Local news promos that do the best job of driving primetime viewers to local newscasts offer viewers clear value, specific information and brand fit, according to a study by Frank N. Magid Associates in conjunction with PromaxBDA and presented Thursday at Station Summit in Las Vegas.

Magid presented 14 promos to an online audience of 1,000 people between the ages of 25 and 54 who self-reported as watchers of primetime television and who use TV, Internet, computer, tablet or smart phone at least once a week.

“The spots that tested the best were centered around investigative and enterprise,” said Dick Haynes, Magid’s senior VP of research. “Viewers knew this was a special effort made by the station and only that station to attack a particular problem.”

Stories that specifically affected viewers tended to be the most powerful, but offering indirect value also proved successful.

Viewers also responded well to spots that promised new and important information, and that fit a station’s brand.

Magid tested the promos against two indices: Magid’s promo power index, which looks at how much clout the promotional effort has in pointing people to local television newscasts. Anything above 50 on that index – meaning more than 50% of the people surveyed said they would watch a newscast based on that promo – was rated exceptional.

The other index is the self-explanatory “likely to watch” index. Anything that scored more than 40 on that index was considered exceptional.

Magid also found that 57% of people get their local news from television, while 52% get it online, on local station websites and other places. Some 40% get their news over their mobile device, 31% turn to Facebook and 15% go to Twitter. The number of people using Twitter to get local news has spiked considerably in recent months, said Haynes.

Meanwhile, 52% of people said they “at least occasionally end up watching a newscast because of something I saw on television,” said Haynes, demonstrating that stations’ own air is still the best place to run their messages.

But other platforms are growing in influence and viable ways to promote local newscasts. Some 44% of people watch the news because of something they saw on Facebook, 37% due to a digital ad and 34% tune in to their local news because of a push alert.

To see the entire presentation, go to magidmarketingworks.com.

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