Rather than ask me about my deep dark secrets from my time in the CIA (I’d never tell anyway), what people always want to know is this: “How did you manage to get on TV? And how can I do it?” There’s no denying it, we live in a celebrity-obsessed culture. People who write books, for magazines, and newspapers or who are featured on TV are viewed as the foremost experts in their areas (even though that may not always be the case). People trust the people they see on TV. As someone who values privacy and who has never even had a pizza delivered to my home, I wasn’t exactly excited about the idea of appearing on TV in front of thousands and, later, millions of people. The truth is, while my career in the CIA had prepared me for many things, when it came to television and other forms of media, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have a single useful connection in the TV world. That being said, I knew that creating a media presence for myself would be an enormous boost for my brand (and it was free) if only I could figure out a way in. I ultimately decided that the pros outweighed the cons. The pros included free advertising for my company, massive exposure, and a huge opportunity to feature my products and present myself as an expert; the cons, as far as I could tell, were limited to me looking like an idiot in front of lots of people. I decided I would methodically do everything I could to crack the code and get myself on TV. I’m pleased to say that I managed to pull it off, and it has helped my business tremendously and I now help others do the same through my marketing company at www.SpymasterBook.com. I have appeared on over thirty television shows, including those with national audiences such as NBC’s Today Show, Good Morning America, Dateline, Fox & Friends, and ABC’s Shark Tank. And I’ve been a regular guest on shows hosted by Rachael Ray and Harry Connick Jr. I know I’ve said this a couple of times throughout this book, but it can’t be emphasized enough: If I can do this, anyone can.
COMBAT BREATHING RELIEVES STRESS AND ANXIETY
I prepare like crazy for television appearances, and this makes me feel confident that the appearance will go well. However, for many people, there is nothing more unnerving than going on live television. Soldiers out in the field use a technique called combat breathing to manage stress. Combat breathing helps a person remain calm when adrenaline is flowing through the body. The technique works as follows:
This is also known as box breathing, because you can visualize the four sides of a box with each step. Repeat this cycle as many times as needed.
CAREFULLY BUILD YOUR CASE
I can be a very determined person, but I knew it would be a mistake to just randomly start calling producers and asking them to put me on TV. Instead, I decided to create a strong case for why I should be featured on television. I started to think hard about what I could offer and why someone should put me on the air by asking myself the following:
Although my life as a former CIA officer gave me clout, it was hardly enough to get me booked on a show. There are plenty of other former CIA officers out there. But when I started pondering my niche and what my friends and family find most interesting about my work, something specific occurred to me. One of the things I teach people who hire me for security purposes is how to easily escape from duct tape. The number-one method used by criminals and kidnappers to abduct people is to tape their hands together with duct tape, because duct tape is readily available, inexpensive, and it seems nearly impossible to get out of. The fact is, it’s incredibly easy to break free from duct tape, and I’ve routinely shown people how to escape if their wrists and ankles are taped, or even how to get out if they’re bound to a chair. People were amazed whenever I demonstrated this. It’s simple, anyone can do it, it’s quick—and it results in the same jaw-dropping reaction every single time. At that moment, I realized that the jaw-dropper was my ticket to getting on TV.
ESTABLISH YOUR JAW-DROPPER
I didn’t invent the duct tape escape, but I did show the American people how easy it is if you know how to do it. It’s a very empowering skill that I’ve taught to children and eighty-three-year-old grandfathers, and I’ve now done it countless times on television segments all over the country. My jaw-dropper is what got me booked on all of these shows.
Now, I can guess what you’re thinking. You don’t have a duct tape escape or anything like it. That doesn’t matter. Everyone has a unique process, methodology, trick, demonstration, tool, or formula that can turn them into a celebrity. I have coached many people through this process and I have never worked with a business where we couldn’t come up with something that would not be exciting enough for TV. Joy Mangano, who is estimated to be worth $50 billion and whose life story was turned into a feature film, got her start on television mopping floors. Does anything sound more boring? But she knew that when she demonstrated how to wring out a mop she invented without touching dirty water, people would react. That was her jaw-dropping moment, and it’s made her incredibly rich. Krazy Glue famously demonstrated its strength by gluing a construction worker’s helmet to a steel girder to show how it could easily hold up the weight of a grown man. The superiority of Ginsu knives was shown to consumers when they saw how easily the blades could cut through a tin can.
