cutter and impersonal, and often not successful.

As PR professionals, there is a lot to take away from this type of...

Believe it or not — we are already in the middle of the holiday season. With Mother’s Day and Memorial Day under our belt in May, we can look ahead to one holiday after another for almost the remainder of the year.

Just take a look at the calendar…

June: Father’s Day

July: 4th of July

August: Back to School

September: Labor...

The beaches of Mexico. A celebrity’s backyard. On a farm. Media tours can be produced from nearly any spot in the world. (Take our word for it. We’ve produced media tours everywhere from stadiums to Yellowstone to the top of a Beijing hotel.)

From our 36 years of experience with media tours, we’ve found location can often be the difference between forgettable and unforgettable.

Here are some of the top reasons to choose an...

You know your client needs coverage with a media tour. Now, what’s the next step? Sorting through all of the different options can be overwhelming when you want to make sure you get stellar results.

When a client contacts us about a future tour, we listen carefully to their needs then guide them towards the option that best suits their needs. We are also constantly adjusting our tours to...

Despite what you hear about the rise of ‘nontraditional’ media and other digital media platforms — there is still a place for traditional media, specifically local TV news, in your PR strategy.

While it’s always important to have a good mix of media placements and not put all of your eggs in one basket, we’ve seen strong results when our clients include local news.

Consider these reasons why TV should remain part of your PR...

Results are critical in the PR world, especially when companies spend money to drive awareness around their brand.

While media impressions and reach are important, sometimes more targeted efforts will get more effective results for your client or brand than a message that spans a wide audience. If you have a good understanding of your target audience, executing a campaign that hits the primary markets and audiences can be more...

If you’re familiar with media tours, then you’ve probably heard of a Co-op Media Tour. It’s traditionally a cost-effective solution to showcase a brand or client’s product or service on local and national TV, radio, digital platforms, and more.

Some would say the multi-brand segments are what make a Co-op Tour cost-effective. In most cases, Co-op Media Tours spotlight three or four brands within one segment. It can often be a gamble...

Just before Wild Card Weekend, we partnered with our client to connect leading analysts from Yahoo Sports to media outlets around the country. Instead of paying costs for airfare, hotels, and studio space, both sports analysts went live from the comfort of their own home - and the results could not have been better.

When it’s time to get the message out about your product or service, there are more options than ever before. You can use a number of social media platforms, YouTube, a press release or press conference, or a webinar. Or you could choose a Satellite Media Tour. Satellite Media Tours build excitement, gain exposure, and cast a wide net of awareness over a brand’s product or service.

Satellite Media Tours are a great option to get the...

The days of mass emailing pitches and offering standard messaging are gone. The PR industry in 2022 is much different than it was in 2000, and if you want your client's message to resonate with the right audience, your approach may look a little different than even a couple of years ago.

Our job is to connect PR professionals with the right media contacts. Often, there can be a disconnect between these two groups. PR professionals may...

The digital world we live in today is oversaturated with content. YouTube users upload over 400 hours of video every minute. More than a million videos are viewed on TikTok every single day. The...

There are more options than ever before to get your client’s message in front of an audience. After you decide which tactic is best - whether it’s a Satellite Media Tour, a Virtual Media Tour, or another tactic - the next most important aspect to consider is location.

“Vision” is part of the word television, and it’s also just as important on digital landscapes. We often see others just switching out logos on a screen behind talent....

These days, it seems like everyone (and everything) has a podcast. There are scripted fictional podcasts, narrative nonfiction podcasts, celebrity podcasts, podcasts featuring conversations about every topic under the sun – whether it’s business and finance, health and wellness, marketing and PR, politics, sports, tech and true crime or fashion, food and pharma. There are even podcasts about dental hacks, pro wrestling and gnomes! Yes,...

A Satellite Media Tour (SMT) is a cost-effective way to connect brands with consumers across the country. The goal is to get your spokesperson in front of your target audience. The tour typically includes four hours packed with back-to-back media interviews.

When it comes to cost, rates for a Satellite Media Tour can vary. At KEF Media, we work to tailor tactics to your budget. There are several factors that determine how much you can...

There is no doubt we live in a digital world that has changed the public relations industry and ad spend is following that trend. MAGNA forecasts U.S. ad spend to reach $300 billion for the first time in 2022. Breaking down that spend, the research arm of media buying firm IPG Mediabrands says two-thirds will account for digital ad sales.

That’s not to say TV ad sales are dead. In fact, TV ad sales are expected to bump up slightly in...

Your spokesperson delivered a strong message. Your backdrop looked great. The tour reached 25 or more stations and markets. Now, how do you know if the Satellite Media Tour (SMT) was a success? An SMT is an investment and you should get the most out of your budget.

First, let’s take a step back. When you work with an experienced team, there should be no surprises when you see your SMT results. You should know what to...

TV stations need content for morning programs, online outlets are hungry for compelling video, radio and newspapers are building up their online presence with solid video interviews. Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) could be the right tactic to provide relevant content to media and get your client’s message across multiple platforms.

Before you make a sizable spend on a PR tactic, below are 10 tips (and lots of questions) to help you shape...

