Dear Friends,

Amy Fisher has made a lot of mistakes. Most recently, Amy Fisher and her estranged husband, Lou Bellera, made a porn video which he sold to Red Light District Video (the company also distributed the 1 NIGHT IN PARIS DVD starring Paris Hilton). The Fisher and Bellera video is already available on the Internet, much to Fisher's dismay.

Fisher made her first big media mistake in 1992 at age 17 when she slept with Joey Buttafuoco, age 35, then shot his wife. The affair earned her the title of the Long Island Lolita in the national news. Although most of us have not shot anyone, or made a porn video, we've all done things we'd rather not have anyone know about, particularly the media.

It's a sad fact that once you make a mistake in print or on live radio or TV, it's forever etched in the national consciousness, and preserved in print in the LexisNexis and/or the Dow Jones systems, two services that house just about every article ever printed.

These two sources are the prime places that journalists and producers use to research potential experts and guests for their shows and publications. Worst case scenario is that you say and/or do something shameful, embarrassing, silly, stupid, or wrong. The sad fact is you can never take it back. What's done is done. And anyone can find it with a little bit of research.

Most people looking for publicity focus on the press release or pitch letter they send to the media and quickly lose sight of the importance of their sound bites once the media calls. While your first contact with the media through the written word is important, your spoken word is just as important. It's the next step. The media interviews you and you either pass or fail. Often, there is no second chance.

If you pass, you get to have your say—in 15-30 seconds, for typically 2 to 20 minutes total. I've discovered that most people's Achilles' heel is in the actual appearance or interview itself. Because even if you make it onto a show, that appearance can have little result. Bottom line, it's because of you.

In the big picture, you are the representative of your brand. Your words, tone, body and facial language need to match everything you do, say and are, including the product, service or cause you're promoting. If they don't, the audience perceives the disconnect and doesn't buy into what you're saying or selling.

From my experience, people don't want to believe this. Whether it's out of fear or the lack of it, the result is the same. Disappointment. I became a media coach because as a publicist I realized that even though I got my clients prime placements for everything from the New York Times to Larry King Live, those appearances often didn't produce the results they had hoped.

When I read, heard or saw my client's interviews, I knew why. They rambled, they dithered, they got off track, they were dull or negative or boring or said just the opposite of what they intended. I had done my job by getting them the placements, but they hadn't done theirs by being a great interview subject. One client even told me she felt "raped" by the media. Pretty strong language for a chat between two people that happened to be aired on radio.

What she said was that she felt cornered into saying things that were too private to be uttered. While she didn't come to the realization that she was angry at herself, she did come to understand that there is only one person who could control her words and actions...her. Although this may not be an easy pill to swallow, once accepted, it is the ultimate elixir.

Little by little, I began media coaching my own clients early in my career and liked it so much I changed my whole focus to developing media strategies and angles and then media trained my clients to those angles. I found that the media training was the missing link in the evolution of the PR process. And my clients began to have the results they so dearly wanted.

I'd like you to have those results too.

Whether you are the person who has been afraid to work on your sound bites, the person who is eager to learn, the one who has been "burned" by the media, or the one who has had disappointing results, you're all welcome to attend the free teleclass called How to Create Sound Bites that Get You on Oprah and Other National TV Talk Shows.

I encourage you to make this the year of the sound bite where you say what you want in the way you want to say it so people will respond to what you have to give.

Warmly,

Susan

P.S. "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, well-preserved body…but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming…WOW! WHAT A RIDE!"
~ Anonymous

Sound Bite Blunders to Avoid

1. Use a General Bio.

Sound biting starts even before you appear on a TV or radio show. Your bio is the first introduction to you and it's your first sound bite—even though you're not the one to say it. Most people leave this introduction up to the TV or radio host and that's their first mistake. Controlling the public's perception of you begins with the bio. Even if you have hired a publicist, this job is still yours as your publicist won't have the time for this level of detail.

Your bio should be two to four lines and specifically tailored to the topic you'll be discussing. I highly suggest that you create bios for every single subject you pitch to the media. One of my clients didn't have time to do this when she dashed into the studio to comment on breaking news for a major network. The result? She was labeled a psychologist because she had a "PhD" after her name. She was not a psychologist or therapist, but a wellness expert. Not the end of the world, but a blip in her branding.