While some of these stunts are dramatic, the jaw-dropper isn’t necessarily about shocking people—it’s about showing a unique property, of which people may not be aware, that has the power to improve their lives.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD JAW-DROPPER
I was fortunate that the idea for my jaw-dropper was obvious. While it might take some real brainstorming to figure out yours, keep in mind that when you’re an expert on something, it’s easy to forget that you possess a skill that might seem like no big deal to you but it’s extraordinary to other people. For instance, if you run a landscaping business, maybe you are often reviving a dead plant in the dead of winter. This is just day-to-day work for you, but to the rest of us who are terrible at gardening, it’s very impressive. The beauty of the jaw-dropper is that it’s not limited to any specific business. Hair stylists, pet groomers, landscapers, bakers, accountants, fitness coaches—every expert can share a tidbit of information in their own unique way and use it to blow people’s minds.
5 JAW-DROPPING SPY MOMENTS DURING REAL CIA OPERATIONS
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, AND PRACTICE AGAIN
Once you’ve figured out what your jaw-dropper is, practice it. Even though I had done the duct tape escape literally hundreds of times, I practiced like crazy. I wanted to make sure my approach made sense and that it was clear, easy to follow, and had just enough dramatic flair. I developed a concise explanation as to why this trick was important. I wanted a potential producer (and audience) to understand that this wasn’t just a fun party trick (even though it is) but a potentially lifesaving technique that absolutely everyone should learn. Practice your jaw-dropper every chance you get—in front of a mirror, in front of your family, friends, strangers, anyone you can. Also make a point to think about what could go wrong and have a backup plan just in case. Every time I do this method on TV I have multiple rolls of tape ready to go. While, thankfully, not much can go wrong with this trick, I suppose it’s possible I could drop the tape and it could roll off the stage. If this happened on live television I could just laugh it off, because I could whip another roll out of my bag in a second.
A WARNING: DON’T AGREE TO DO SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO DO JUST TO GET ON TV
Don’t do anything you might not be able to deliver and prove you’re a true expert. It may be tempting to go on a show and give it a try to get the TV exposure, but it’s not worth it. I have appeared on the Rachael Ray Show over 10 times—and I am ever-grateful to Rachael and her producers—but on one occasion they reached out to me about showing people how to pick a lock on TV. They wanted me to demonstrate this by picking the lock on a filing cabinet. Now, I’m pretty darn good at picking locks and I can usually open a lock in less than thirty seconds (and on TV, thirty seconds is, strangely, a very long time). I know that things don’t always go as planned when trying to pick a lock. For one reason or another, it might be a finicky lock and it might take you five attempts to open it. On national TV, you do not have time to fiddle with the lock multiple times—and you’ll end up looking like the opposite of an expert. This isn’t a position in which you ever want to be.
Against my better judgment, I agreed to go on the Rachael Ray Show and demonstrate how to pick a lock on a filing cabinet. Thankfully, I was able to pick the lock on my first try and the segment went great. I was greatly relieved because I knew it could’ve easily gone wrong. How embarrassing would it have been if I hadn’t been able to pick the lock? What a terrible segment that few minutes would have been. What’s worse, something like that is the kind of thing that can go viral—an expert ex-CIA officer is a failure at picking locks. What could be worse for my brand? I highly encourage you not to make the mistake I made and don’t do any dangerous segments that might not work out for you.
