5 Ways to Conquer Your First TV Appearance

I’ve learned a lot about the media over the past few years, from being interviewed by major magazines and online news sites, to calling into a few radio and podcast shows and then by taking a major step with a TV appearance.  If you asked me a few years ago if I thought I’d be receiving all of this press, I would have laughed.  I don’t think my friends have really gotten over this and last night a few came up to me saying “You’re still Dan to us.”  This further proves that personal branding is more important for people who don’t already know you because you can never make a second impression (for the most part).

My TV appearance story

I received an email from Tory Johnson on April 7th (when Me 2.0 hit stores internationally), with a subject line that read “Next Wed at 2pm in NY or via satellite from Boston?”  I immediately said “yes” in excitement in an email responding to Tory. Since I had no experience on TV previously, I had many questions to ask her, such as “what should I wear,” “what questions will I be asked” and more.  I asked a few of my girlfriends what I should wear and they told me that I need to wear a dark suit so that I could stand out amidst the backdrop (cityscape).  I also called one of my friends who came with me to the ABC News station in Newton, Massachusetts.

Once I got there, I had to sit in a waiting room for about a half hour before they called me in. I was, of course, very nervous at this point because it was all knew to me, even despite my breadth of knowledge in this area.  I walked into the production room and noticed that there was a chair, a large video camera, two beaming white lights, a TV to the left and a lot of wires and other equipment.  I was told to sit in the chair and start listening to the news, waiting for the producer to get on and explain the show logistics.  The TV to my left had me on it, with a cityscape, just like it would look like on TV.  I was given a microphone and an earpiece so that I could hear the news and Tory’s interview questions when the show started.

Sitting up straight, being blinded by the two big lights and trying to smile, I sat there listening to questions from Tory.  I responded consistently based on everything I’ve discussed in Me 2.0 and this blog.  The feedback after the show was quite positive, and now I think I have a lot more confidence for the next appearance whenever it would be.

5 Ways to Conquer Your First TV Appearance

1.  Dress the part

Since my audience is more affluent and because any legitimate business person dresses in a suit for TV appearances, that is exactly what I wore and you should wear.  The one issue I had when I was at the studio was that my tie was crooked and no one said anything.  People noticed my tie and it distracted them slightly from the interview.  You want to make sure everything you’re wearing is intact and that it all compliments each other.  Wear dark clothing so you stand out.

2.  Come prepared

I received many of the questions the night before, but during the interview, the questions were different.  I’m sure this happens a lot so they can catch you by surprise, so it’s important to come prepared and know your stuff.  This isn’t that challenging if you always talk about your subject matter.  As long as you know the main theme, you should be fine.  If you wrote a book, then try and take some of the information from the book and use it during the interview.

3.  Provide short answers

You can type many paragraphs for a blog entry, but when it comes to radio and TV, your answers need to be concise because the interview is fast paced and segments aren’t that long.  I was asked about six or seven questions and since I only had six minutes total, I had to answer each in about a minute.  Take your major point or a cool quote that you came up with and use it to answer the question.

4.  Try to smile

I was trying to smile off and on when I was on TV, but it was tough sometimes because my facial expression was altered by the questions that were asked.  A lot of people gave me feedback afterward, talking about how I could have smiled more.  I think it’s difficult because you get so caught up in the moment, that you don’t even think about it when the camera is rolling.

5.  Be confident

This tip can be used for just about any advice on building a powerful brand, but it must be included in this list as well.  If you aren’t confident, you will flop in a TV interview because posture, appearance, personality and knowledge are the keys to success.  People watching on their TV’s will know if you aren’t confident and it can really hurt your personal brand.

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