Скачать или смотреть Get on Local TV News with These Publicity Tips

hHttp://PublicityHound.com Getting publicity on your local TV news station can be very profitable if you know the tricks for getting on the air.

Many local news shows and local talk shows need compelling guests. Those include the early-morning feature shows, mid-morning talk shows, noon and nightly news shows, and weekend public affairs programs. Authors, speakers, consultants, small-business owners and anyone who has an interesting story to tell are all likely prospects.

Tom Graber, who has a website that lists restaurants in Milwaukee, Wis., where fish frys are served, wanted TV publicity and contacted publicity expert Joan Stewart about a week before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Joan told him not to pitch his website because it will sound like he wants a free ad. Instead, she worked with him to find an interesting hook--the trend toward gluten-free fish frys. Then she told him about the interview she did with former TV reporter Shawn Duperon who shared dozens of tips on how to get onto the local TV news.

Using Joan's hook and Shawne's tips, Tom got onto WTMJ Channel 4 TV in Milwaukee, and its sister radio station the following day. He also got another brief mention on WTMJ. You can read more about Shawne's tips at http://publicityhound.com/shop/how-to...

What TV News Shows Want in Guests

TV producers are looking for the same qualities in guests as radio talk show hosts are looking for, with one exception. They want good visuals to go with the story. That means you must be well-groomed and dressed correctly. It also means that interesting props increase your ability to get booked on a show. Tom brought three plates of fish fry dinners to the TV station to use as props.

Let's say you've written a book about cosmetic surgery and you can offer the producer before-and-after photos of people who have had various procedures done, and who have given their permission to appear on TV. The producer will be more interested than if you simply offered a digital image showing the cover of your book.

TV interviews are much more difficult than print interviews because you must learn to talk in sound bites, and you won't have as much time to explain complicated issues. If you plan to make TV a cornerstone of your publicity campaign, invest in a good media coach.

Why Local TV News Shows Are Important

Many authors, speakers and experts who are trying to get onto TV are doing it all wrong by trying to get booked on big shows like "Fox & Friends" and "Good Morning America" without ever having been in a TV studio. If you have a terrific idea and a great pitch, your chances might disappear into thin air when the guest booker asks, "Can we see video of you on TV?" You need experience in much smaller markets where you make your really big goofs in front of the camera and learn from them. And many of those TV shows in smaller shows won't ask you about clips from other TV shows before they book you. The sets on the big national shows are often chaotic. Cameras on wheels zip across the studio. Somebody is distracting you with cue cards. And there's that annoying teleprompter that makes the host sound near perfect.

But you don't have a teleprompter. You're on your own. Use the smaller appearances to practice being interviewed and experiment with different ways to respond to the interviewer's questions. Most importantly, climb the TV publicity ladder one rung at a time, starting on the rinky dink shows and work your way up to national TV talk shows.

Local TV Shows Have a Big Advantage

Appearing on a string of TV shows in much smaller markets can help authors promote their books much easier than appearing on a big TV talk show. Here's why. Any author who has been booked as a guest on a TV talk show has probably had the nagging thought, "Will the host hold up my book, or show it on the TV screen?" If the cover is on the screen for say, five seconds, consider yourself lucky. Your chances of that happening, and for longer than five seconds, are usually greater on local shows in smaller markets than on the national shows. One reason is because on the big talk shows, the hosts are the celebrities. The stars. The personalities.

And on a show like "Fox & Friends," you and your book are competing with three hosts, not just one, for camera time.

Tips for Appearing on TV

Here are things to keep in mind when you are appearing on television:

--Prepare your three or four key points and rehearse them beforehand.

--Talk in short sentences, and have rehearsed sound bites you can weave into the interview.

--Dress conservatively. That means avoid clothing with stripes, polka-dots and garish designs.

--Avoid jewelry that makes noise or can get in the way.

--Remember to smile, and look like you're having fun. Nothing is worse than a guest who looks bored, indifferent or grouchy.