HOW TO CRAFT THE PERFECT TV SEGMENT, AND MAKE MONEY DOING IT
So, you’ve practiced your jaw-dropper over and over, and you feel ready to pitch your segment to TV programs. Before you start reaching out to producers (and I’ll share the best way to do that soon), I highly recommend you give yourself a big step up by crafting a good segment. It’s great to have a skill that can blow people’s minds, but you’ll increase your chances of getting on TV if you build a good segment around it, creating context for your skill, and making sure that what you propose to do fits in with the show you’re pitching. And if you’re like me and you have bills to pay, you need to spin your segment in a manner that can help bring income to your company. After all, I love sharing my knowledge about survival and security—and I want to help people—but television appearances take up valuable time, and it only makes sense to do them in the context of your business if it brings you income. It always blows my mind when I’m sitting in the green room of some TV show and I chat with the other guests about why they’re on the show. Most of them are on TV to share knowledge and they’re just happy to make an appearance; they have nothing to sell and don’t anticipate making any income. While that’s admirable, it doesn’t make any sense. What these people don’t understand is that their “fifteen minutes of fame” could be earning them thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of dollars in revenue. Even if you work for a nonprofit, you should think about how you can spin this moment into a moneymaker for your organization. Do donors get a tote bag? A discount on tickets to an event? The bottom line is that anyone can offer a product or service as an incentive. I followed this simple multistep process and have been on TV more times than I can count. If you want to earn more money and draw attention to your business by being on TV, I recommend you do the following:
Step 1: Research appropriate programs: It’s crucial to know what shows would be a good match for your jaw-dropper. Which one has local people on frequently? Also important to note is how long segments generally are. Are multipart segments common? For example, Rachael Ray will often have me demonstrate one skill, then a second skill after a commercial break. Are the segments filmed in a studio or remotely? Do they ever do things on location? Can your jaw-dropping skill fit into their format? It’s also a good idea to make note of segments that got your attention and may appeal to a similar audience. For example, if a station did a good segment on gun safety, which is a tenet I adhere to and promote, I’d note that. Keep a running list of segments that catch your interest.
Step 2: Establish the “why now”: Why is what you have to demonstrate important to the show’s audience right now? Create a sense of urgency and relevancy when designing your segment. When I first pitched my duct tape escape, I made sure to put it into context for producers. I explained that this skill was potentially lifesaving because most kidnappers and criminals use this method to restrain their victims. I also pointed out that with the secret knowledge that I have, a child or elderly person could easily do it. Suddenly it seemed extremely important that everyone should have a handle on this easy-to-execute, potentially lifesaving skill.
Ask yourself:
Remember, your skill doesn’t have to change the course of history or even save someone’s life. If you’ve figured out how to pack lunches that every kid will eat, even the extra-picky ones—that’s going to make life easier for a lot of parents. It’s about showing the value of your skill. Not seeing any segments that are in line with what you do? Then simply draw inspiration from how others present and pitch their skill. How are they relaying its importance? How do they create a sense of urgency? Which elements of their skill or products do they focus on?
Step 3: Make it visual: Television is a visual art form, and it’s crucial that you adjust your jaw-dropping skill accordingly. If you own a chain of dry cleaners and have developed a stain removal method that works on anything, think through how this skill will look on TV. The audience needs to be able to see each step of the process. If the audience can’t clearly see the ketchup stain on the shirt before and after you do your technique, no one will be wowed. Walk through your jaw-dropper again, this time asking yourself what the audience will be seeing. If it’s not visual enough, make appropriate adjustments.
Step 4: Nail the timing: There is no room for error on a television show. Your segment must be timed perfectly, and you have to be able to execute your skill in the appropriate time frame over and over. A local news segment is going to be around three to four minutes in length and a national talk show might be eight to ten minutes. Since you’re going to start on local TV, you need the segment you’ve crafted to be around four minutes long. Even though you may have done your demo several times (like I have done my duct tape escape in seminars and other events), you need to spend a lot of time practicing. When you get nervous it’s possible you could fumble, and that will make things take longer—or you’ll talk faster and fly through your presentation. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if you had four minutes for a segment and when your time was up you weren’t even halfway done with your demonstration? Practice so that you’re executing each moment of the demonstration the exact same way and at the exact same time.
Step 5: Put it all together: Once you’ve done your research, established your “why now,” and worked out your timing, put it all together in a way that’s comfortable for you. You might want to write out a script and practice it for your friends and family. Perhaps you want to record it so you can review it and make changes. Whatever method you chose, practice is key. The more you practice, the less nervous you’ll be.
