To create expert status for yourself in your field you can get booked in the media as an expert. This creates a competitive edge for you that is tough for your competitors to match. Here are some tips to get you going. First of all, make a list of everything you can talk about that is important to your industry. Next, expand your list to include real word scenarios likely to exist for your target market. So here’s an example, if you are a career expert expand your abilities to comment by looking at the subtopics that affect careers such as “how to get a job when everyone else is losing theirs” or “how to stand out in a pile of resumes. Create expansion points or talking points for each of these sub-categories and you are on your way.
Create a well-developed author or expert BIO that stacks your most impressive accomplishments from the top down to support your expert status. The media will read just enough to convince them that you are their perfect expert. Lead with your credentials and education, special areas of expertise, and follow with accomplishments or companies you have worked for and any impressive media you have obtained. Develop your media contact database in advance. Know who you are going to contact in advance. Don’t wait until a breaking news event happens where they need an expert to start to figure out who to contact. You’ll want to make connections in advance.
Make contact with your media targets in advance to let them know you are standing by for them the next time they need for example, a Workplace Expert or a Legal Analyst. Send your expert status qualifications and topic areas, BIO and your complete contact information including home and cell phone. When the media moves, they move fast. Experts are well-read. Look for articles in major national newspapers and magazines that tie into your area of expertise. TV shows get ideas for programming everywhere. Once you spot a national article that you can expand upon or offer commentary on, you will want to contact the media using your contact database. Then send your talking points, bio, phone numbers, and of course, mention the article or breaking news event to which you are pegging your pitch.
Once you spot a news event where you are the perfect person to comment, let your contact list know about the event and be available when they call you. Let them know your availability and certainly be ready to drop everything to give an interview or head down to the TV studio. Be sure to know in advance, the media’s style. You do this by watching your target shows, following the journalists on your lists and reading the magazines or newspapers and visiting the internet news sites daily.
Be sure to invest in media training so you know how to talk to the media. They want clear concise commentary without meandering or long-winded answers. Quick and accurate analysis is key. You want to work out certain trouble spots in advance of your TV appearance such as talking with your hands, blinking your eyes too much or talking slow with a lot of distracting and annoying “ummmm’s”.
Get additional strategies about creating expert status by getting TV publicity. Experience the outstanding success to your career by getting publicity on tv and other media such as radio, newspapers and internet news sites. Plenty of resources available to help you go to all new levels of success.
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