Before I wrote my first book, More than Cashflow, I dreamed of being the expert interviewed on TV. It seemed like the next step in cementing myself as the go to person in the industry. The problem? The media didn’t see me as an expert … until I published my book.
Once my PR pitch included a note about me being an author, the invitations started rolling in. The best part? Once you appear on one show, the other stations, networks, and programs happily have you.
There are more shows on TV than ever before, and they all need content. They are looking for someone just like you.
Are you ready?
When you work with Book Launchers, there are a handful of things we do to help ensure you’re appealing to the media. First, we ensure your book has a juicy hook. In one or two sentences, you’ll be able to say who should read your book and why. Second, we have a professional copywriter create your crucial marketing materials. A professional crafts your author bio, book description, and Amazon Author Central Page. You aren’t the best person to brag about yourself – so we hire someone amazing to do it for you! Third, we make sure every Chapter Title creates curiosity or engagement. Media will be anxious to find out what’s inside your book!
We also create your PR kit for you and have some amazing PR partners to prep you for the media interviews.
That’s a start. It will help.
But, there are some essential steps for you to start taking TODAY, so you are ready when the media calls.
Last month I was invited to be a guest on America Trends. One clip from the episode is here. As I was sitting in the studio prepping for the interview, another show found out their guest for their show had canceled. When they found out they had an Amazon Bestselling author in the studio, they asked if I would also be a guest on The Big Biz Show.
That spot went so well the Network approved a weekly segment on The Big Biz Show where we are now doing ‘The Big Biz Book Project.‘ Essentially, I’m walking the hosts of The Big Biz Show through writing a book! I couldn’t have asked for better promotion for Book Launchers!
October was a whirlwind month of media interviews with six television appearances and seven podcast interviews. The opportunities arise in an instant, but being ready doesn’t happen overnight.
Here are five things you can do starting today to be ready for media interviews when your book launches:
Start shooting YouTube videos every single week. It helps you master your material, make quick points, and be comfortable in front of a camera. I used to be so nervous in front of a camera – even my own! 300+ YouTube videos later and now big studio lights and cameras don’t bug me too much which allows my personality to come through – and the media want to see your character!
Master your talking points. The best interviewees have a few amusing anecdotes, short stories, and ‘insider secrets’ they can share at a moments notice. Know them, practice delivering them, and you’ll always have material if the call comes in to go on tomorrow.
Keep Your Website Up to Date & Media Friendly. The producer of America Trends commented on how many websites don’t explicitly show what the company does, the text is hard to read, and there’s too much going on. He said, “more people need media friendly websites.” If you have a good website, it might get a lot of airtime (aka FREE BUSINESS PROMOTION!). BookLaunchers.com gets shown a lot on the screen of my interviews because it shows well.
Get interviewed on Podcasts … regularly. Podcast interviews are not the same as a camera in your face, but it’s excellent practice. You will gain experience talking about what you do, uncovering what people find interesting, and learning to answer questions that come out of left field. Do enough interviews, and you’ll get comfortable handling all kinds of issues and personalities.
Stay on top of what’s happening in your industry. What does the latest industry report mean for everyday people? What common beliefs just aren’t true? Do you disagree with a popular perspective?If someone ever says, “hey – maybe we should have you on our show. What could you talk about?” have these things in your back pocket!
Daily shows need great content and experts to interview. They are looking for you! The trick? You have to tell them what to ask you. Do you have 3 – 5 talking points that reveal insider secrets in your industry, tie your expertise to current events, or blow up a commonly held belief?
You need some juicy talking points, and you need to be able to comfortably share them. You don’t need to be perfectly polished, but you do need to be comfortable and to the point.
So – take a few minutes to think about what your talking points would be. And, if you haven’t already, reach out to some podcasters in your industry and pitch yourself to their podcast. Here’s one of my recent interviews. This one is with John Vornhoff. He got into how I went from real estate to book publishing. And, he dug into writing and why I don’t think I’m a writer even though I’ve penned two books. There’s lots of good stuff in this interview if you want to listen.
And just for fun … here’s a media interview I did in 2013 to promote More than Cashflow:
