There are many means of promoting a product or service, and the goal of all of these is to gain maximum exposure to your target audience. One such way to do so is to use satellite media tours. A satellite media tour, or SMT, is a series of interviews conducted via satellite, enabling a spokesperson to speak live or record with a large number of interviewers over a national or international spread in a short amount of time with no travel expenses. Interviews with journalists may be conducted in some cases, while in another, a recorded statement is prepared, which a newscaster, journalist or other television personality can overlay their own commentary or give their own introduction.

An SMT is not a commercial piece, and this is very important to remember. Television interviews are short- usually about ten to fifteen minutes at the absolute maximum, so any kind of product or sponsor mention really only only has space to happen once- and that is how it should be. A satellite media tour (SMT) is a technique used by corporations(primarily) to provide an “expert” of their choosing to local television news broadcasts for often-live interaction, with the goal of getting out a specific message. Satellite media tours are related to, and often used in conjunction with, Video News Releases

Finding a spokesperson for an SMT can by tricky- as many times they are placed in the role of an expert in their interviews, they need to be someone with a genuine connection to the product, service, or event they are speaking about. This is where having a celebrity marketing agency can come in handy- they already have the connections necessary to help determine who the best possible spokesperson(s) would be and send out feelers to check interest. They can secure the spokesperson, set up the media interviews, and arrange for the studio time and space for the SMT to take place.

Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) remain a cost-effective way to get your messages out to the media and directly to the consumers you and your clients are looking to reach. SMTs generally consist of a series of television  interviews over a two, three or four-hour time period with your company spokesperson and the media. SMTs may focus on one spokesperson for a new product or significant event, such as a book release or movie premiere, or resources may be  pooled for a “Coop” SMT focused on a particular subject, such as fitness or personal finance.

Bear in mind, not every story topic and every spokesperson is a good match for a media tour. Therefore, it’s important to consider a potential media tour segment wisely. Before scheduling an SMT, consider:

• Does it have wide news appeal? Producers want “news they can use,” with easy-to-understand consumer messages.
• Does the spokesperson have some level of media recognition/credentials or does he or she offer a truly unique perspective on the story?