How do journalists and TV producers decide whether to interview you?

It often depends on who provides the best sound bite.

Have you ever watched a talk show when the guest (sometimes a celebrity) seems oblivious to the fact they’re on live TV and only have a short amount of time?

Their message often gets cut short by a commercial break, often awkwardly.

Many people take ten sentences (or more) to say what they could in one.

Developing the ability to speak in sound bites is easy if you know a few key techniques and tips.

Here are 6 tips for creating memorable sound bites when pitching the media:

1) Keep it short. Say what you have to say in one or two sentences, no more.

2) Be specific and vivid. In an interview with BusinessWeek, Donald Broughton, an analyst for Avondale Partners, was talking about the stocks of two railroad companies: Union Pacific and Burlington Northern.

Notice the language he used to make what would otherwise be boring memorable for the journalist interviewing him:

“It’s one thing if you steal dirt from my front yard, and it’s another if you break into my house and take my sterling
silver,” Broughton said. “For six quarters, Union Pacific’s been walking around Burlington Northern’s house and taking as much silver, jewels and flat- screen TVs they can get their hands on.”

That’s speaking very specifically and vividly. It’s no surprise that all of the different analysts that journalists could quote, they quoted Broughton. He knew how to speak in sound bites.

3) Express a solid opinion. Many people are afraid to voice their opinions because they fear that others will disagree. But people who are good at giving sound bites know that the media are looking for strong opinions. If some people don’t disagree with what you’re saying, you’re probably not saying much.

When Warren Buffett was interviewed about the tax President Obama wanted to levy on financial corporations, he said, “Look at the damage Fannie (Mae) and Freddie (Mac) caused, and they were run by Congress. Should they have a special tax on Congressmen because they let this thing happen to Freddie and Fannie? I don’t think so.”

His willingness to express a solid opinion got him quoted. But did you also notice how he made a comparison?

We’ll talk about that more in a minute.

Robert Thompson is a professor of TV and pop culture at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and one of the most quoted professors in the world.

In fact, in 2007 the Associated Press referred to him as ‘the most quoted man in America’ next to the President.

He is so good at giving sound bites that he’ll sometimes get 60, 70 or even 80 media calls in one day. If you Google his name, you’ll see he has been quoted virtually everywhere, including more than 40 times in the New York Times in just four years. How does he do this?

“Unlike many people in his position, Robert almost always finds an angle or perspective I haven’t thought about,” says AP television writer David Bauder.

4) Repeat the same word. In describing Paris Hilton, Thompson said, “She’s the non-story that keeps on being a story.”

When giving advice about investing, Warren Buffett said, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.”

5) Compare something to something else that everyone already knows about.

In describing Katie Couric’s debut on CBS Evening News, Robert Thompson said that her first broadcast would be “some of the most scrutinized frame-by-frame video images since the Zapruder film (of the JFK assassination.)”

By using a comparison to an example everyone is familiar with, he was able to make his point in a memorable way.

6) Speak in metaphors. When talking about Fox News, Thompson says, “they want to be the David of David and Goliath, but they are the Goliath.”

When speaking in this type of short metaphor, Thompson makes his point in a way that gets the media to pay attention and quote him, rather that someone else.

It’s critically important to use sound bites when pitching the media, in press releases and being interviewed by them.

They’ll be grateful, and you’ll be thrilled with all the media coverage you receive!

As a gift for being here, I’d like to offer you a free 28-page PDF report that reveals 10 proven strategies for getting the media attention you deserve.

Go here now to download the PDF!

“Why would the media want to feature me?” you might ask.

The fact is, there is more media today than ever before.

Thousands of TV channels. Online blogs. Local & satellite radio stations. Local & national newspapers. Print Magazines.

They all need one thing: stories and fresh information that their audience will find interesting.

That’s where YOU come in.

You see, the media NEEDS you.

They must constantly find interesting people to interview day after day, month after month, hour after hour.

Just think about how many 24-hour news stations we have today. They all need content and experts, often known as ‘talking heads.’ Why not you?

It never stops. There’s always a new
day and a new deadline for producers.

The media need you because they have a voracious appetite for fresh content.

However, there’s one thing you MUST to have the media give you coverage: position. What you are promoting in a way that servers their audience.

They will plug your book, product or business. That’s part of the deal in exchange for you giving them content.

But the story can’t be JUST about your book, product or business.

As one TV producer told me, ‘What can my housewife sitting at home putting the turkey in the oven learn from you?’

It’s time to shift your mindset from ‘I don’t want to bother the media, they’re busy’ to ‘I know the media needs me – I’m doing them a favor.’

Most people don’t know how to seize that opportunity. They don’t know how to THINK like the media.

So they shoot themselves in the foot, thinking they can’t do it or making a
lot of expensive mistakes, like getting blacklisted by the media or hiring an expensive publicist that you don’t need.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

As a gift for being here, I’d like to offer you a free 28-page PDF report that reveals 10 proven strategies for getting the media attention you deserve.

Go here now to download the PDF!

Most people make a big mistake when approaching the media.

They lead with what they are promoting rather than an IDEA for a show or story.

They essentially say to the decision maker, “I have a new book and you should interview me.”

Or, “My product is amazing, you should
write about it!”

This approach usually scares the media away because it sounds more like a sales pitch than a topic or story that will interest their audience.

Here’s the good news…

If you approach the media the right way, they’ll often gladly interview you and allow you to let people know where to get more information about what you’re promoting. More on that later.

But how do you approach the media in a way that makes you irresistible?

You give them a HOOK.

What’s a “hook” you ask?

Have you ever watched TV and suddenly a host comes on and says something like, “Don’t go away, because coming up next we’ll show you how to cut your grocery bill in half and save at the store!”

That’s an example of a hook.

The host just teased you into watching a whole bunch of commercials (or at least not change the channel) so you can find out how to cut your grocery bill.

So let’s talk about how to create a hook for YOU…

Think about it this way:

“Coming up ________________”

What is something a TV host could say that would tease people into waiting through commercials (or not change the channel) to hear what you have to say?

Or imagine people were looking at the cover of a magazine where it teases the stories inside. What phrase might they put on the cover about you to get people to buy the magazine and turn right to that page when they get home?

The answer to that question is your hook.

The truth is you can, and should, have several different hooks.

But sometimes it’s hard to create them all by yourself.

To discover 8 hooks you can use right now to get media attention, download this free 28-page PDF report now.

You’ll also learn 9 insider strategies to landing free publicity on radio/TV shows, newspapers, magazines & online.

Hope you enjoy it!