book publicity asking questions interviews author tips

Here’s are the links to a couple of clips to show you how not to do an interview on a talk show.

The videos are from Fox TV interview episode of “The Wendy Williams Show” on Fox, where she and Omarosa (2004 contestant from Donald trump’s reality show The Apprentice) get more than a little testy with one another.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities_blog/2008/07/wendy_williams_vs_omarosa.html

I thought Wendy Williams was more than kind. It amazes me she lasted as long as she did. She demonstrated more patience and respect that this guest deserved.

Omarossa demonstrated that she is basically vane, self-centered, obnoxious, and disrespectful, and has very little good advice helpful for anyone. She insulted the host repeatedly and showed she can’t be trusted.

Why anyone would ever want to go near her or read her book escapes me.

They say that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But this interview indicates that maybe, just maybe, it is possible to commit publicity and interview errors that are more detrimental than good.

Time will tell.

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OK you’re ready to write a news release or have me send one out for you.

Now what do you do?

The goal is to now get people interested in you and your writing. To do this we need to make you interesting, newsworthy and entertaining. We need some exceptional material. We need your best material.

This is what I need from you so that we are successful together.

Here’s what I recommend you do:

First go to Google News and study what’s being published YOUR KEY WORDS

http://news.google.com/

You may also want to do this at my newly patented custom search word pro web site. It operates like a channel changer for search engines:

http://www.searchwordpro.com/quick.src?Action=&T=130

Once you see the existing coverage think how we can use this knowledge to create similar coverage about you. We have to interest media by giving them what they are accustomed to producing entertainment and education-wise. Look at what the best authors and entertainers do and in response to what questions or issues. Learn and take notes. Find a few examples that you really are envious of. These become your models.

Now build a presentation like this:

Imagine being in front of 20 to 30 of the very best people you think would be most interested and who in your service. Describe these people to me.

Identify the most important and interesting topic, challenges, or problem situation that will interest the maximum number of people you can think of, that relate to what you can speak about based on what you have created.

Think about being entertaining and informative at your story telling best. Use what you learned to guide you. You can use my 3 I Technique. Identify a success story. Imitate it. Innovate with your own information.

Then give me your ten best tips, problem solving actions or stories and ideas or lessons learned for your target audience. Can you give these people your ten commandments? Your best quips? The most important things you learned by writing?

I want you to pretend you have three to five minutes to give these people ten absolutely phenomenal show stoppers. That means for ten items, you have less than 30 seconds for each one, plus a one minute
intro and a one minute ending.

The goal is to create a vision for the media that clearly illustrates and allows them to visualize in their minds — How you can help them put on a good show and entertain and educate the people you can help the most.

Focus less on ideas than on actions that people can take to deliver immediate or tangible real time or near term benefits, impacts, or predictable consequences. Use real stories about things that happened to you or other people to add human interest.

These show stoppers should be “Do This Today” types of actions if it is advice you are giving to solve a problem or “Get a Load of This” type of emotionally engaging stories that are dramatic and personal and illustrate some achievement in the face of adversity.

This forms the core content to the news release/show proposal pitch.

These will also be publishable as an article with some caveats we can add to the beginning and ending of the core content to turn it into a proper news release offering. It will also become the core script
for a Q & A style interview, so they serve many purposes.

You can do five do’s and five don’ts or whatever. I just want you to be your wittiest and most galvanizing self. You can be humorous and/or serious, just be good and make them memorable. Keep them G Rated.

If you follow these instructions, please do send me these in an email message. No more than a single bullet plus a single one or two sentence inspirational explanation per bullet.

I’ll do the rest.

And then we’ll get you a bunch of media publicity, in the right place, so you are viewed and seen as helping the people you can help the most.

Paul J. Krupin Custom Targeted PR
Helping People Reach the Right Markets & the Right Media, with The Right Message
www.DirectContactPR.com 800-457-8746 509-545-2707

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Andy Andrews, camera in hand, asked a number of people “what’s the smartest thing your dad ever did?”

The answers he got were quite remark-able. In this short but incredible video, you’ll meet some truly normal people and a few well known celebrities as well.

Andy points out the value of having a mentor. Mentors do more than just offer advice. They invest in the outcome. They participate in the development personally. They make sure that some steps are taken and some expereinces and results are achieved.

We could all use and benefit from having a mentor or two. Quality advice and strong active supporters makes a whole lot of difference in a scary world filled with challenges and risk of disaster.

The real question then becomes is what do you do when you receive guidance and help from a mentor.

So the next question I wish Andy would ask of people, is this:

What the smartest thing you ever learned from your dad?

I know my dad would love to hear the answer. Even though I’m in my mid-fifites, he might be really surprised and happy to hear me share this with him.

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