How to Get on TV Shows 5 Steps

Barry, Barry, Barry . . . that’s the name that kept coming up as someone I had to meet. Today I’m happy to introduce you, too, to Barry as in Barry Moltz.

Thanks to Barry for buying me lunch at Navy Pier and telling me how he helps small businesses get unstuck. In the course of our conversation, I offered him the opportunity to guest post [hey – I know a good writer when I meet one!] about a variety of topics. Lucky for us, he picked this one.

How to Get on Television 5 Steps by Barry Moltz

Night after night, you sit and watch all the business pundits on network television and you think to yourself, “that should be me!” As you watch the replays on Youtube or Hulu, it starts to make you mad, until you realize there are tens of thousands of people out there just like you. At this point, a sense of hopelessness sets in.

Rarely, does the producer from Oprah just call you up and ask you to be on the show. You need to be proactive in your efforts. Here are five key elements to follow:

1. Be an expert. Write and speak about a niche constantly. Have a book or two published to “prove it”. Get endorsed by other famous people and companies about what an expert you are.

2. Have video of you talking in front of people on your website. Even if you are an expert, producers do not want to take a risk that you are bad in front of the camera. It maybe the chicken and the egg, but you need video to get video opportunities. If you do not have any video of yourself, have a professional produce a few clips for you.

3. Talk about current events. Follow the news. Relate the topic that you are an expert on to what is going on in the news. That is what the media wants to talk to you about.

4. Get referred to producers. Do you know someone that was on a business show that you would like to be on? Ask them to introduce you to the producer and monthly, stay in contact with them to tell them how what you are an expert at and how it relates to what is going on in the business world.

5. Hire a PR person. It is expensive, but it works. Make an investment in a PR person that has a track record of getting clients on the business shows you want to be on. As in any business, it’s who you know, not what you know that will mean success. Their relationships with producers will make a big difference.

What successful strategies have you used to get on television?

Barry MoltzCNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch multiple times. He was thrilled about how good the spray on makeup made him look on television.