How to Get on Radio and TV

About midday on December 14, 2012, I was landing at Hartford airport from a speaking gig I had in Omaha, NE. As I entered the terminal I noticed a large group of people gathered around a television in a nearby gate waiting area. I had to see what was so interesting on the news that had captured the attention of so many people. They were watching breaking news of a mass killing at an elementary school in Newtown, CT., just a few miles from the airport.

As I arrived home, my business phone rang and the caller ID showed me that it was the ABC affiliate newsroom calling. The producer of the news program asked me if I would drive down to New Haven to appear on camera and offer some advice to parents on how to help their children deal with the tragedy that just took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The point of this post is not to relive the awful incident, but instead, to ask you this question; how did that show producer know to call me? The answer lies in the formula on how to grow your platform and become the ‘go-to’ person in your niche area of expertise. The answer is to get yourself and your message out there so much so, that show producers know to call you when they’re in a pinch for an expert.

I share techniques for making this happen in my book THE 2.0 ENTREPRENEUR that you can purchase on the right-hand side of the screen, and I also share it in this teleseminar courtesy of the NONFICTION AUTHORS ASSOCIATION. Click THIS LINK to register for this event. If you’ve found this blog post after the date of the event, I will do my best to provide a link to the interview so you can hear it in it’s entirety.

Accept or Reject: It's Just Information

How do you respond when someone gives you an idea? Do you immediately think of the stress it will cause, the work it will take, what won't get done if they are doing that, the money it will take to do it, the time it will take away from them, on and on and on? Do you then tell the idea-giver why it won’t work or why you can’t take another thing on? Are you an idea-generator and find yourself thinking up and offering ideas to others? How does it make you feel when the idea you’ve given the other person is rejected?  

I don't blame those who reject ideas, as I use to feel the same things when others gave me ideas. But I learned to adapt to the fact that when someone gives me an idea, they are just giving me information that I can choose on my own to take action on or ignore. It’s all up to me; it’s just information.

I also like to take note that someone taking the time to give me an idea is like giving me a gift. When someone gives you a gift, you might immediately think about the fact that you really don't like it. But we've learned to be gracious and say thank you and look like we are thankful. I do my best to do the same thing with ideas; see them as gifts. I’ve learned to remain quiet, listen, and then say “Isn’t that interesting, thanks for the idea.” I often times write down these ideas because I may think differently about them at a later time.

Remember, whether someone gives you an idea or feedback, it’s all just information that you are free to do anything you want with. But thank them for the gift of their time, thoughts and ideas.

What if You Can't Answer a Question?

Have you ever had the experience of presenting at the front of the room to prospects and someone throws a curve-ball question, catching you off guard?  It happened to me, early in my business marketing career and I'll remember that uncomfortable moment forever.   Here's my advice if this ever happens to you.

Rule one is DON'T FAKE IT. If you get caught making up answers or providing inaccurate information, it could hurt your credibility. First, acknowledge the person who asked that question for asking a great question. Then, admit that you don't have the answer but confidently declare that you will find out. Offer the person asking the question your business card and ask him or her to follow up with you at a later time for the answer to the question after you've had time to research it.

In my situation, it wasn't about providing inaccurate information. I made the awful mistake of using a handout that I didn't develop and someone offered me. Basically, I didn't review all of the information on it. Someone had a question on information that was listed on the backside of the handout and I had no clue what it was referring to. I must have had the deer in the headlights look and learned a valuable lesson that day; always know what's on your handouts!

When Someone Violates My Right to a Break!

Doesn't it drive you crazy when attending a meeting or a conference and the speaker/expert goes over his or her time? As soon as they have met their time requirement, I find myself looking at my watch and wondering if I've going to get the break I've been waiting for to get another cup of coffee or make it to my next appointment or not.

Audiences don't appreciate it when a speaker goes beyond the time frame they've been given. If the meeting agenda indicates that the speaker will speak for 45 minutes, they expect them to NOT go beyond that time limit. And when a speaker does violate that time expectation, the audience begins to lose interest in the presentation. To your audience, a speaker going over time could mean a long running meeting for them and a loss of their next break. 

Practicing your speech with a timer will certainly help you pair your talk with the time slot you've been given. Place a visual and silent timer in front of you that you can watch. There are some great FREE apps for smart phones and tablets that are easy to use. At the very least, seek out a volunteer at the front of the room to keep time for you and to discretely notify you when your time is running out.

Should You Outline or Write a Speech?

A sales manager approached me following my presentation at a chamber breakfast event. He said he was going to be giving a speech at a business networking event and he was working on constructing his talk. He wanted some speaking coaching from me. He asked me, "What works better: making an outline or writing out the whole speech?"

There are many different solutions to this question, and many based on the speakers style or learning ability. So I suggest doing both. In preparation for your speech, sit down and write it all out, word for word, imagining yourself speaking it to an audience. Then, go back and create an outline from what you've written. Once your outline is finished, destroy the full speech you wrote. Doing a presentation word for word from memory is discouraged because memorized speeches don't usually come out natural. But having seen your presentation on paper and then having an outline to go by, your memory will retain the major components of your speech to give you talking points.

Whether you're speaking from your soapbox (a small and informal group gathering) or the stage (a formal business event), marketing yourself in front of your audience means being confident in yourself, your products or your services. Get to know yourself and practice developing and giving presentations. Find your local Toastmasters chapter to practice your talks and get some networking in at the same time.