[ PRO TIPS ]
USE ANY HOLIDAY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Producers are always looking for segments that fit in with whatever holiday is coming up next. You can actually increase your chances of getting on television by creating holiday appropriate segments. For example, if it’s the Christmas shopping season, I’d likely pitch a segment about how to stay safe in the mall parking lot. Whatever it is you’re pushing, think about how you can tie it into a holiday. Is your landscaping service a perfect gift for dad? Pitch a segment about spring yard cleanup dos and don’ts. If you’re a mechanic, pitch a segment about Labor Day car maintenance safety. Having a holiday tie-in is a great way to make your segment stand out from everyone else’s. This is also a way for you to ease yourself into the national market.
THE UNEXPECTED QUESTION
Spies are trained to think quickly on their feet—so when they’re presented with any unexpected questions they’ll be able to come up with an appropriate answer. To get used to thinking quickly and coming up with responses to questions you haven’t anticipated, create your own focus group and do some market testing. Perform your segment for as many friends, family members, and co-workers as you can and tell them to ask you absolutely any question they have—no matter how crazy. Doing this repeatedly will likely result in your being asked more questions about your service or product than you could have ever imagined. You’ll be ready to answer any questions thrown at you.
MASTER THE ART OF THE NON-SALE
Once you’ve created your segment, it’s time to think about how to sell it by not selling it at all. I know I just told you I won’t take the time to do a television appearance if I don’t have something to sell. While that’s true, there’s a difference between selling something and blatantly looking like you’re selling something. The latter comes across as too self-serving and as a turnoff. You must master the art of the non-sale.
I always make sure I’m incorporating the non-sale into my segment. For example, one of our bestselling products is the self-defense pen, aka the tactical pen. I have many testimonials from people whose lives have been saved by the tactical pen. If my ultimate goal for the segment is to sell tactical pens, I’ll create a segment called something like “Five Little-Known Self-Defense Tools That Will Keep Women Safe at Night.” Or maybe “The Number-One Self-Defense Tool for College Students.” After I’m introduced as a former CIA officer and security expert, I’ll go into my segment, moving through the five self-defense tools women might want to carry. I’ll purposely end with the tactical pen—demonstrating with urgency how important this pen can be should someone attack you. If I’m doing the college student segment, I might show how to use the tactical pen for self-defense, as well as how to use it to break out the window of a taxi or Uber should your driver be a maniac. (It can happen.)
At the end of the segment, the host will usually ask me where someone can get one of these pens, at which point I drop the name of my website. (We will use this segment in other ways to make money, and I will explain how to get even more bang for your buck later.) It is critical to remember that your segment must give people very valuable content. You can’t come off as a snake-oil salesperson. That approach will backfire. Please note: I use this segment formula all of the time, and it has worked to sell everything from my books and tactical pens to flashlights and my Ultimate Spy Week training course.
GETTING TO YES:
How to Approach Producers and Get Yourself Booked on TV
You’ve found your jaw-dropper, you’ve crafted the perfect segment, you’ve practiced non-selling, and you can do the entire segment in exactly four minutes, even in your sleep. Now is the time to start approaching producers about appearing on the show. You might have the most jaw-dropping skill imaginable—but you’re not going to start by calling producers at the Today Show. National shows are much harder to appear on, and while that’s a great (and reasonable) goal to have, you’re going to start smaller.
Think local: The bottom line is that it’s so much easier to get on local TV versus a big national program. Local TV stations are always looking for time to fill because they have a smaller area from which to pull, whereas, national TV shows have access to nearly any expert or celebrity they want, and they have the entire nation from which to pull (not just the thirty-mile radius around Topeka, Kansas). It’s also possible that a national show needs to keep up with current events, so a segment about the best way to train your dog will easily be bumped if a national or international crisis needs to be covered. In addition to it simply being easier to get yourself booked, the stakes just aren’t as high. If your first appearance doesn’t go as smoothly as you had hoped, it’s still possible they’ll have you back. The standards may not be the same as on a national program. Mess up on national TV, and you will not be asked back to the show.
