Friday, March 3
Get your book BOOKED on TV!
You've spent countless hours writing the book---but the media won't even read your press release. It's a common problem.
Getting booked to talk about your book on TV doesn't have to be as difficult as some authors make it.
So, here are five steps to becoming a guest that even some PR pros don't know:
1) BE TIMELY
Become a student of the news. Is the news media covering a story that relates to your book? You need to sell what the news is buying. A Dallas businessman, Jim Halperin, wrote a novel about cryonics several years ago. And yet every time the subject of freezing yourself comes up, he successfully books himself on the morning television talk shows to talk about his book. In fact, when controversy broke out last summer about legendary baseball player Ted Williams being frozen, Halperin was successful in getting national attention for his novel, The First Immortal.
2) CHOOSE THE RIGHT SHOW
Perhaps the most common mistake even some PR pros make is trying to sell a good book to the wrong show. Before you call a TV station, start watching their morning show. Do they interview authors? Is there a regular segment featuring books each morning at the same time? Don't pick up the phone or send a news release until you know the answers to these questions.
3) BE CHARMING AND BRIEF ON THE PHONE
If I were going to pitch a morning show producer, I'd start out by complimenting them on their program. I'd say something like; "I'm constantly amazed how you fill the show with such interesting guests. You have a great team in the mornings. I have a book that I think your hosts, Bill and Jane, would love!"
4) WRITE LIKE A REPORTER
If I were going to send a press release to a morning show producer, I'd write the kind of headline that a newspaper would run. And I'd make the rest of the release so conversational that a TV anchor could read it right on the air. Why is this so important? Most major market newsrooms get hundreds of press releases every day. Often the decision on whether to cover your story is made in a matter of seconds. Many times that well-crafted sentence in the third paragraph of your press release is never read.
5) WAIT FOR A SLOW NEWS DAY
The holidays are the slowest "news times" of the year. When government offices are closed, so are most of our sources. Take advantage of it. In fact, take out your calendar and begin circling government holidays. If the government isn't making news, we reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you're much more likely to get coverage. There you go. Now you're armed with knowledge that even some well-paid public relations professions don't practice. If your idea is timely, and pitched to the right person when the supply of news is running thin, you're in!
Want more help with building your business around your books?
Getting booked to talk about your book on TV doesn't have to be as difficult as some authors make it.
So, here are five steps to becoming a guest that even some PR pros don't know:
1) BE TIMELY
Become a student of the news. Is the news media covering a story that relates to your book? You need to sell what the news is buying. A Dallas businessman, Jim Halperin, wrote a novel about cryonics several years ago. And yet every time the subject of freezing yourself comes up, he successfully books himself on the morning television talk shows to talk about his book. In fact, when controversy broke out last summer about legendary baseball player Ted Williams being frozen, Halperin was successful in getting national attention for his novel, The First Immortal.
2) CHOOSE THE RIGHT SHOW
Perhaps the most common mistake even some PR pros make is trying to sell a good book to the wrong show. Before you call a TV station, start watching their morning show. Do they interview authors? Is there a regular segment featuring books each morning at the same time? Don't pick up the phone or send a news release until you know the answers to these questions.
3) BE CHARMING AND BRIEF ON THE PHONE
If I were going to pitch a morning show producer, I'd start out by complimenting them on their program. I'd say something like; "I'm constantly amazed how you fill the show with such interesting guests. You have a great team in the mornings. I have a book that I think your hosts, Bill and Jane, would love!"
4) WRITE LIKE A REPORTER
If I were going to send a press release to a morning show producer, I'd write the kind of headline that a newspaper would run. And I'd make the rest of the release so conversational that a TV anchor could read it right on the air. Why is this so important? Most major market newsrooms get hundreds of press releases every day. Often the decision on whether to cover your story is made in a matter of seconds. Many times that well-crafted sentence in the third paragraph of your press release is never read.
5) WAIT FOR A SLOW NEWS DAY
The holidays are the slowest "news times" of the year. When government offices are closed, so are most of our sources. Take advantage of it. In fact, take out your calendar and begin circling government holidays. If the government isn't making news, we reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you're much more likely to get coverage. There you go. Now you're armed with knowledge that even some well-paid public relations professions don't practice. If your idea is timely, and pitched to the right person when the supply of news is running thin, you're in!
Want more help with building your business around your books?
