With all the excitement brewing about submitting videos for the Oprah Winfrey Network and beyond, it seems timely to share useful tips to be a super TV guest. Here with a new guest blog post is Janet Vasil of Your Media Moment. Take it away Janet!
Polishing your TV interview skills takes time and practice, but rest assured, great guests are made, not born.
Here are some ways to be a super guest.
- Be low maintenance
Arrive early. Be prepared to deliver what you pitched. Politely ask the questions you need answered before your appearance, but don’t be pushy or badger the producer for special treatment. Be patient and flexible. Live shows and tapings can be chaotic. Don’t add to the mayhem.
- Don’t push an agenda
The show invited you to be informative and share your ideas in an engaging way. Show your passion and your expertise and have three main points in mind that you’d like to make. However, don’t be so focused on delivering them that you repeat the same thing word-for-word over and over again. Answer the questions you’re asked and subtly segue into your message points.
- Don’t upstage the host
This may surprise you (Ha, Ha) but many on-air people have big egos. Be aware of the host’s personality and be ready to roll with it. They may interrupt you, go off on tangents, make jokes at your expense, twist your words around, etc. to get an audience reaction or entertain the viewers. Don’t be a doormat, but don’t try to one-up them or pick a fight. It’s their show.
- Nobody’s Perfect
Even for the pros, there’s no such thing as a perfect show. Stuff happens, especially on a live show. Many interview shows are “look lives.” In other words they’re taped in advance and can be edited. But the purpose of the live-to-tape format is to get the “live” feeling without a lot of editing. The crew may stop a taping for technical reasons, but generally not for performance missteps. If you stumble on a word or a demonstration goes awry, don’t get flustered or freeze up. Smile and keep going.
Appearing on TV can be exciting and the publicity boost might amaze you. Just be yourself and have fun. You’re sure to shine.
Media Momentum Coach Janet Vasil uses her more than 25 years experience as a radio/TV anchor, reporter and producer to help women entrepreneurs, authors, service professionals and other experts step into the spotlight, reach out to the media and profit from free publicity on TV, radio and the “virtual airwaves.” For more information, visit this link.
