David Frey

By Guest Writer, Steve Harrison

When my client Barb Schwarz demonstrated her "home staging" strategies on ABC's 20/20 program, she got more than 2,300 emails from prospective customers within the first hour alone.

Plus even though the interview was last fall, Barb is still reaping benefits from it by showing the video on her web site and in various marketing materials to boost credibility with her prospects.

The best part is she didn't pay a penny for the airtime - which would have cost $728,930.00 had she bought an ad spot of equal length on the show.

A single appearance on national TV can drive a flood of sales, spark more word-of-mouth and raise the percentage of people who buy from you.

When your clients see you on national TV, they'll never look at you like a salesperson or marketer. They'll see you as an expert - even a celebrity.

Here are Five Tips for Getting Yourself on National TV:

1) Try to tie-in with something timely or in the news.

2) Tell the viewers something they don't already know.

3) Offer producers ideas for visuals.

4) Write a tailored one-page pitch that sells the show idea.

5) When possible, meet producers face-to-face.

Now let's take an actual case history so you can see how to apply this. Mahesh Grossman, came to me because he wanted to get more publicity.

He took advantage of the training and resources I provided and did all five things to get himself booked on Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends show

Here's How Mahesh Applied the 5 Strategies to Get on Fox...

1) Try to tie-in with something timely or in the news.

Mahesh runs a ghostwriting business in which he gets books written for people who don't have the time or talent to do it themselves.

But let's face it. The average Joe or Jane watching TV isn't looking for a ghostwriter.

So what did Mahesh do? He created a timely topic he could address and which would interest the average viewer.

At the time, the presidential primaries were going on. Mahesh offered to talk about how each presidential candidate had hired a ghostwriter to write his book and then went on to compare how honest and appreciative each candidate had been.

2) Tell viewers something they don't already know.

A producer at Fox News Network liked the idea of having a ghostwriting expert pull back the curtain and reveal things most people wouldn't know about the candidates and their books.

In fact, when they introduced Mahesh on the air, they called him the "ghostwriting guru" - a description that will be quoted on his website and promotional literature for years to come.

3) Offer ideas for visuals.

Remember, TV is a visual medium. Producers usually want to show the audience something rather than just telling them something.

With Mahesh, they knew they could use "B-roll" of the candidates campaigning - file footage they had and could run a couple times during the segment featuring Mahesh.

4) Write a tailored one-page pitch that sells the show idea.

You'll increase your odds of getting booked tremendously by giving producers a compelling one-page pitch letter that immediately sells them on your show idea.

Think of it as a sales letter going to the media where you're selling yourself.

But unlike most sales letters, be sure to keep your pitch letter short. Media folks are very busy and don't have a lot of time to read, so make your proposal in one-page and then send it to producers.

5) When possible, meet media face-to-face.

Producers are busier than ever. The best way to stand out from all their clutter of faxes, phone calls and emails is to meet them in person if they come to one of your industry trade shows.

By Steve Harrison