Media Coaching
How to be featured on Local and National Television News programs and talk shows.
Being invited to appear on a television news morning show on ABC, FOX, NBC, or CBS is a big boost to your professional credentials and it expands your authority and influence in your field of expertise. Once you experience a breakthrough and get invited to be a guest on a television news show, the invitations to appear on additional TV news programs will soon follow. The challenging part is getting the first invitation to be featured on the show.
Here’s how to break into being a Media Expert and get invited to appear on local and national TV repeatedly.
Media interview training is the key element of any media coaching pursuit. The timeline to appear for an interview on local or national news is often only 2-3 minutes. This time on camera flies by quickly and it’s critical to have your media-ready statements, aka soundbites, prepared and practiced well in advance of stepping into the television studio for your interview. The journalists and media professionals are well-trained, and they will navigate around any shortcomings you may have due to a lack of preparation, but you will also not be invited back as a guest to their program. It’s easy to quickly determine if you have media interview training.
A media coach, often a previous media personality, will help you learn how to navigate all elements of appearing on a local or national television program. As a former TV news anchor and reporter for multiple news organizations, I’ve shared with my clients that you need to have a savvy and magnetic hook that quickly grabs the attention of news program decision-makers who will decide if you are the right person to be featured on their show. Newscasts rely on keeping viewers engaged because higher ratings mean more revenue for the television station in advertising dollars. They absolutely do not want any boring or unprofessional guests bumbling around their program, it’s bad for business.
If you’re an author, coach, consultant, and/or keynote speaker, media appearances are an important part of your career growth.
Check out media examples on this page and the sleek interview clips. Our experts are filmed in a state-of-the-art former ABC newsroom. This is the door opener you want and need to get yourself featured on local and national news.
Then, schedule a free call to learn more about the RTS Shout From Your Soul Speaking and Media public speaking training program.
Media expertise is always about being a good storyteller.
In media coaching, you’ll learn the criteria media professionals use to determine if you’re a compelling guest or if you have a strong story.
Most newscasts are local and they want someone as a guest with a local connection to their market. Next, it helps to tie your topic to current events. If something shows up in the news cycle and you are an expert on this topic, reach out and pitch yourself right away. Be ready to move fast – if the assignment desk likes your idea, they may send a news truck to your house or ask you to drive to the studio ASAP.
In the daily digest of news content, 95% is called breaking news, the rest is soft feature stories. If you can tie your expertise to breaking news, what’s happening right now, in this moment, your chances of getting on TV increase exponentially.
Another criterion media experts look for is emotional stories. Can you package your pitch to include a highly emotional aspect? Positive or negative emotions are both fine, and emotional stories often end up on the news.
Finally, remember people are watching the news and your pitch needs to include a visually interesting element. Talking heads don’t make great TV news content, so get creative and see if you can add some visual interest to what you want to share on camera.
