Let’s demystify how to become a sought-after media contributor. If you want to book and share your TV and radio experience, you should be ready to go on the air at any time. Popular media contributors accept all offers without rejecting any media. Be on the lookout for news on the major local television networks that you can comment on. Read articles and news online too. To get expert status, you need to put the puzzle pieces together. It helps if you are an author or work in the field in which you claim to be an expert. You may be willing to share a personal story of tragedy toward success. So what can you speak eloquently about?

• Make a list of 4 topics that you are willing to discuss.
• From these 4 main topics, create subcategories.
• With your chosen topic, make a list of dos and don’ts or tips related to your topic.
• Write a 500 word article on your topic. When you finish your article post it online.
• Write 5 talking points from your article that you can talk about on the air.
• The talking points will become your discussion and comment.
• Practice your interview in a simulated video situation so you can listen and see how it will translate.
• Keep in mind that you will literally have a few minutes to get the vital points that make sense out of your mouth, so practice, practice, practice!

Now that you have content for your interviews, it’s time to create that online trail of your accomplishments, remember to post the article you wrote! Clean your electronic press kit (EPK) with a new BIO and plan a professional photoshoot. Your bio should build momentum with impressive achievements at the top and then surprise the reader with your expert status. Mention your credentials, education, experience, and links from your audio and video that qualify you as the perfect match for the angle of history you are looking for. Once you find a national article, you can offer feedback on how to contact the newsroom publishing the story and ask who and how to submit your electronic press kit (EPK). Here comes your presentation, before you link your presentation over the phone or online via email, make sure you can really deliver value. The body of the email of your correspondence will have a link to your website, with no attachments. Attachments are cumbersome and timely to download compared to a link to click. When it’s time to pitch, your presentation should be short and direct, your conversation should add value to the brief conversation you will have with producers and reporters.

You will need a multimedia database

Keep all names, phone numbers, and emails in your new media database, noting time zones and reporter names and deadlines. When leaving messages for reporters and producers, use your best phone voice and whatever manners you have. Keep in mind that you need producers and reporters more than they need you.

This is the year to get out there and make your mark with your insider tips. Still need help putting the puzzle pieces together? Take an inventory of your most important life experiences or most interesting jobs, or finish that book you’ve put aside. Anyone interested in what you have to say this year, do it.