Relevance, relevance, relevance. All the surveys that we've conducted throughout the years have pointed to it as the single-most reason why certain PSAs are chosen over others. All campaigns must meet basic criteria including, but not limited to: PSAs must not try to influence legislation or have a political agenda; PSAs must be professionally produced; PSAs must be produced and signed by a legitimate non-profit (501c3) organization; PSAs must relate to a social issue of importance to the media's audience; and a solicitation for donations must not be made in an overt fashion.

and will the media limit my public service announcement usage because of a for-profit sponsor involvement?

There is increasing pressure from corporate sponsors to be featured in public outreach communications campaigns. There are, however, few opportunities to do so without significantly compromising the quality and quantity of donated media time and space. We recommend that sponsors be recognized in fulfillment and collateral materials as well as on websites and social media channels to which the advertising directs the target to visit—and not the public service announcements themselves. Media gatekeepers are looking for reasons NOT to run a particular advertising campaign and we need to minimize those opportunities.

Yes, message wear-out rarely happens at the PSA director level and it's even more unusual among your ultimate target audience. We recommend that clients maximize their PSA production investment and distribute their campaigns at least twice before retiring the work.

Celebrity endorsers offer the non-profit marketer both limitations and benefits. The most important consideration is how committed the celebrity is to your cause and how closely tied he or she is to the issue. There is potential fallout if the celebrity were to be seen in an unfavorable light or if his or her character, —and by association yours—were to be called into question. PlowShare favors the use of celebrities as voice-overs for the campaign. You benefit from their talent, and their celebrity without subjecting your organization to some of the long-term potential risks.

We recommend that clients produce TV public service announcements in the following lengths (in priority order): :60, :30, :20, :10 and :15. At a bare minimum we recommend the :60 and :30. Interestingly, the :60 format is the most often used of all the lengths we distribute. In fact, in some cases, the :60 represents upwards of 70% of the total number of TV airings. For radio public service announcements, we recommend only the :60 and :30. The magazine sizes we recommend are full page (7" x 10"), one-third vertical (2 ¼" x 10"), one-third square (4 5/8" x 4 7/8") and one-sixth page (2 ¼" x 4 7/8").

Talent end dates are essential for the media in determining when a PSA's talent agreement has expired. We strongly recommend that the talent expiration date be placed on both the slate at the head of the PSA and on the actual packaging. Non-profit marketers are more likely to be in a powerful negotiating position with the unions if the end dates for the PSA have been clearly marked on the distributed materials. Note: SAG and AFTRA, the unions governing public service announcement talent usage, allow for a second year's use of the talent on the PSA at no additional charge with the stipulation that the second year is requested in a written letter to each performer. If all the performers agree to the extension, the public service announcement can run for an additional year at no cost.

The ground is moving on this question with the sands shifting away from the prohibition of asking for direct contributions, but it's been a relatively slow process. Our clients are making requests phrased as follows: "To learn about what you can do call or visit www…", "For more ways to make a difference, click www…", "Get involved by calling 1 800 000-000 or visiting www…" These represent a more direct call to action than was historically allowable. The medium also makes a difference. TV is the most stringent advertising media, followed by radio, and then print, the least stringent of the three.

People buy advertising from people. As such, PlowShare has set up an off-campus calling team that makes media calls to PSA directors virtually every week. This team has divided the nation into five quadrants and established personal relationships with hundreds of TV PSA gatekeepers in their individual regions. We know their birthdays, their children's names and the issues that they spark to. These personal relationships make a difference when we call on your behalf.

PlowShare provides our clients with the science of smart database direct marketing found at the best PSA distributors combined with the magic and sparkle of the best of Madison Avenue. We create advertising programs that inspire, move and inform. We build strategic PSA distribution and outreach programs that generate significant amounts of media activity; and provide tracking and evaluation throughout the life of a campaign in order to gauge success and adjust efforts while the campaign is in play, rather than after it has run its course.

We have an established and successful track record working this way. PlowShare works with a host of traditional advertising agencies and public relations firms in the development of marketing programs for their non-profit clients. We've been given fully finished PSAs to distribute and track, and we've worked alongside agencies through the creative development process. We've even brought creative concepts to the media before production in order to identify any issues that might reduce media support.

Our strategy for developing media lists is based solely on ROI. We want to maximize the amount of media inventory that your advertising campaign generates. We have over 1,700,000 records of usage from more than 16,000 media outlets in our FertileData 2.0 proprietary media database from which we identify the best media for your materials. We know what kinds of advertising campaigns the media outlets have responded to in the past and which ones they are likely to respond to now. We sort this information by geography and media outlet size to blend the past with the possibilities of the future. We can even create a matrix that visually places the media within quadrants on a graph to help pictorially demonstrate where the opportunities exist. FertileData 2.0 helps to not only identify historical information about media outlet usage patterns, but also to identify gaps that exist as an advertising campaign unfolds.

The boundaries that once existed between buying public service advertising and obtaining pro-bono public service advertising have collapsed. Media outlets are eager to secure paid advertising and as such, we have purchased local and national media inventory for our clients. And, in fact, have then seen the public service component accelerate, not diminish. Paid PSA schedules help to create focused, time-locked promotional periods, and the public service advertising inventory can serve as the continuity between these periods. It is however important to be discreet about the paid advertising component, in order to avoid alienating those media outlets that receive no financial gain from it.

There are dozens of factors that impact overall campaign value. PlowShare takes a decidedly conservative approach to determining media valuation. Overall, we expect an ROI of somewhere between $45 and $110 to $1. In other words, for every dollar spent on PSA distribution, you should be receiving between $45 and $110 in donated media value. The dramatic difference in range is due to the differences between media type. Radio and cable tend to have higher ROIs than do newspapers or magazine campaigns. Broadcast TV is somewhere between radio and print media.

No. The overnight segment represents only about 33% of the total amount of TV media airings we receive for a particular campaign. Daytime, early/late fringe represents a significantly greater percentage of airings. Prime time airings are typically 3 – 5% of our total TV airings.

Isn't this more expensive and outdated?

The vast majority of TV stations still prefer to receive their PSA campaigns via hard copy tape. We use digital follow up strategies to further promote the campaign and drive home the importance of airing the spots, but hard copy tape is still the preferred method for receiving PSAs.

Exciting captivating packaging helps to accelerate the speed in which a PSA is previewed and potentially used. Packaging is the resume that gets the interview.