On the positive side, one of my clients who is an expert in Huna, the ancient science of Hawaiian wisdom passed down to modern day through a lineage, developed several separate bios. There are many different aspects of Huna, one of which is Ho'oponopono, The Hawaiian Code of Forgiveness.

When he was speaking directly about this aspect of Huna, his bio reflected that focus. When the angle was about mental infidelity, cheating in your head, his bio emphasized his experience in dealing with the thousands of people in his seminars seeking loving, long-lasting, rewarding and hot relationships. When you angle your bio to your expertise within a given niche, you deepen your credibility.

2. Meander Meaninglessly.

Don't squander time. You have a precious few minutes to convey your essential messages to people who have nano attention spans. Writer Vladimir Nabokov said, "Caress the divine details." It's your job to first discover the details that matter and then sort out what is divine from the worldly dross of all that you know.

The problem most people have is not knowing too little, but knowing too much and then choosing what is relevant to the audience they are speaking to. That can differ widely in all the media mediums. You'll want to create a core of 6 essential messages that you then expand and contract, and add and subtract specific details to tailor them to particular audience. This takes enormous skill and practice.

3. Don't Demonstrate.

Talking heads get dull. TV is a visual medium so it loves action, props, movement. Whenever you can prove a point by demonstration it increases its effectiveness for several reasons. You're getting the host involved physically, and research shows that when two people who are interacting with each other are in motion, not only do they remember better and learn more, but they feel more connected. Marci Shimoff, author of Happy For No Reason, and one of the teachers in the DVD The Secret did this exceptionally well in her NBC's The Today Show appearance.

Marci asked The Today Show host Meredith Vieira to put her arm straight out to her side and pushed down on it. This is called "muscle testing." It was strong and stayed in the same position. Then she asked Meredith to say "I'm not good enough" three times. When Marci pushed on Meredith's arm it went right down, Meredith couldn't keep it out straight and strong.

Finally, she asked Meredith to say "I'm good enough" three times. Meredith's arm stayed out straight and strong even with Marci pushing on it hard. Marci's point? Negative thoughts and words weaken us. Strong thoughts and words strengthen us. See this yourself. Marci Shimoff was an excellent guest. Well rehearsed yet natural and engaging.

4. Don't Back Opinions or Ideas with Facts.

The whole focus of NBC's The Today Show appearance for Marci Shimoff was not "about" her book, but about a trend in the American culture. Marci stated that we have an "epidemic of unhappiness." She backed up that strong statement with the fact that 1 in every 5 women are on antidepressants. And 30% of the people report being deeply unhappy. In addition, Americans have 60,000 thoughts per day, 80% of which are negative. This data is startling and Marci delivered it in a warm yet precise manner, with no hype.

One of the most validating ways to be taken seriously is to research statistics that support your views and quote them accurately. To gain even greater credibility, do original survey studies yourself. If this is a possibility for you, you'll be an outstanding source. The media are always looking for new data on fresh and old ideas.

If you're ready to make this your sound bite year and want personal media training from me, please go to http://prsecrets.com/appointment.php and let me know a bit about what you want to accomplish.

How to Create Sound Bites that Get You on Oprah and Other National TV Talk Shows Teleclass

Most people underestimate the necessity of having snappy, sincere sound bites prepared when the producer of any national TV show calls. Their call to you is to find out if you qualify to be a guest—or not. This teleclass will cover what you need to know to be sure you're ready when the opportunity arrives.

Join Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Savvy - Get Seen, Heard and Celebrated in Your Own Backyard ... and Beyond! and Susan Harrow, media coach, marketing strategist and CEO of prsecrets.com, in this 1 hour teleclass.

Nancy will interview Susan on how you can create sound bites that get you ink and air on national shows like Oprah.

You'll learn:

• The 3 things you must do before you even begin contacting the media.
• Tips on how to create sound bites that can get you on Oprah and other top talk shows.
• Magic words and phrases to say to producers that keep them listening.
• Critical mistakes to avoid that can get you banished from producer's Rolodexes and files.
• The Oprah Show and O Magazine hot buttons.
• BONUS: A special surprise that you don't know about Oprah that can make you a fortune.

DATE: February 5, 2008
TIME: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern. (PLEASE CHECK THE TIME FOR YOUR TIME ZONE.)
COST: FREE
Limit 100.

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March 5, 2006
6:30pm CST on KCRO 660 AM
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Anywhere in the World
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Quote

He who cannot dance claims the floor is uneven.

~ Hindu Saying