Virtual Media Tours (VMTs) are here to stay. KEF Media perfected VMTs when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) and other media coverage options will always have a place and benefit for clients, but VMTs deliver the same great results that clients expect with a few additional perks: no travel, low cost, and remote locations.

We have a nickname for...

Like most businesses, KEF Media faced a challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Almost every media tour was cancelled within three days.

We quickly discovered a problem that we needed to solve. The media still needed relevant and engaging content, and our clients were ready to deliver their message.

Within a week, the KEF team developed a new offering - the Virtual Media Tour (VMT). We combined our 35 years of experience with...

Simply put, a Satellite Media Tour (SMT) is a great way to amplify your client’s message. From television and radio to digital platforms - a series of back-to-back interviews in a single day will help quickly share your content with audiences across the country. It can happen from a studio or remote location over the course of a few hours.

A question we hear often: Do SMTs still work? Though there is a caveat, the answer is still...

You might think you have the perfect product or service to pitch to the media, but end up with no media coverage. No matter how great your business is, there can often be a disconnect between PR professionals and the media.

PR professionals are looking for publicity. The media is often looking for a ‘hook,’ or a compelling story. The media wants to present content that will capture viewers attention, whether it’s on television, radio,...

KEF Media is always looking for ways to deliver the best results for our clients while providing relevant and useful content to the media. Now, there is a new tactic that’s a great option for tight budgets and deadlines called the Integrated Taped Tour (ITT).

Integrated Taped Tours are an alternative to Co-Op Media Tours. Co-Op Media Tours were a great option for some of our clients, but the quality has declined in recent years....

Considering a Satellite Media Tour to get your message to broadcast outlets? The good news is SMTs are working very well, they just look a bit different than they did two years ago. Here are some key learnings and tips for a successful Virtual Media Tour.

The Super Bowl LIV will kick off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami February 2, 2020. It’s undoubtedly one of the highest-profile platforms available to public relations pros, whether they represent sponsor or non-sponsor brands.

The news media will descend on Miami right after the two Super Bowl teams are decided in conference championship games, providing a two-week window during which brands have the opportunity to attract attention and...

In two short years, The Daily Buzz digital platforms have proven to be an audience magnet.

“Every week we’re seeing more views and interactions. It’s been incredible to see how our show has taken off so quickly in such a short period of time digitally” said Marnie Williams, senior digital editor.

After a highly successful launch in June 2017, The Daily Buzz averages over 500,000 video views and reaches 5 million fans on Facebook...

Back in the olden days – the 1990s anyway – we produced video news releases or VNRs for many leading public relations agencies and corporate clients. These were the equivalent of what we call content today.

We would look for an intriguing, newsworthy way to present a brand’s story in a 90-second package that was often narrated and then present the VNRs we produced at no cost to television producers who might or might not air some or all...

Think about your client, that person with whom you have regular contact, the one who critiques the work of your account team and signs off on your agency’s invoices.

He or she sits in a tough spot. Over here is your agency entrusted to deliver on the PR programming you successfully sold to the client. Over there is “the boss,” the person your client contact reports to, reviewing and evaluating how well or even if the public relations...

You’re having a group of friends over for a party and you decide to invite a guy you recently met at a coffee shop. You don’t really know him, but he seems like the outgoing sort who comprises your circle of friends and acquaintances. He seems like a good fit.

The guy shows up tipsy and continues to drink and make a fool of himself, telling inappropriate dirty jokes in a voice nobody can miss. While showing off his juggling skills with...

You’ve shot some great brand video, cut it, and posted it online where you think it will do the most good for your client. Great, but why stop there?

Your video can and should be on television programs targeting your brand’s audience, especially if that brand is spending advertising dollars on TV. Put another way, if the brand manager thinks broadcast has an important place in the marketing mix, shouldn’t you too?

I get that you...

Congratulations, you won that big account! Now, how long will the honeymoon last? When will that new client start wondering when your team will deliver those results you promised? My experience tells me, well, yesterday.

As an account manager many years ago at two major public relations agencies, I learned the clock started ticking the moment the client signed the contract. And the faster we delivered, the quicker we earned the client’s...

When we execute a broadcast and/or digital projects for a public relations firm, KEF Media considers ourselves that agency’s direct partner. Our goal is the same today as it was in 1986 when KEF Media was launched, to build lasting relationships, as we gain your confidence and trust. We do that by delivering honest counsel and media results that matter to you and your client.

A satellite media tour remains an effective public relations...

Whether or not former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by league owners is an open question. But I recall Kaepernick was benched by the San Francisco 49ers when he proved to be ineffective as the starter.

There is no question he took the NFL by storm in 2013, leading the 49ers to the NFC championship game. However, as a player, Kaepernick was something of a one trick pony, making the most of the relatively new...

Attracting A-list celebrities to a public relations program can be a formidable challenge. Getting them to do anything for less than a six-figure fee is practically impossible. But if you have the right story and that story meshes with the celebrity’s own interests, you might be surprised at how things turn out.

Mouth and Foot Painting Artists is an international association of disabled painters who paint with their mouths or feet and...