As Chair of the UK’s Tourism Society PR Network, I had the pleasure of bringing together some of the UK’s top broadcast travel presenters and producers for The Society’s PR summer event – From Broadcast to Bookings: How To Effectively Engage with TV and Radio Producers.

On the panel were: BBC Travel Presenter Rajan Datar; Andy Clarke, Producer for James Martin’s Adventures; Chris Richards, Series Producer for Travel Man; and BBC Radio veteran and MD of Whistledown Productions David Prest.

The event was attended by a host of tourism brands and PRs, who have since fed back that the tips the panellists shared were really useful and insightful, so in the spirit of assisting travel brand/PR/broadcaster relationships, here are eight tips I took away and intend to implement to get the best out of broadcast opportunities for my travel clients:

1. Allow broadcasters to share their brief with you – before pitching what you think they should see and do. America worked well for James Martin’s team because the tourism boards listened to the producer’s creative needs and requirements (AC)

2. Before pitching to a programme, it sounds obvious but do watch it first before sharing your bespoke pitch ideas (All)

3. Ask yourself why your destination would be relevant to that TV or radio programme. Is there something timely happening that would make for an interesting angle? Is there a unique story exclusive to that destination? (CR)

4. To showcase a destination, let broadcasters meet the people living there – they are the best storytellers about their own country (RD)

5. Recommend good people on the ground within the destination that will make the lives of the broadcast team easier – the name of a good fixer is invaluable information (RD)

6. Try and nurture relationships with a journalist/producer and remember that although a project may not happen overnight, those relationships can prove indispensable in the longer-term (AC)

7. B Roll can be useful for TV, but remember it should feature a diverse mix of people (RD)

8. Great radio requires great facts, great characters and great sound effects (DP)