How to Spot Sales Pitches Masquerading as Media Opportunities

If you work in corporate marketing, you’ve likely received an email that looks like an exclusive media opportunity. It promises national TV exposure, professional production, and access to millions of viewers. The catch: there’s a hefty fee.

One recent example came from World’s Greatest Television, a program that claims to spotlight standout companies.

Their outreach stated that companies are “selected based on merit,” but participation required a $9,700 affiliation fee. Similar offers surface under different program names and production companies, often with the same model: a polished pitch that blurs the line between earned media and paid branded entertainment.

Understanding the model

These offers fall under branded entertainment or pay-to-play models. They are not traditional public relations wins. Instead of independent earned media coverage, you are purchasing a package that combines:

• Filming and production of a 3–4 minute segment
  
  
• Limited broadcast airings (often labeled “sponsored content”)
  
  
• A license to reuse the video across your channels

The big question: who’s really watching?

For mid-market and enterprise companies, the critical factor isn’t whether the footage looks impressive — it’s whether it’s actually seen by the right audience.

Ask yourself:

• Are these shows airing in prime placements with measurable ratings, or in filler blocks with little viewership?
  
  
• Is the “70 million households” claim based on potential reach, or on actual audience delivery data?
  
  
• Does your buyer care more about a captive audience or about the ability to say you were “featured on TV”?
  
  

Too often, these segments end up as “content in the cloud” — technically available, but not actively sought out, consumed, or enjoyed.

Pros and cons to weigh

Potential Pros

• High-quality video asset you can repurpose for sales, web, and social media
  
  
• Some broadcast exposure, if distribution is verified
  
  
• Perceived prestige of a TV segment (if positioned carefully)

Critical Cons

• Not earned media — you’re paying for placement
  
  
• Viewership claims often reflect potential reach, not actual ratings
  
  
• Risk of diluting credibility if stakeholders view it as vanity media
  
  
• ROI depends on how aggressively you repurpose the footage

How to vet these offers

Before committing to any “branded entertainment” or “pay-to-play” pitch, require:

1. Distribution proof: network, time slot, and airing dates in writing
   
   
2. Performance reporting: affidavits or logs of actual airings
   
   
3. Contract clarity: perpetual rights to use footage across all channels
   
   
4. Editorial approval: script and cut sign-off before broadcast
   
   
5. Make-good clause: refund or additional airings if promises aren’t met
   
   
6. References: speak with past participants about their results

It also helps to have a trusted, helpful public relations advisor to help vet and guide you through these opportunities.

Bottom line

Branded entertainment is not earned PR. It’s a marketing investment — closer to buying a commercial than earning an article. That doesn’t make it inherently bad, but you should approach it as a paid content decision, not a PR victory.

If your goal is credibility, trust, and measurable influence, earned media remains the gold standard. If you want a polished asset and can justify the fee as part of your marketing mix, branded entertainment may serve a role. The key is to go in with clear eyes, the right contract terms, and the right expectations.

Further Reading

For those who want to dive deeper into how branded entertainment and pay-to-play models blur the lines between PR and marketing, these resources provide context:

• Pay-for-play is everywhere (PRWeek)
  
  
• Pay-for-performance PR is bad news (PRWeek)
  
  
• What PR pros must know about today’s pay-to-play media reality (PR Daily)
  
  
• PR payola schemes poison media integrity (PRWeek)
  
  
• The Illusion of Brand Control (Harvard Business Review)

Next steps

At Axia Public Relations, we help brands evaluate these offers, separate hype from reality, and pursue strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re weighing an unsolicited media pitch, explore our resources on media and PR best practices before making a decision.

Photo by Knelstrom ltd