4 Secrets Guests Stare at Top TV Talk Shows

The phone rings. *Hi, I'm...a producer of Good Morning America, Oprah, Larry King Live*, and any other top talk show. This is your big moment, the break you've been waiting for. What do you do after you get your breath back?

Producers get instant ratings from you within 30 seconds. When you get the coveted call from the producer, just don't *talk* to him:

You hear they are screened to be accepted as guests on the show or eliminated. How to pass the audition?

Secret #1:

listen before you speak

Before you open your mouth and introduce yourself and your story to the producer, ask a quick question.

*Could you tell us a little bit about the kind of show you have in mind?* That is, ask the producers from what perspective they are planning.

This gives him two advantages. First, it gives you time to get over the shock and collect your thoughts.

Then, once you hear the producer's reaction, you can tailor your pitch to the type of information he's looking for. Listen carefully to what angles he is interested in and adjust your points accordingly. Publicists often use this technique to book shows for their clients. You *get* before you *give* so you can only share the most relevant information about your customers.

Secret #2:

Short description of the producer

Heed the advice of jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie.

*It doesn't matter how much you play. * When you call your producer (or the producer calls you), keep a short log of your phone conversations. Rehearsals have already been completed to make the points feel natural and engaging. Be prepared at several different angles or pitches with different ways of distorting information. *No one goes on these shows without being interviewed first*, says publicist Leslie Rothman. * Give great interviews, but don't worry about the product you're trying to sell to them.

Remember the words of Robert Frost.

*Half the world is made up of people who have something to say but can't, and the other half is made up of people who have nothing to say and keep saying it.*

Secret #3:

prove you're not crazy

If you air a madman, the producer will lose his job. What is a spinner? You might think that being enthusiastic is a positive trait (it is), but people who are overly enthusiastic about pursuing their passions are considered crazy. Best-selling author and screenwriter Richard Price describes the phenomenon this way: *The dangerous thrill of doing good*. ferocious thrills.

His one way to tell if you're too eager is to slam it full speed toward your target with the energy of a locomotive that pulls levers non-stop. I remember a man calling me because he was fighting Starbucks on his own. He wanted me to advertise his purpose. This could have been a great David vs. Goliath kind of story, but it was much more emotional and stuck to the facts.

However, he never contacted me to see if he was interested in me. He seemed like a poorly oriented person, speaking loudly and out of breath. His single-mindedness was repulsive and unattractive.

When speaking to a producer, he speaks for about 30 seconds, then raises his hand and asks: *Is this the information you are looking for?*

Secret #4:

*Could you mark the big dots?*

A contributor to the popular radio show *This American Life*, hosted by Ira Glass, calls the epiphany at the end of the story *The Big Point*. This is the moment when the narrator applies his perspective to the story, trying to elevate it from the mundane to the universal.

Another radio personality, Garrison Keillor, is a master at it. He ramblings long (not good advice for you) and weave all the storylines coherently and satisfyingly. We want your story to stand out as a great guest