Before now, reality TV shows were thought to be a trend. But right now, they are the current staple of television; they have become the standard and everyone is jumping on board to get their concept televised to ready viewers.
Why have reality shows become so popular? It’s because staging a reality show is a smart, proven way to promote yourself, your brand, product or service, or special cause.
Starting a reality TV show, though not easy, is not out of reach of anyone who wants to stage one. It’s all a matter of developing your concept, going through the production process, and then airing your show. The keyword here is uniqueness. If you are looking to start a reality TV show, this post is for you. Read on to learn the guidelines for making your dream a reality.
How to Start a Reality TV Show – Sample Business Plan Template
1. Come up with an idea-: Your first step towards starting a successful reality TV show is to brainstorm for ideas for your show and picking the best. Think about what your series will be all about.
- What is it that makes your idea unique?
- What is it about your show that will get your audience excited?
- Which sub-genre of reality programming does your show idea fall into
- Would it be a competition and elimination series, or a relationship series, or a lifestyle series, or something else?
- What do you want to achieve with the show?
- For how long will the show run?
These are questions you must answer when coming up with an interesting idea for your reality TV show.
2. Write your scripts-: Your next step is to write a full synopsis, future episode guide and plot guide script for the pilot episode script for the host or voice-overs. Be sure to break down your script and decide how to go about the filming process. Copyright your idea by registering with the appropriate agency for copyright protection in your state or country. When writing your synopsis, the key is efficiency in describing the elements and action involved, but also creating enough detail to be original.
3. Acquire funding-: Producing a reality TV show requires pre-production with all hiring crew, obtaining shooting permits, and many other things that will gulp a lot of money. If you cannot pool together all the required funds from your own end, then you will have toseek financing from third parties such as investors. If your idea or concept is really interesting and unique, you should be able to find interested investors without much stress.
4. Shoot your reality show-: Following a shooting schedule you would have created earlier, shoot your reality TV show as planned. Be sure to engage a professional editor to go through the footage and edit it together into a compelling and interesting piece of entertainment. If you want everything to be done in line with your preferences, sit with the editor as he reviews and edits the footage.
5. Promote your show-: Once you are done with the shooting and editing, promote your shop it around to networks and production companies, sending them tapes of the show when requested.
Your main targets are leading production companies that are always scouting for new interesting projects to invest in. If you are able to get a deal with one of such companies, then your work stops right at that point because the company will be responsible for delivering the show to the network for airing, and you will be remunerated handsomely depending on the agreement you reach with the company.
Note, however that most networks and production companies will not accept your pitch for review if it doesn’t come through an agent. So, if you are going through the traditional route of broadcasting your show on TV, you should consider pitching an agent with connections to TV production companies or TV networks.
Alternatively, you can post your video online using sites like YouTube. Then promote the show to gather a huge following of loyal fans. This is a cheaper and less strenuous option to adopt if you want to forget the traditional way of getting your show on TV.
6. Continue shooting additional episodes-: Once you have struck a good deal with a TC network or production company, or you have successfully gathered a large audience online with your first episode, continue shooting additional episodes and promoting the show until your audience grows well enough to be noticed by large networks, advertisers, and studios. You can end your show once you have achieved the goals you intended to achieve with it.
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