To find local stations that might be interested in your segment, just look at the options around where you live. The town where I live in Utah is so small that there were literally no local stations. I had to go as far as Salt Lake City and Las Vegas to find stations. These aren’t exactly small markets, but they aren’t national programs either, so I said what the heck and I gave it a try. If you live in a big market like New York City or Los Angeles, you may have to be willing to fly farther out of your area to appear. One of my first appearances on a show, Good Things Utah in Salt Lake City, had already jump-started my income, so I decided I’d be willing to fly to any other market within two hours of my home. This opened up a ton of markets. And frankly, if you want to be an entrepreneur who makes millions of dollars, flying for two hours ultimately isn’t that big a sacrifice. And once you see how lucrative doing a television appearance can be, you’ll be happy to jump on a plane.
Creating a television presence takes time. When I was starting out, I often reminded myself that when an intelligence officer is working on an operation it can take months just to spot a potential asset. After a while with no major leads, a spy will often reevaluate his approach. Am I hanging out in the right areas? Am I following the right leads? Remain patient during this process, but if you’re not getting any hits at all from your emails, reevaluate your approach. Try a new subject headline, tweak your jaw-dropper, rewrite your email, or try a different market.
Identify the right producers: Once you’ve made a list of all the stations to which you’d like to pitch your segment, you need to find the contact information for the segment producer who books people on the show. The question you’ll need to ask yourself is whether you want to spend money on this part of the process or you want to take the free route. The free route works, but it can be time consuming. Check out the website for each station and search for the contact information for the segment producer or the booking producer (they’re the same thing). Sometimes you’ll be able to get only a generic email address, like info@newstation.com. If that’s the case, you’ll have to send your pitch letter to that email address and wait.
If you have the budget to fork out some cash, you can invest in a subscription service for media contact information, such as Cision or Muck Rack. These services can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to several thousand dollars a year. The benefit to using such services is that they have up-to-date contact information for hundreds of thousands of media contacts. You can find segment producers, magazine editors, newspaper editors—any kind of media contact you might want. Whatever route works best for you, once you’ve collected your list of producers and email addresses, whatever you do, don’t email them. You can’t email the producer of a show out of the blue and expect them to book you. You need to craft the perfect pitch email.
Write a pitch email that a producer will actually read: Creating a pitch email that will actually get read isn’t incredibly hard. Simply put, a well-written, carefully crafted, and personal pitch email will often get read. What won’t get read? A generic email that opens “Dear Sirs” or “To whom it may concern.” Nor will anyone read a verbose, overly long letter that doesn’t get to the point. It’s also crucial that you tout your skills and credibility right away. You have to realize that segment producers get tons of emails every single day. Even local news station producers get flooded with emails on a daily basis from people who want to be on their show. I follow these simple rules every time I craft a new pitch email, and I’ve received a ton of responses.
RULE #1: CRAFT A POWERFUL SUBJECT HEADLINE
If it’s enticing, a producer (or, more likely, their intern or assistant) will open the email. I am grateful that I am now in the position to be able to start mine with “New York Times bestselling author.” But before I wrote a book, I had luck with the following types of subject lines. They are straight to the point, show a sense of urgency, and immediately give the producer an idea of what I do:
RULE #2: TAILOR YOUR PITCH SPECIFICALLY TO EACH SHOW
This is critical. Open with a personalized comment about their program. Something along the lines of: “Tom, I’m a huge fan of Good Morning Wisconsin. The segments you’ve been doing lately on fly fishing are really great.”
RULE #3: GET TO YOUR POINT
You want to keep the email rather short. Don’t make a producer dig around looking for what they want. If someone doesn’t immediately know why you’re emailing, your message will get dumped in the trash. These producers do not and will not read a five-page email about how great you are and why you should be on their show.
“The reason I’m emailing you is that home break-ins are on the rise, and I’m a former CIA officer who has four simple ideas that will keep home owners safe.”
RULE #4: NEVER INCLUDE ATTACHMENTS
A producer isn’t going to open your attachment. Opening an attachment quite simply is more work for them. Chances are they’ll stop reading your email and dump it in the trash. Critical information about you or your segment must be in the body of the email.
