Best Ways for Small Businesses to Advertise on TV Without Huge Budgets

If you’re a small business owner, the idea of advertising on TV might seem very far-fetched. You think you’ll need millions to get your message on that screen. You’d have been right ten years ago, but not today. 

Changes in the media world mean that TV isn’t just for the big players anymore. You can get your business in front of people’s screens with smart, budget-friendly TV advertising strategies that don’t require millions of dollars.

We’ll talk about how in this article.

Why TV Still Matters

You  might be wondering, “Why do I need TV advertising in today’s world of TikTok and Instagram?” 

Fair question. Let’s answer it with some numbers.

• Ad spend on streaming and Connected TV (CTV) is expected to hit $46.89 Billion by 2028.
• Smart TVs are the most common smart devices in U.S. homes, owned by up to 68% of U.S. households.
• In 2025, people averaged 3 hours and 13 minutes on TV daily, compared to 2 hours and 21 minutes on social media. That’s nearly an hour of extra daily engagement.

The message couldn’t be clearer: TVs and streaming screens are where people are now. And that’s where you can reach them, even without big budgets.

Let’s discuss how.

Leverage Streaming (CTV/OTT) Advertising

From the numbers above, you can see that TV today is increasingly leaning towards Connected TV (CTV) and Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms. In fact, according to Adwave, 56% of marketers increased CTV spend in 2025. 

Clearly, this is where your ads should go. Thankfully, there are AI-powered TV advertising platforms that put this option within reach.

The advantage here is threefold. It’s easy to use. It allows for local and targeted TV advertising. It’s surprisingly very affordable. 

First, you don’t need a large production team or special equipment. You just provide details of your business and use AI to create a broadcast-ready TV commercial. You then have access to hundreds of premium TV channels, including major networks like NBC, ESPN, and Hulu, where you can show your ads.

Even better, you can target who sees your ads by ZIP code, city, or region. No more budgeting thousands of dollars for people who may not need what you’re offering.

It’s targeted. It’s effective. It’s definitely SMB-friendly compared to traditional TV advertising.

Use Remnant Advertising

According to industry data, local TV advertising spend is expected to hit $2.4 Billion by the end of 2026. CTV and OTT spend will be a lot higher at $17.7 Billion. 

However, that more and more businesses are opting for CTV and OTT doesn’t mean you should cancel traditional TV completely. You can still use it, but in a smart way so that you don’t spend millions.

As you may know, TV stations sell most of their airtime months in advance. But not all of it. What’s left? They call it remnant advertising. For small business owners, it’s an opportunity to show on local TV for less.

Think of it like airline seats. A plane is about to take off. There are empty seats. The airline would rather sell them for pennies than leave them empty. Same with TV stations.

Local broadcasters typically have lots of unsold inventory during non-peak months. You can snag that inventory for a lot less than the rate card price. Maybe not as affordable and straightforward as CTV or OTT, but it gets the job done.

There’s a catch, though. You don’t get to pick the exact time slot. But honestly? That’s fine. We’re talking about possibly getting prime TV ad slots at a fraction of the regular cost.

Partner With Local Shows or Sponsors

Getting your message out there doesn’t always mean actually creating TV ads. You can sponsor:

• Local news segments
• Community event coverage
• Public affairs shows
• Local sports broadcasts

Stations often offer sponsorship packages where your logo, tagline, and short message run in pre- or post-roll segments for far less than a full ad. And for local viewers, this feels more organic and trustworthy.

While the internet, especially search engines, remains the primary way people discover brands, current surveys show that at 24%, ads on TV shows and films can also be a good way to reach people.

Be Clear with Your CTA

This one sounds obvious. But it’s where most small businesses trip up.

You have fifteen seconds to get your message across. Maybe twenty. You don’t have time to be clever or artsy. You don’t have time to hide your website in a sea of text at the end. You need a clear call to action that anyone can grasp easily.

According to a 2024 YouGov report, 26% of viewers enjoy seeing ads on TV, whether digital or traditional. Your job is to make sure they know what to do next.

Don’t be vague. Specificity wins here.

A good example is something like “Mention DREAM SWEET. Get $100 off any queen mattress.” That’s it. The idea is to let viewers remember what you want them to do and make it matter to them.

Don’t make people work to give you money.

Test Small Before Scaling

This is probably the most important tip when it comes to TV advertising for small businesses: don’t bet the farm on your first campaign. Start small, gather data, and scale what works.

There are AI-powered TV advertising platforms that let you launch a CTV campaign for as little as $50. That’s an incredibly low-risk way to test whether streaming TV advertising works for your business before committing a serious budget. 

Tracking and analytics are easy, too. On many of these platforms, you can monitor performance metrics, audience reach, and lots more. 

This type of visibility helps you better understand how the TV advertising is working for your business, and whether or not you should scale your investment in this area.

Your Small TV Ad Budget Can Go Far

TV advertising is no longer a closed club for only the big-name brands. New tech, streaming platforms, and smarter buying options mean that small businesses like yours can get their message on TV screens with very little budget.

• CTV lets you target and start cheap
• Remnant ads unlock lower-cost inventory
• Local sponsorships provide low-cost advertising opportunities

So if you’ve been thinking “TV ads are just too pricey,” that’s not the whole picture anymore. Why not give it a try today? You might be surprised how far small-budget TV ads can go.