Get interviewed, get famous

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Looking for a way to blast your business out of obscurity?

Take a page from Hollywood and do what the stars do to
generate buzz for their new movie or television show.

Go on a media tour.

You’ve noticed the phenomenon; Russell Crowe spends his time hiding out Down Under, growling at paparazzi.

Until he has a major movie to promote.

Suddenly, he’s dancing with Ellen, quipping with Conan and mugging for Guliana on ET.

Why not come out of hiding and score a bit of buzz for your own business?

Get interviewed.

Being interviewed is a super fame booster. To start, being interviewed flexes the authority principle of influence.

• As an interview subject, you gain instant credibility. People want to listen to your advice because another professional (the interviewer) thought that you and your business were worthy of featuring.
• It uses leverage – reaching more people than a one-to-one communication. Your share your ideas, approach and advice with a wider audience than you could amass on your own.

Wondering how to score these fame boosting opportunities? It’s easier than you might think!

With so many bloggers, radio shows (especially internet radio) and podcasts, there’s a constant need to feed the voracious content machine with smart, relevant information that helps that media outlet’s audience.

But to make your virtual media tour work, you’ve got to treat it like a project.

You could wait until opportunities “present themselves” but you won’t get as many, which means that you won’t create the same traction. You’ll miss out on that “everywhere effect” that grabs your ideal client’s attention and propels him to contact you before you’re out of his reach.

The best part is that creating a process and systems around getting interviews actually ups the ease factor. You’ll get more interviews with less effort, which will actually help to get you even more interviews!

Here are a few tips to get your media tour bus rolling:

• Track it. Create a spreadsheet to organize your information. Include the name of the media outlet, the type – blog, radio show, podcast – hosts/interviewers, topics covered,length, links to request interviews, etc.
• Package it. Cut down on the busy work for yourself. Create a handy page with all the building blocks you’ll need to pitch yourself as a guest. Include your name, business name, contact information, expertise, bio, interview topics and 6-10 sample interview questions. This sheet will save time and effort when you or your assistant are submitting interview requests.

When it comes to uncovering interview opportunities, creativity will increase your pool:

• Take a ride.Stalk your competitors and colleagues. I’m only partially joking.Make a list of 7-10 people who either do what you do or do something different, but serve the same target market.Example: Your target market is small business owners, 10 to 100 employees in the professional services industry. Colleagues who target the same market would include: HR consultants, engagement/productivity specialists, marketers, strategic planning pros, sales trainers, accountants, attorneys, group insurance representatives, etc.Pick people who’s businesses seem to be doing well.Visit their websites to see if they mention where they’ve been interviewed. Look for those “As seen in” logos or “Where’s Lisa” bragging sections. Set up a Google Alert for those fellow business stars and get notified when a new interview has been published. Then, you can contact the organization, too.
• Have ’em delivered. Sign up for and scour reporter query services like HARO (Help a Report Out), Reporter Connection, Source Bottle, ProfNet and more. Bloggers and radio hosts use these to solicit guests and topical experts.
• Trade interviews. Belong to any business groups? Or even if you just know a few other small business owners, you can trade interviews – you each interview the other. It offers the same benefits above; brings new information and expertise to your audience, while getting you more exposure to a new set of fans. Everybody wins!

Your fame boosting assignment:

Start your interview tracking spreadsheet today. Schedule a time slot on your calendar each week to research new interview opportunities, send out interview requests and follow up on those you’ve already sent. Again, this is a perfect task for your assistant to tackle.

Ready, set? Grab your shades, superstar!