Helping reporters and talk show hosts do their jobs will, in turn, help you achieve your goals. If you make them look good, they will be more likely to give you a some quality air or print time and even keep your name on file as a “go to” person for future reference.
By establishing a relationshp with your local media, you are setting yourself up to be their “expert” and that becomes a win-win situation for everybody.
Here are some suggestions on how to strengthen your position with the media:
Let Your Personality Shine Through: Not everyone has an outgoing, bubbly personality but if you come across as warm, genuine and sincere, the media will love you for it.
Know How to Communicate: Understand that interviews consist of more than one or two-word responses. It is also more than a one-sided conversation so don’t try to dominate.
Are You More than an Expert?: Can you speak on a variety of related subjects in your area of expertise or are you a single-minded individua?.
Be available on demand: Unless there’s a major emergency, can you be available at a moment’s notice and still come across as polished and professional—even when you’re not real sure how the interview will go?
I was invited to be a guest on My Carolina Today twice in two weeks because I was available at the 11th hour literally.
Demonstrate your viewer potential: Get your base of folks who admire what you do to send emails to the station on your behalf. That will send a signal to the station that they made a good choice in asking you to be a guest and, more often than not, will invite you back again for a future interview.
After being interviewed the first time on My Carolina Today, I asked members of my group, Boomer Diva Nation, to check out the video online and post a comment. To date, my video is the one that received the most comments.
To receive more valuable media tips as well as a national list of media contacts, I invite you to pick up a copy of my comprehensive BAMedia Contacts Directory, located here: http://beverlymahone.com/bamedia-directory/
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