- Alright authors, good news!
The media wants to interview you about your book.
Stick around, I've got ten tips
to help you master those media interviews
when they come along.
(upbeat music)
Alright, so good news.
If you've written a nonfiction book,
chances are, the media is going to want to talk to you.
They're always looking for content
and they're looking for experts
to talk about different things on their show.
When the media comes calling,
you want to make sure that you are prepared.
And these ten tips will help you master the media
and make the most of it
for your book and your business.
Number one, is going to seem obvious.
It is show up for your interview.
Now, why do I even mention this?
Well, a couple of reasons.
One is timezones.
If you're doing podcast interviews
or radio interviews, it's really easy to get mixed up.
So double-confirm the timezone that you're in
and that they're in, and make sure
you're showing up for the interview at the right time.
If you're on a TV show,
and you have to start really early in the morning.
Some of my interviews, I had to be on set
in the greenroom at six A.M.
If you're driving around at 5:30 in the morning
trying to find the location of the TV studio,
and you get lost, guess what?
You're going to miss your interview.
And on live TV, it's going to run without you.
So, make sure that you're prepared
and you show up on time so you don't miss those interviews.
Number two is prepare in advance.
If it's a TV show, watch it before you go on it.
If it's a radio or podcast interview,
why don't you listen to a few shows,
make some notes, and most importantly
make a note of the host's name and the show name
and just have it on a cue card.
It's easy when you're under pressure
to forget important details,
like who you're talking to.
So, have it on a cheat sheet,
and then you'll always know.
Number three is have water handy.
It seems obvious again, but the number of times
that you can get rushed onto a set
or even sit down to do a quick radio interview
and you've got this dry cotton mouth
that happens when you're nervous,
and suddenly you have trouble speaking.
So just have water handy
so you can take a quick sip and carry on.
Number four, read your book in advance.
Sounds funny, 'cause you wrote the book, right?
But here's what happens.
By the time media interviews are happening,
it may be three to six to nine months
after you've actually been deep in the trenches
of your book and you forget.
Next thing you know, the host of the show
is opening up to page 123 and saying,
"Now here you say blah, blah, blah.
"Tell me what you were thinking when you wrote that."
And you're gonna go, "I don't know."
So make sure you stay familiar with the content
that's inside of your book.
While most hosts honestly do not read your book
and will just go off the questions you submit,
the odd one will catch you off guard
if you're not familiar with your own material.
Number 5 stay up to date on the news,
especially news specific in your industry.
Not only will that help you create
relevant pitches for your media outreach,
it also gives you something trending and topical
to talk about when you're on the show,
which the show will always appreciate.
Number six, think of this as a speed date.
What does that mean?
Typically you only have a couple of minutes
and they go fast, so you want to have quick tips.
No long stories, just short antidotes,
little soundbites, and you're good to go.
Number seven, prep your talking points in advance.
You're going to create questions.
Every show producer is going to ask you for talking points.
What you want to do is create some questions
that lead into the answers that you most want to talk about.
And write those questions word for word,
'cause a lot of hosts will actually ask them word for word.
So, you gotta know your talking points.
Have multiple ways to answer each of those questions,
so not only will you keep your interviews fresh,
but you could go a slightly different direction
if that show needs it.
Number eight, invest in the right equiptment
to do home interviews.
I've been on shows where you Skype in,
so you don't have to travel.
It's great.
However, you will not look like a pro
if you don't have good lighting, great audio,
and a good backdrop.
I've seen shows where you can see people's closet
and see the clothes in them
and some of the messiness
and that's really distracting as an audience viewer.
And the show won't like it either.
If you were a great guest,
a lot of times these shows will have you back
again and again and again.
So, spend a few hundred dollars and get great equipment
and you'll look like a pro
and probably get invited back.
Number nine, send people to a specific page
with a specific offer.
You can have them go to your website.
It's so much better if you say
go to booklaunchers.com forward slash sell books
where you're going to find a fantastic resource
on eight ways to sell a thousand books
for under a hundred dollars.
Now they've got a reason to go to that page,
sign up for your newsletter,
and now you can build a relationship with them.
Number ten, don't be freakin' boring!
Let your personality come out.
Have some fun with it.
The shows are really looking for character and personality.
They want great interviews.
And that only happens if your character comes out
and you have a little fun with it.
Alright, so the media is going to call you.
Now you're so much more prepared.
If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up.
It makes me happy, and of course while you're here,
subscribe to the channel so you get
all the tips to help you write, publish,
and sell a fantastic nonfiction book.
See you on the next video!
(upbeat music)
(sudden static)
Make note of the guests' name-
No, you're the guest.
(laughing)