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Secrets to Get Top TV Talk Show Producers to Book You As Their Guest

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Secrets to Get Top TV Talk Show Producers to Book You As Their Guest It Works! Secrets To Get Top TV Talk Show Producers To Book You As Their Guest Learn to Pass the Interview and Make the Cut SUSAN HARROW Author of Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul Contact Information Published by: Harrow Communications 4200 Park Blvd. #333 W Oakland, CA 94602 Toll-Free: 888.839.4190 Email: mailto:[email protected] Web site: http://www.prsecrets.com Copyright Ó 2003 - 2006 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved. ISBN:1-931007-19-5 Legal Notice No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or transmitted by email, without permission in writing from the publisher. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. This publication is not intended for use as a source of any advice such as legal, medical, or accounting. The Publisher wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying international, federal, state and/or local laws or regulations. The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, including international, federal, state and local, governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising and all other aspects of doing business in the US, Canada or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or reader. Neither the author nor the Publisher assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials. Any perceived slight of specific people or organization is unintentional. Copyright Ó 2003 - 2006 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved. ISBN:1-931007-19-5 i Table of Contents HOW THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKS .........................................................................1 TECHNIQUES TO “PASS” AN INTERVIEW AND HAVE PRODUCERS WANTING YOU ABOVE ALL YOUR COMPETITION.............................................................................2 SECRET #1: ASK BEFORE YOU SPEAK ...........................................................................................2 SECRET #2: KEEP SOLICITING INFORMATION................................................................................3 SECRET #3: WOW THE PRODUCERS WITH BREVITY.......................................................................4 SECRET #4: POSITION YOURSELF FOR BOTH OF YOUR BEST INTERESTS.........................................5 SECRET #5: SUGGEST A TWIST ON THE TOPIC ...............................................................................6 SECRET #6: MAKE SURE YOU’RE REACHABLE ..............................................................................7 SECRET #7: GET ALL THE PRODUCER’S CONTACT INFORMATION UPFRONT ..................................8 SECRET #8: BE A GREAT DANCER .................................................................................................8 WHAT THE PRODUCER NEEDS TO KNOW........................................................................9 1. ARE YOU A NUTCASE? ........................................................................................................10 2. CAN YOU MAKE “THE BIG POINT?” .................................................................................11 3. ARE YOU TOO CHUMMY? ..................................................................................................11 4. WILL YOU TRY TO TURN THEIR SHOW INTO A COMMERCIAL?..........................................12 5. DO YOU TALK EXCESSIVELY ABOUT YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS?...........................................13 6. CAN THEY HEAR YOUR INNER BEAUTY?...........................................................................13 7. DO YOU CARE? .................................................................................................................14 8. ARE YOU DECISIVE? ..........................................................................................................14 9. ARE YOU A PRIMA DONNA? ...............................................................................................15 10. CAN YOU WORK AT GODSPEED?........................................................................................17 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................17 ABOUT THE AUTHOR.............................................................................................................19 Copyright Ó 2003 - 2006 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved. ISBN:1-931007-19-5 ii Secrets to Get Top TV Talk Show Producers to Book You as Their Guest By Susan Harrow Top Media Coach & Marketing Expert The phone rings. You hear an authoritative voice say, "Hello, I'm the producer of…Good Morning America or Oprah, or Larry King Live" or any other top talk show, you name it. This is your big moment, the break you've been waiting for. After you catch your breath what do you do? Producers make an instant assessment of you in thirty seconds – or less. When you get that coveted call from a producer, you aren’t just “talking” to him: you’re auditioning. You are being screened to be accepted or eliminated as a guest on their show. This report teaches you the secrets to help you make the cut. Producers are listening for a number of factors: Are you clear, Producers make concise and articulate? Do you know what you want from them? Can you an instant stick to the point? Are you respectful of their time and attention span? Are assessment of you you fascinating, or do you have the potential to be? Are you kind and in thirty seconds – considerate? Do you have a story worth telling? Are you the best person to or less. be telling it? H O W T H E S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S W O R K S Here’s typically the way the selection process works. You (or your publicist) pitches a TV talk show. Unless it’s breaking news, some time later – days, weeks, or months – you hear that golden ring of the telephone with the words, “Hi, I’m _______calling for the ______ Show.” Some typical reactions that you may experience when this happens: a) You think it’s your best friend calling as a joke. b) You think it’s any old friend calling as a joke. c) You are in total shock and are rendered speechless. d) You sputter some inane response that belies your intelligence. Once you have recovered from the shock, you can’t even remember when or why you called the show and have no idea where your talking points Copyright Ó 2003 - 2006 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved. ISBN:1-931007-19-5 1 are. You try to put together a coherent sentence or two, and 10-45 minutes later you are: a) Eliminated. b) Told that the producer will get back to you. c) Told that a crew will be sent to your location or another location to film b-roll (background story footage) in 1-3 days. Producers, too, want d) Asked if you can fly to ________ tomorrow to film in- you to give them an studio. enhanced bit of that e) Asked to “stand-by” for a possible call in the future. imagined life – some f) Any combination of the above. heightened reality, some myth that speaks to the best of T E C H N I Q U E S T O “ P A S S ” A N I N T E R V I E W A N D what life is, intense moments of joy and H A V E P R O D U C E R S W A N T I N G Y O U A B O V E A L L sadness. Y O U R C O M P E T I T I O N . I just received a fax inviting me to go to Orlando Florida to “Get away from life.” This got me thinking: there is no “getting away” from life – what we’re really looking for is a version of life that is exciting, vibrant and romantic. Producers, too, want you to give them an enhanced bit of that imagined life – some heightened reality, some myth that speaks to the best of what life is, intense moments of joy and sadness. The life of the painter, Jackson Pollock, had tremendous drama to it. He struggled hard for many years in lonely isolation. He came from a poor itinerant family in the West, moved to New York, and after ten years of misery in the depression years, broke through with his art in the early forties. A few years later he had an article in Life Magazine and became the leading American painter of his generation. Then almost as abruptly, he fell into alcoholism and depression, and was killed in a car crash in 1956 while driving drunk. It’s a story of humble beginnings, huge success, tragic flaw and violent death. His story is a mythic drama. While your life or story doesn’t have to be as dramatic as Pollock’s, look to the aspects of what you’re speaking about and pick out the big painterly moments, the startling elements. Give us something that won’t have us thinking about flicking that remote or getting up to grab a bag of potato chips. S E C R E T # 1 : A S K B E F O R E Y O U S P E A K Before you even open your mouth to start pitching yourself and your story to the producer, ask them a simple question: “Can you tell me a Copyright Ó 2003 - 2006 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved. ISBN:1-931007-19-5 2 little bit about the kind of show you envision?” In other words, ask the producer the angle he is planning to take. Doing so has two advantages. First, it gives you a moment to overcome the shock and to collect your thoughts. Second, once you hear the producer’s reply, you can gear your pitch to the type of information he’s seeking.
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