Are You Using Video as Part of Your Marketing Plan?

If you aren't using videos as part of your marketing plan, you may be missing out.  Your competitors are doing just that and attracting more attention from prospects.

When small business owners hear about videos, they think about having to spend thousands of dollars to hire a video crew, but it's more inexpensive than you might think.

The best kinds of videos are less than 2 minutes and feature you speaking to your customers.  People have very little time to watch anything elaborate in fact, the shorter the better.

Get noticed by posting short videos of you or someone representing your organization, offering solutions to your customers problems.  Here is an example of a short but effective video that I made.

How I Used Web 2.0 to Land a Regular Paid Radio Gig

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Using Web 2.0 to market yourself as a requires both broadcasting AND tuning in to what is being posted on the Web #web2.0. That means, posting content is not enough for effective marketing, it requires a great deal of listening to what others are saying about your industry, your business and about you. As a case in point, here is an example of what can happen by spending time listening and monitoring, as well as posting.

A tweet was posted that mentioned my name and it asked me to reply. Some quick research on my part revealed that it was posted by someone with the title of PRODUCER of a late-night talk show on the BBC, the UK radio network. With the high volume of SPAM out there and mass marketers trying to get our attention, I was cautious but curious, and replied to the tweet.

Video Marketing Made Easy...Find Out How to track, distribute and make money with video!

This conversation on the micro blogging site Twitter instantly became a telephone conversation. The producer at the BBC said he was seeking an expert from the U.S. who could be a part of a 90-minute radio show that was scheduled later that evening and it needed experts who were prepared to discuss the topic from various countries around the world.

I accepted the opportunity and was connected later that evening with the show's host via Skype, when the show began. The conversation took many interesting turns and twists as callers from about the UK called in to voice their opinion or concern, supporting one side or the other of a much polarized, yet conversational, topic.

As a result of answering that original tweet, I landed myself a regular paid spot on a popular late-night radio show. My bank even called to confirm the legitimacy of a regular deposit to my bank account made in British Sterling Silver. I record each show using a skype recording application and use the recording of the show I was a part of as another digital product I can offer my followers and fans, including another recording as part of my podcast.

Finally, in the original phone call conversation that came from the tweet, I asked the producer how he knew to contact me as an expert in my field. He admitted that he was not seeking me alone. Instead, he did a series of Internet searches on the topic of the show and selected the top five most active experts based on Internet presence and posted content. This fact alone has inspired me to continue to be an active participant using Web 2.0!

Why Start a Speaking Business?

Image courtesy of Master isolated images
and www.freedigitalphotos.net

I asked myself this very question many times and I came up with two basic answers. The first answer is so I could stop existing as someone else’s employee. There’s nothing wrong with working for someone else. There’s just something very fulfilling about being able to take care of yourself and your family doing something that you love to do. The second answer is because it allows me to live a more fulfilling life by using my passion and gifts to help others live a better life. 

Now, if you already love what you do then perhaps you’re already on the right track and just have to make a slight switch at the next ‘junction.’ Maybe it’s time to change from working in the trenches to helping all those people that are in the trenches with you.

The reality is that too many people feel trapped in a job they hate going to everyday. Just look around you the next time you’re at the grocery store, the coffee shop or at the mall. Sometimes it feels like you’re living in a zombie movie surrounded by the walking dead. 

So many people doing the same thing day after day, existing for the sole purpose of producing for someone or something else, and once those widgets have been produced, they get their reward of returning home to the sofa and their television or computer each night. They sit there, remote control or mouse in hand feeling unfulfilled and empty, ready to give up the idea of searching for a more meaningful way of living. 

In the early 1980’s I began my journey as one of the walking dead. I was just out of the US Air Force and my grandmother told me I should go into the field of data processing because it promised good pay and good benefits. My grandparents were hard-working immigrants who came to this country as children. They did whatever it took to pay the bills and they did it well. But, they also complained about their employers, their jobs, the neighbors, and pretty much everything else. They weren't fulfilled and happy. Still, I had great respect for my grandmother so I took her advice.

Within a few months I found myself working for a bank, mounting magnetic reels on tape drives and loading and unloading giant reams of green and white striped paper called green-bar into humongous printers. I spent my days punching cards and bursting forms until I eventually moved into programming and from there onto management. 
I’m not telling you this to fault my grandmother; she was only doing what she had been programmed to do too. 

Besides, I was making good money and had good benefits. I’m telling you this because back then, I didn't know it was okay to dream of being all that I was meant to be in this life. I didn't have any idea that I had a passion for speaking about families and parenting just waiting to be found. 

Maybe you've been living your parent’s dream, someone else’s dream, or you've become a member of the ‘walking dead’. If this sounds like you, then this is the perfect time to discover new dreams or to reconnect with dreams you've been denying all along. Right now is the perfect time to reach deep inside yourself to discover and remind yourself of all the ideas that light your soul on fire. 

What do you love to talk about so much that when you talk about it, you feel alive? What have you discovered in your life that you’d like to share with others so that they can start living a better life too? What guilty pleasures would you love to bring out into the open? 

Are there things that you know how to do really well? Do you have natural talents that others would love to hear about, or that you could teach? What have you learned ‘the hard way’? What insight or knowledge do you possess that you could talk about right now rather than waiting until it’s time for your last lecture?