Hurricanes, TV and PR

I had another shot at promoting my books this morning on WROC/Fox TV. 

Like always, I am nervous two minutes before I go on, but as soon as I start talking, I am fine.  News anchor for the midday show, KaTRIna Irwin was awesome, making me feel right at home.  I was so afraid I was going to call her KRISTINA that I keep repeating "Hurricane Katrina!  Hurricane Katrina!" over and over in my head. 

Unfortunately, I credited her as KRISTINA on my facebook page.  Please accept my apologies and know it was corrected immediately!  Hurricane indeed.

This is probably the fifth on-air live interview I've done over the course of my newly shined up writing career, and I think I am finally getting the hang of it.  My daughter accompanied me to the studio, filming the exchange and documenting it for posterity.

When I first started out learning how to promote on tv, I talked randomly and was not really focused.  At times I would pause, thinking the interviewer would ask a question or two.  I looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights and my mind would go blank.   I quickly realized all they want is for me to talk.  For someone who was always sent to detention in high school for talking too much, the irony is hysterical.

I have begun to think in sound bites and am able to put my thoughts into quick, succinct sentences.  After all, you only have three minutes at the most to push your product.  My product and brand happens to be ME, so I can go all over the place in twenty seconds.  I was able to reign it in this time, but still forgot to mention some items I wanted to highlight.  It's a constant process to improve and refine.  I fear by the time I get it right, I will have written another book and will have to start all over again.

Back at home on the lake,  I was forced back to reality.  It was time to take the boys for a walk and to clean up today's poopies.  Plastic bag in one hand and shovel in the other, I laughed to myself as I started to think in sound bites.

"Holy cow, that's a big one.  Story to follow."

"What did you eat today?  Medical report to follow."

I could hear my daughter laughing as she stood watching me from the front porch. 

"There's probably a story about that PR process" she laughed as I tied the bag up to throw into the trash.

"PR?" I questioned.

"Poopie Retrieval"

Thank God she has a sense of humor and sees the absurdities of life, just as I do.


She's right.   There's always a story to be told.