How to Get Your Book Into a Talk Show

Getting on talk shows to chat about and/or promote your book is an absolute dream come true, think of all the free promotion!  But as you can imagine, it is not easy to land a radio and TV interviews.  Being on television or a radio show is one of those rare milestones that can boost your value, strengthen your reputation, and maybe even increase your book sales.  But how can you achieve this?

• When you’re pitching to a national television show, your job is to add value, not to sell your book or be the star - while also delivering a stellar on-air performance - can take you a very long way. Let your sense of humor shine through.
• Given editors’ attention spans, the length of your pitch definitely matters. Shorter is better, try to hook with 3-4 sentences. And: Follow up, often multiple times, by email and phone.
• Your initial point of contact at a TV show is typically the booking department. Approach them first, but remember also to pitch the show’s producer(s). The more points of contact you have, the better your chances of getting on air.
• Before you write your pitch, you “need to know the audience, the people watching the show you’re pitching.” If you’re pitching a morning show, for instance, your story should appeal to stay-at-home moms and seniors, who are most likely to be home during the day.
• To truly stand out from the masses, start by building relationships with hosts and producers of the shows you’re interested in. Fostering relationships first is an essential part of the pitch.  Being a LinkedIn member (with lots of TV show producers, editors, radio show hosts, etc. on your follower list) and also to join HARO (Help a Reporter Out) are essential.
• The shows you are pitching want to offer their viewers fresh stories, so listing all the other shows you have been on can be “a real turn off”.
• Rejection: A “no” can mean “not right now” or “not for this show.” It’s just a matter of how it’s pitched and if the content you’ve written is the right content for their particular outlet.
• Timing is everything: Never pitch at the end of summer when shows are starting up. You will end up in an email list of a thousand and get lost or forgotten. The holidays, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, are also a dangerous time to pitch.
• Sad but true. In visual media, visual matters. In daytime television particularly, your looks are important. People have to really be presentable and articulate in a compelling and attractive way. While we can’t all look like a top model, we can always put our best face, hair, and wardrobe forward. Be a good listener and remember that you are having a conversation.
• If you don’t have quality tape, either online or as a DVD, don’t bother contacting major shows.  Unless you can show them a video of the previous on-camera experience, they won’t be interested.
• Don’t expect the interviewer to have read your book before the show. Be able to explain what’s the readers benefit in reading your book in one or a few sentences.

Prepare, Prepare, and Prepare Even More:
Write down and practice your talking points ahead of time so that you don’t freeze when the cameras are on.  Remember, your goal is to have a natural dialogue with the host and not sound robotic.  Rehearse your talking points to reflect a natural back-and-forth conversation.
Not only on TV but also on a radio show: be enthusiastic.  Even though the audience can’t see you on the radio, they can hear and feel your energy.  It’s perfectly acceptable to provide your own list of questions for the host.  Also, identify all the questions you possibly could be asked. Then write three to four talking points in response to each question.  But keep your answers brief and to-the-point.
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Non-Fiction Author Experts
Having already a career as an expert, where you get paid to appear on shows and to offer expertise is a chance for seasoned writers/professionals.  If your goal is to become a “professional expert,” someone making money by appearing on talk shows and reality shows, you’re best served by getting an agent, someone who has professional contacts in the world of talk and reality and has a roster of expert clients.

Conclusion: Remember that the show is not about you. You are not the star of the show. The host is and most of all: the audience is. You are there to keep them interested in the topic - your topic. Refer listeners subtly back to your book. This is the art of a soft-sell. 

Hope these tips will help you to successfully promote your book longterm. They are small steps of building your author brand and reputation and to get your name out there – one step at a time.

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Read also:

How to Get Radio Interviews
http://www.radiopublicity.net/radiopublicitytips.htm

How to Promote Your Book During your Radio/TV interview
http://emsincorporated.com/promote-product-book-radio-interview/

Preparing for a TV/radio interview
http://www.nrcdv.org/dvam/themes/dvap/PDF/Preparingfor-TV-Radio-Interview.pdf

http://www.scriptmag.com/features/primetime-how-can-i-be-a-guest-expert-on-talk-or-reality-shows

How to Get Interviews on Radio and TV Shows
One of the chapters of  BOOK MARKETING ON A SHOESTRING
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5gdp

Get radio interviews and podcast publicity guests interview bookings
http://copalche.rssing.com/chan-1135339/all_p1.html for free! Free radio, Internet radio, satellite radio, talk radio, podcast, and TV talk show guest experts interviews booking service


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