RULE #5: INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
It’s fine to include links to any articles that have been written about you or previous television appearances. These should be mentioned in the email as well.
RULE #6: ESTABLISH A DEADLINE
Include a deadline in your email to add urgency and make them want to get in touch with you. This is a small push—so don’t be a jerk about it. A deadline is “I’m available these dates” or “I’m in town the following week.” Saying something harsh, like “If you want me to be on your show I need to hear from you within 24 hours,” is definitely not going to get you on TV.
[ PRO TIP ]
SPLIT TEST YOUR SUBJECT LINES
Spend time crafting two strong subject lines. If you have an email list of a thousand people, send subject line A to half the list and B to the other half. Instead of pitching a TV segment, you’ll be pitching the item you sell or your service. After you send out the emails, note which subject line gets the better response rate. You can also note which one gets a better click-through rate and generates more sales. The subject line that creates the most action is your winner—ding, ding, ding. My email list is currently comprised of 190,000 people and I am constantly split testing subject lines for every product I send out.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
Obviously, you should craft an email that you feel best represents who you are, why you should be on TV, and why your jaw-dropper is a must-see for their TV audience. I’ve attached a sample email I’ve written (and it works) to give you an idea of what it all looks like in the end:
WINNING SUBJECT LINE
Email Subject Line: New York Times Bestselling Ex-CIA Officer
Hi, Julie,
My name is Jason Hanson.
I’m a former CIA Officer and the New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life.
On September 4–6, I’ll be in Denver on a business trip and I’ll be about 7 miles from your station.
I teach people spy secrets of how to escape duct tape if they’re ever kidnapped. (Duct tape is the #1 way in which people are kidnapped all over the world.)
It’s an exciting segment that people love to watch, and I think your hosts and viewers would find it fun and beneficial.
I can also share little-known home defense tips based on CIA safe houses. (Unfortunately, there were over 53,400 home burglaries in Denver last year.)
You can see my bio here: https://spyescapeandevasion.com/jason-hanson-biography/
You can see my past TV appearances here: https://spyescapeandevasion.com/press/
Please let me know if you have any questions. My schedule is open to come on your show the morning of September 5 or September 6 if it’s possible and would work for you.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jason Hanson
[My email address here]
[My cell phone here]
[ PRO TIPS ]
THE EXTRA PUSH
If you’ve followed the rules carefully, there’s an excellent chance you will receive a response in just a few days. If you don’t, you should do an extra push. An extra push is just a follow-up email that dials up the urgency a little bit. Whenever I’ve had to do an extra push, I’ve included a line such as . . .
Hi Julie,
I don’t want you to miss this . . .
Jason Hanson here.
I’m a former CIA Officer and the New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF LINES THAT CAN HELP DIAL UP THE URGENCY MAY INCLUDE:
HOW TO DOMINATE YOUR FIRST TELEVISION APPEARANCE AND GET ASKED BACK FOR ANOTHER APPEARANCE
Congratulations. You’ve booked your first television appearance at a local station. If played right, this appearance could open up an entirely new chapter in your life—and can bring in endless income for your business. For what it’s worth, I was a little nervous when I did my first television segment on Good Things Utah. While I always do as much research as I can before embarking on something new, I would have welcomed tips from someone who had done it before. Producers love it when you make their lives easier, and they have reliable, interesting, trustworthy people whom they can pull out of their back pocket to make an appearance. My goal was to be a producer’s go-to choice for segments on safety and survival.
To make things easier for you and your journey upward, I’ve compiled what I’ve observed to be the best tips to make a guest a desirable choice to be on TV. If you make sure to incorporate the following tips into your first appearance, you’ll do great, and chances are you’ll be asked back again.
Dress the part: I always wear a black suit and tie on television. I feel this is what people expect from a former intelligence officer. While I’d love to show up in jeans and a T-shirt, that wouldn’t exude an air of reliability. I’m not saying everyone needs to wear a suit. If your expertise falls into an area where it would be appropriate for you to wear fun, less formal clothing, then go for it. Just make sure you look like the expert you want to be perceived to be.
