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TV Interview Tips: How to Prep Even if it Gets Cancelled
Copyright © 2002 - 2010 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.
1. There is only one correct
answer when the producer calls.
You always answer with the
single blessed word, "yes" whenever a producer asks if you can do something.
When the O'Reilly Factor producer called and asked if I could be in studio
tomorrow I said, "Yes." When the booker asked if I'd seen the Sarah Palin and
Charlie Gibson ABC interview I said "Yes" again without hesitation.
Once my assistant Kelly told me that the O'Reilly Factor called, the first thing
I did was begin to watch that video since I hadn't seen the original interview.
I wanted to be prepared before I called her back so I familiarized myself with
some of the footage so I could speak intelligently. If you need to buy time
before you call a producer back, even if it's only 5 minutes, prepare your sound
bites so you can demonstrate that you know the topic at hand.
2. Prepare, prepare prepare.
Do everything in your power to
access all the available information on the subject you're asked to speak about.
For breaking news or current affairs you'll often be asked to comment on recent
events so you'll need to call them up on YouTube or Google so you know the most
up-to-the-minute information.
I searched for all the Sarah Palin information I could find to bone up on her
past so that I could better comment on her present. I needed to see her base
point, her normal levels of behavior, before I could accurately comment on how
she holds up under pressure or extreme situations.
I could then say with confidence that when Palin gets stressed and doesn't know
the answer to a question she stutters and doesn't transition into prepared
information, which is what I'd recommend. I observed this stuttering about four
times when she was asked pointed questions in her ABC interview with Charlie
Gibson so I felt comfortable that this was a repeated stress behavior.
3. Do your own hair and make-up.
Even though the producer told
me they would do my hair and make-up for the O'Reilly Factor you can never take
chances. If you're stuck in traffic and you arrive a minute before you need to
go on the air, you go. I always advise my clients to do their own make-up. Just
leave off the powder and bring it with you so if the stylists/make-up artists
don't have time to fuss with you you can always powder up. One time a client did
not take my advice. Her interview was fantastic, except that she had gotten
caught in traffic and had to do it without make-up looking like a sickly ghost.
Very unprofessional. And not a good demo for other producers to see.
4. Make the most of a cancelled spot.
Since I had already done my
hair and make-up which took the good part of an hour, my astute assistant Kelly
said, "Why not do a video of you media coaching Sarah Palin?" So I did.
See it here.
Then I wrote a quick note to
the O'Reilly producer with the link so he could take a look and to let him know
I was available for any last minute cancellations if the need arose.
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Susan Harrow, CEO of
http://prsecrets.com, is
a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of
Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul® (HarperCollins),
The
Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah, and
Get a 6-
Figure Book Advance. Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, bestselling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on
Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade,
People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc. |
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