3 Media Lessons from an Almost Famous Blogger

After pitching interviewing tips for the unemployed, I was invited a couple of weeks ago to be a guest again on KXAN's weekend news.

I think I was more nervous this time than I was the first time around. In case you didn't know: there are no do-overs on live tv!

Weekend anchor, Catenya McHenry, does a good job of making me feel relaxed and I love her conversational interviewing style.

While I'm totally ecstatic about this whole experience, I want to share with you how it all came about - from the beginning. If media exposure isn't your bag of chips, pass this along to someone else who may benefit from it. 

LESSON #1: RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

If you follow me on twitter, you know I often tweet about people I've connected with online and then have either developed an offline relationship or nurtured our online connection to the point where it feels like we really know each other. There's a huge difference between meeting someone for coffee because you think they're a good prospect versus genuinely getting to know someone and then allowing the relationship to evolve organically.

I met me and The Boy's barber through my hairstylist. He relocated to Austin after Hurricane Katrina and KXAN interviewed him last year when they did a story on New Orleans natives who were rebuilding their lives. Meteorologist Rhonda Lee is one of his clients. I asked to be introduced to her. Rhonda told my barber to pass her contact info on to me and I reached out to her with a story idea. At the time, Rhonda didn't know Thomas, the owner of Kick Butt Coffee, but ended up meeting him at a local event prior to us going on the show. 

Are you keeping up with the relationship thread so far?!

After my first time as a guest, I introduced the producer to Linda D. Wilson. Well, what had happened was I gave all three ladies a gift made by Linda. Note: I bought the gifts with my money - she didn't sponsor me. You can see Linda's appearance here. I met Linda a couple of years ago when she attended one of my workshops.

LESSON #2: DON'T BE A JACKASS

All of this takes time. And patience. If you don't have either one, none of what I tell you will work. 

Following-up is tricky. You have to be on the radar just enough to let the producers know you're interested, but not to the point where you start to get on their nerves. Instead of trying to come up with a routine check-in (ie: once a week, every two weeks, etc.), just focus on reaching out to the media when you have a timely, newsworthy story idea. Never once have I ever emailed an outlet asking if they got my email. If it didn't come back undeliverable - assume they got it and move on.

Don't ask when they'd like to have you back. Listen to the feedback and depending on what you're told, use it as an opportunity to create an invitation for yourself. That's what I did. After my first appearance, the producer came out and congratulated us on a good segment. Even the camera man chimed in as to how well it went. The producer then told me she'd be in touch to have me come back on. She also mentioned it would be after the SXSW festival - a busy time for local media here in Austin.

I sent a follow-up note a few weeks after SXSW and included a newsworthy pitch in the same email. It was short and sweet. Three tips with about two sentences each. About a month later, I sent another email with a different pitch I'd carefully customized. I didn't know if they'd highlight the tips, but in case they did, they all began with the letter C. Something the viewers would be sure to read and remember. The extra time and effort I put into it paid off.

LESSON #3: TRAIN LIKE A PROFESSIONAL AMATEUR 

I don't have a journalism degree and have never worked in the media industry. Everything I've managed to accomplish has been self-taught. Thank God for blogs like this one to help me along the way.

Pitching ideas from your comfy home office is one thing and actually sitting behind a news desk next to people who do this for a living with cameras and lights all in your face is a whole'nother story. Be ready.

I spend hours in the classroom. And what does my classroom look like? Most would probably describe it as useless web surfing and brain numbing tv watching. There are times when I really want to have a glass of wine with the Basketball Wives, but I can't because I gotta report to the lab with Anderson Cooper. Saturday nights with Suze Orman count as a double-date. I get a personal finance smackdown while visualizing being on my own set that bears a striking resemblance to hers.

No matter what is you want to do, you can't make excuses anymore. You can't blame a lack of this, not enough that, or another person for that matter. You just read a true story of how one woman is doing it all herself. Opening up her mouth, lining herself up with the right people, and rolling up her sleeves determined to get the job done. 

If it's working for me, it sure as hell will work for you.