Arrive early: Arriving late for a television appearance is a total disaster. The segments are perfectly timed, and showing up late will instantly mess up the producer’s schedule—and you’ll never be asked back. On national television they are so careful about timing that they’ll send a car for you to ensure you won’t get lost. Sometimes a show will do this even if you’re just a few blocks away. If you don’t know the area, drive the route in advance. If you’re flying, arrive the day before if possible. Give yourself more time than you would ever need to make it to the studio.
Double-check your props: Never assume the studio will have what you need for your segment. Bring everything with you and bring extras. If you have items that require batteries, bring an additional set. The intelligence officer in me is always overly prepared, and being prepared for television appearances ensures that nothing will go wrong. Knowing you have everything you need is an antidote to the swell of nerves.
Don’t be starstruck: As you continue to build your media presence and start doing national shows, you’ll eventually encounter an A List celebrity in the green room. When this happens, just say hello and mind your own business—even if it’s your favorite musician of all time. The worst thing you can do is behave like an annoying fan who pesters them. If they want to talk to you, they’ll let you know.
I was in the green room one time with another guest who wouldn’t stop talking to a celebrity. When the producer walked in, the celeb gave him a look that said, “Get this guy away from me.” Producers want A List celebrities to come back on their show, so if you turn out to be the kind of guest that can’t leave such people alone, you won’t be asked back.
It’s like a chat between two good friends: When it’s your time to go on the air, you’ll be escorted to the set. The guy operating the camera will give you the countdown. Once the segment goes live, the host will look directly at the camera and read the teleprompter to introduce you. During this time, you should also look directly at the camera and smile. After you’ve been introduced the host will turn to you, and that’s your signal to start sharing your information with the audience. Talk to the host, not the camera. It’s exactly like two friends having a casual conversation. Forget the camera is even there. Continue with your segment exactly as you practiced it. When you finish, the host will again look back to the camera and mention your book, product, or service before teasing out the next segment.
When you’re done, you’re out: Once you go off the air, someone will come and remove your microphone and the producer with whom you’ve been working will escort you out. It’s a fast and businesslike process. Don’t think that you’re going to hang around and that they’re going to sit and chat with you. Shows are very fast paced—it’s organized chaos—and they’ve got to go right to the next segment.
HOW TO TURN ONE SEGMENT INTO MULTIPLE SEGMENTS
Hopefully all went well and all of that practice paid off. If you did your job well, you showed up on time, behaved in a professional manner, and delivered a great segment—and chances are you’ll be asked back. If I see the producer I worked with on my way out, I’ll thank them for having me on and tell them I have several other ideas that would make great segments. Oftentimes they’ll ask you back before you even bring it up.
The self-critique: I always want to improve, so I carefully critique my own television appearances once I receive a copy of the recording. One time I sat with my legs stretched out, which, upon review, just looked terrible. I made a point of making sure I never sat that way again. I also paid attention to my pacing, voice, and vocabulary. Once you have the opportunity to see your appearance, note the following:
- Did your outfit look right for the appearance? Would you change anything about it next time?
- Did you speak clearly and at an appropriate volume?
- Were there any filler words that you need to avoid next time? Did you say “mm” between lines?
- How was your posture?
- Could your pacing improve? Did you speak too quickly or too slowly?
- Was your demonstration clear and jaw-dropping, as it needs to be to wow an audience?
- Were your props appropriate and clearly visible?
The value-added follow-up: Ideally, a producer will be in touch and ask you about other segment ideas. If not, you should send a follow-up email within the next couple of days. Either way, it’s important that you respond with multiple segment ideas. You want to give a producer a variety of choices that show off what you’re capable of doing. One great reason to send multiple ideas is that if a national show has to fly you out, it’s possible they would shoot more than one segment. That’s a win for everyone. Following is an example of a follow-up email I sent that got me asked back on a show several times:
[FIRST NAME,]
Thank you so much for having me on your show. Following are several more ideas for a segment. Let me know if you need more. Thank you.
Jason
You can see that I gave the producers several ideas from which to choose. Don’t just send them a single idea. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to find an idea they like so they will have you back on the show. Remember, each appearance on a show means extra money in your pocket.