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Wondering how to prepare for television interviews? In this article, Media Coach, Susan Harrow offers media training tips and interview <\/em>preparation<\/em> tips for being interviewed on TV. Learn how to find the right <\/em>words to use in an interview<\/em> to double your business.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Many people see getting on TV as a holy grail to getting publicity. Oprah was the leader in making careers overnight.<\/p>\n Other shows don\u2019t necessarily have the same instant influence that Oprah had, but a four-minute segment on a major morning talk or news show can still have that magic formula effect.<\/p>\n While getting on TV can be a powerful way for entrepreneurs, authors, leaders, coaches, and consultants to increase their sales and grow their businesses on the spot, it can also be something of a dud if not done correctly.<\/p>\n Here are three ways you can get on TV and then make your appearance count.<\/p>\n When I work with my clients I write up a segment \u2013 exactly what you would see if you watched the show \u2013 that caters to the host’s strengths and personality.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve watched the shows so I have a sense of the subject matter they like to cover and the format they prefer. I\u2019ve read up on as much as I can to best angle my segment to the preferences of the hosts and show.<\/p>\n For you, that means that you need to be familiar with the show you\u2019ll appear on. That\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n Think of it as a job interview for your dream job. You would want to know the background of the person interviewing you, their personality and pet peeves, and their style and pacing. You would want to understand the culture of the company.<\/p>\n You would want to know what kind of products or services had been successful for them and the way they like those things packaged.<\/p>\n For\u00a0Dr. Sara Gottfried<\/a>, Harvard-trained integrative physician, yoga diva meets science nerd, and author of The New York Times best-selling book, The Hormone Cure<\/em>, we developed a segment called, \u201cWhat does every woman have in her purse that can balance her hormones naturally?\u201d for the 10am slot on NBC\u2019s Today show with hosts Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb.<\/p>\n This segment automatically gal-appeal to women hosts and their audience, plus addresses one of the most difficult issues women deal with \u2013 cortisol, the culprit behind stress. And since the segment hasn\u2019t aired yet I can\u2019t tell you what those items in her purse are. (Sorry!)<\/p>\n From there we first found the 5 points we wanted to focus on and then reverse-engineered the questions that the hosts could ask.<\/p>\n Next, we crafted the women-centric visuals that would drive the segment and create interaction between the hosts and Gottfried.<\/p>\n Then we created a quick teaser copy (that\u2019s what you hear when the hosts let you in on the secret of what\u2019s upcoming so you don\u2019t change the channel or tune out).<\/p>\n Finally, we chose a special report for a website giveaway. TV producers want to drive website traffic to their website, not yours. So their audience goes to their site for the \u201cextras\u201d and then can jump to the guests\u2019 website from there.<\/p>\n Extras can be anything that takes you deeper into a guest\u2019s work and the world: a book excerpt, a recipe, an infographic, or an audio or video clip.<\/p>\n After that, we honed each example down to a 20-second or so response that included a story or vignette of how Gottfried wanted her business to grow.<\/p>\n Since she has an online community and courses one of our examples included a success story about women in her courses.<\/p>\n It seems like a \u201cduh\u201d moment, but most TV guests must forget first \u2014 especially under the pressure of hot lights and a tight timeframe.<\/p>\n By using specific success story examples you drive the kind of business, partnerships, experiences, and sales you want directly to you.<\/p>\n This is pretty much rule number one: You must mention the kind of business you want in an example in order to increase it.<\/p>\n The hard part is that it needs to be integrated seamlessly into the conversation in a natural and engaging way that is totally on target with your point.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where lots of practice comes in and it\u2019s where I spend the majority of time with my clients \u2014 role-playing the entire segment in different ways so they can speak their sound bites smoothly and\u00a0don\u2019t crumble under pressure or slip up when surprised.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have this element down pat, then you\u2019re not getting the full value of your media appearances. In other words, you\u2019re losing, business, sales, experiences, and opportunities that you may never get again.<\/p>\n Once we completed the segment I pulled out my timer set it for four minutes and raced through in real-time so Gottfried could manage her own time and get a sense of the pacing.<\/p>\n I played the part of the chatty hosts, complete with interjections and comments to make sure that Gottfried could stay on message even if the hosts weren\u2019t asking the exact questions we prepared.<\/p>\n By creating this segment ourselves and not waiting for the producers to tell us what they envision we invite them to take advantage of our ideas. We\u2019ve done the work for the producers.<\/p>\n We get a segment in which we\u2019ve prepared the package we want to be presented, shaped the perception of our business, book, produce, service, or cause, strategically outlined the presentation of our information, and do it all in a lively and entertaining way which delights the audience and the hosts and producers.<\/p>\n The result: great segment, media-trained guest, good ratings, engaged audience, happy hosts, thrilled client. Everyone ends up winning.<\/p>\n National TV show producers need to make sure that you\u2019re mediagenic.<\/p>\n They want to see that you know how to dress, handle yourself in a tight time frame, entertain, enlighten, and inform in 10-20 second sound bites – all while being completely natural and engaging.<\/p>\n You want to have an example of you interacting in a TV interview or a mock one so you can pass the pre-audition and then move on to the actual audition.<\/p>\n It\u2019s OK to create a mock one if you haven\u2019t yet done any media appearances. If a producer sees that you\u2019re capable and lively then they\u2019ll most likely move forward to the next step \u2013 the audition.<\/p>\n3 Media Training Tips For Being Interviewed On TV<\/h2>\n
#1. Write a segment, not a pitch<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n#2. Post a demo interview on your website<\/h3>\n
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