To get on TV as an expert, you usually do not wait for a producer to call. Media coach Marianne Schwab, a former national talk show producer, explains that you pitch a segment idea built around your audience's problem, start on local talk shows and prepare a three to five minute message. She also coaches Jeremy Van Wert live on his elevator pitch.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Marianne says TV bookings usually come from a segment idea or pitch sent to talk shows, not from producers who find you on their own.
- She recommends a problem and solution format, with about three tips and a short call to action that does not feel salesy.
- Her advice is to prepare, not memorize: know your bullet points and practice them until they come out naturally.
- Marianne starts every client on local talk shows, because national producers want to see tape of how a guest performs.
- Her elevator pitch advice to Jeremy: lead with the problem your audience has and the result they get, and cut the length to 30 or 45 seconds.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠHow do you actually get booked on TV?
Marianne Schwab says many people picture producers calling experts out of the blue. In her experience, the real process starts when a publicist or media coach designs a segment idea, then uses personal contacts at talk shows to pitch the expert as a guest.
The idea has to be newsworthy or "teaseworthy," and it has to benefit the show's audience. Her example is a lawyer who shares the biggest legal mistakes families make that cost them thousands of dollars. A producer can see right away who that segment helps.
Marianne is the author of The Expert's Guide to TV Talk Shows, and her on-air bio lists credits including Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. She now works with entrepreneurs, authors and speakers who want credibility on camera.
ᚢHow to build a three to five minute TV message
On TV, Marianne says, an expert has three and a half to five minutes to make an impact. Her ideal framework is problem and solution: the guest solves a problem with about three tips and ends with a short call to action that feels authentic rather than salesy.
Her first call with a client runs about 90 minutes, and some clients talk for 20 minutes about what they do. One client's story came down to 30 to 45 seconds with the same impact. Experts love their process, Marianne notes, while most viewers want the result.
Jeremy relates. His marketing team sometimes tells him people do not care about the part he likes. They care about the problem he solves and the result they get. Anyone who wants help finding the message behind their own work can start with Jeremy's individual therapy and coaching.
ᚦWhy confidence on camera comes from preparation
Marianne believes confidence comes from knowing exactly what you will say and how you will say it. When an expert looks effortless on TV, she says, that person has spent hours refining the message, like a figure skater in an Olympic performance. One travel expert she has worked with for years goes over her message again and again, in the car and in the shower.
Her advice is to practice from bullet points instead of memorizing a script, the way you practice piano to reach Carnegie Hall. A good speaker knows the material and speaks from the points without reading them aloud.
ᚨWhy local talk shows are the best place to start
Marianne starts all of her clients on local talk shows, even well-known ones. When she produced national shows, she wanted to see tape of a guest before booking them, and that tape usually came from a local show. A poor guest on a national show can put a producer's job on the line.
She works with local shows that have network quality production and produces behind the scenes. She writes a message point script, suggests where B-roll should go and describes what on-screen graphics should say.
Marianne prefers talk shows to local news. She describes news as more focused on gotcha moments, with tight budgets and sound bites used out of context, and says one Seattle station aired wrong information about a client's project. Talk shows, she says, want your special secret sauce, and the segments get streamed and shared online. If you want to talk through whether a similar path suits your goals, you can book a private consultation with Jeremy.
ᚱOn-camera habits that help or hurt your credibility
Marianne coaches clients out of habits they often do not notice. One is ending a sentence on an upward tone, which can sound unsure, while a downward tone sounds more confident. She also helps people stop nervous hand gestures, and she says encouragement matters because a first time on camera can be intimidating.
Her tip for where to look: on set with an anchor, look toward the anchor's right ear instead of directly at their eyes, because direct eye contact creates an unflattering profile shot. It feels unnatural at first, she says, but it looks great on camera.
ᚲA live elevator pitch critique
Jeremy gives Marianne his 90 second elevator pitch with no preparation and asks for feedback. Marianne prefers that word to critique. She calls the pitch well thought out, then says it needs to answer one question first: what problem do you solve?
Her suggestion is to draw people in by speaking about them. Ask "Have you ever wondered why...?" and then describe the result a client gets. She recommends asking yourself "why" repeatedly until you reach the real problem. Ninety seconds feels like a commercial, she says, and she would bring it down to 30 or 45 seconds at most.
She likes to open a media alert with "Did you know that..." followed by a surprising statistic. Jeremy says he felt himself still talking and left feeling he has homework to do.
ᚷTV story angles producers say yes to
Marianne walks through the media hooks she uses to get clients booked. Her favorite is problem and solution. Others include extremes, such as the youngest or oldest at something, and ripped from the headlines, where an expert comments on a story already in the news cycle. She also lists how-to demos and underdog stories in the David and Goliath mold.
She suggests writing a segment idea like a news tease, such as "Is your dog taking you for a walk? A Hollywood animal trainer has tips for man's best friend." Her advice is not to blurt out your solution but to set up the problem first.
ᚹUsing media credibility to win trust
Marianne says a TV appearance is not an infomercial. You get one interview, and the value comes from how you leverage it. If an expert appears on a network affiliate, she says, they can honestly say "as seen on" that network.
She compares PR with marketing: marketing says you are good, while PR gets someone else to say it. It is not a direct return on investment like advertising, she says, but "as featured in" gives a first-time visitor to your website an extra reason to trust you. She mentions statistics that credibility can raise conversions by 25 to 40 percent, without citing a source.
Her closing thought is that people who sound eloquent have spent a lot of time thinking about how to communicate. They have prepared, and prepared, and prepared. If you want to keep exploring ideas like these with other people, you can join Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, which offers real conversation, live Fireside Chats and a course library.
ᚨ Questions people ask
How do you get on TV as an expert?
Marianne says it usually starts with a segment idea or pitch, not a producer's call. She and her clients pitch talk shows with a topic that benefits the audience, such as the biggest mistakes people make in an area where the guest is an expert.
Why start on local talk shows instead of national TV?
Marianne says national producers want to see tape of a guest first, and that tape is usually from local shows. She also points out that a bad guest on a national show can put a producer's job at risk.
How long should an elevator pitch be?
In this episode, Marianne tells Jeremy that 90 seconds feels like a commercial and she would cut it to 30 or 45 seconds. She recommends focusing on the problem the audience has and the result they get.
What story angles do TV producers like?
Marianne names problem and solution, extremes, ripped from the headlines, how-to demos and underdog or David and Goliath stories. She says you can combine them, and that a segment idea should read like a news tease.
Do you need to memorize what you will say on TV?
No. Marianne says not to memorize anything. She recommends bullet points and repeated practice so the message sounds natural, and she says she prepares her clients rather than rehearsing them.