How To Be Great On Camera And Attract Media Attention To Your Business

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you want to become a real media magnet? Well, if so, you need to know how to get the media attention. You need to know what they want and how to give it to them. Today. I’m talking to a war winning media and television producer, Paula Rizzo, all about her media secrets for video strategy and to gain and keep the media’s attention. As always, before we get started, make sure you hit the bell and subscribe to our channel. So you never miss a thing. Welcome to powerhouse business on YouTube. I’m your host, Carolin Soldo. I’m a business owner, business scaling master, and mom of two boys. I love thinking big pushing boundaries and doing things differently. Most of all, I’m all about achieving massive growth with ease and helping you scale your business by living the life you love. Let’s go being in the media, being on video and being visible has been extremely important for my business over the years.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
And it’s important for your business too, but it’s not always easy. There are the things that go on in our mind in terms of our confidence and Harbour showing up and what we should be saying and the message and so much, but there’s also really understanding the media, the producers, the editors, the people behind the camera who are looking for very specific things. So if you want to gain the media’s attention and your goal is to increase your publicity, to increase your awareness out there, you need to really know the secrets and how those people actually think so you can give them what they want. Paula bizarre is an Emmy award-winning television producer, a media trainer and bestselling author. And Paula will fill us in on how to crack the media code and craft the pitch that gets your attention. Welcome, Paula,

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Paula, thanks so much for being here. Oh, thanks for having me. This is going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it. Yes. I want to learn a little bit more about you before we get started. So share with us what your background is. There’s a lot of things that you’ve done in the past, some really incredible things. And then you have obviously, um, you know, your business and everything now is so yeah. Fill us in on your background. Well, I spent my career as a television producer. I’m an Emmy award winning TV producer, and I’ve worked both in local and national news in New York city. And I’ve been able to interview people who are super famous, like Deepak Chopra and, you know, Jillian Michaels and do a lot of health and wellness content throughout my career. And now I work for myself. Now I’m an entrepreneur and I do media training, media coaching, help people to feel more comfortable on video nowadays everybody’s on video.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
So it’s not just if you’re going to be in the media and, uh, you know, that’s, that’s been very, very clear. So I work with people to help them produce their own videos or, you know, be able to talk to the media in a way that really is purposeful. Um, you know, gets your message across in a good way. And I’m also an author. I have two books about productivity, little thinking and list for living. So I practice what I preach with the media. I’m out there a lot, doing a lot of media interviews and producing my own videos and things like that. And, uh, yeah, that’s, that’s a story. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
You bring so much expertise. And what I like about you is that you have sort of a comprehensive way of looking at things, not just, you know, getting the media attention, but also creating the pitches and then all the way to, how do we actually show up Mike and how do we, you know, show up on video? So it’s covering the entire spectrum of things and, um, you know, that’s what an expert is and clearly you are. And so congratulations on your success and everything.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Thank you. It’s fun. I have to say, you know, when you love what you do, it makes it easier.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
Totally. Yeah. Yeah. That’s what I believe in too. So the first question I wanted to ask you was, um, Willie looking at what we need to know about the media. So many people, including myself, it’s easy to get wrapped up in our own minds that we now me and how, what should I say? And what should I email them? It’s, it’s sort of like one sided, but the triggers will be knowing what they want to see, like figuring out what the media person really wants. So can you share with us a little bit in terms of how can we think more like them and what are they really looking for?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yes. Well, alleviate some of that pressure. It’s not all about you. It’s all about them. So understand what a producer does every day. They’re looking for stories, they’re looking for great experts. They want their audience to learn something new and to have someone who can really teach them something that they didn’t know before you could be that person, but your pitch has to be about the audience, not about yourself. Okay. So you have to watch the show or read the newspaper or whatever media you’re looking after. Look to see who are they speaking to? Who is their core demographic? And then how can you help them? How can you help that person? Not, how can you help you? Not, how can you, you know, sell more books or get your name out there in a bigger way. Media doesn’t work like that. It’s not advertising, it’s not sales. It’s a very different world. So as soon as you sort of understand that kind of dynamic, that it’s what they’re looking for is something that’s going to really be great for their audience. It makes all the difference. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
Yeah. So what are their biggest problems? Well, that’s why I always think, how can I help someone solve a problem and become a solution? So what are some of their biggest issues when they try to get their hands on like a new talent or a great story? What did they struggle with the most?

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Sure. I mean, it could be people who are just not ready, right? Maybe you are the expert, but you’re not great on camera yet is where my work as a media trainer comes in. A lot of times there were people that I was pitched for years who, you know, had great ideas, but were not great on camera. And it really broke my heart because I needed somebody who was good on camera. And if I could find somebody else who was sorta saying the kind of things that you were saying, but they were better on camera, I’m going to go with that person. So that happens. Being able to find not only somebody who has a really great story, but also can present really well. That’s always, you know, difficult. Also sometimes there are people who are too salesy. Oh, they don’t get how it works.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
And they come in and they’re just like, I want to just talk about my book and I want to talk about this and I wanna talk about that. And it’s like, okay, but that’s not really as a producer, that’s not what I want the segment to be about. So you want to be flexible. You want to be the person that they go to and say, Hey, you know what? You pitched me this idea. It doesn’t exactly work for me. Could we talk about this other piece? What do you think that the people who say yes, who show up and do that are the ones who get asked back again.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah. Well that reminds me of a term that I learned from you. Well, I’ve heard it before, but I believe, you know, it came across on your website and things so clearly, and that was the media magnet. Wouldn’t we all want to be that media magnet. So when you say you need to know your stuff, but you also need to be, you know, sort of, I don’t know, inspiring, energetic. You need to be good on camera. Right. So does that mean being a media magnet and, and, and maybe define that for us? What does it mean in your world or for you

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Sure it’s something that, you know, not everyone has every there’s tons of experts out there, but not all of them are meant for media. And the ones that are meant for media are the ones that are out there producing their own content. Now they’re there, they’re talking about what they know. You know, my books are about list-making and productivity. It’s not that I know more about lists and productivity than anybody else. It’s just that I talk about it a lot. Yeah. I create tons of videos. I’m always writing a blog post I’m on social media, talking about it here and there and sharing all kinds of things. You know, that’s how you get seen as an expert. And I knew from my work as a producer, that if I’m not the one talking about it more than anybody else, the media, isn’t going to look at me as an expert. So you need to really be producing your own content first and now people can do it from the privacy of their own homes. I mean, look at us, we’re in two totally different places. We’re creating this video. This was something that used to be reserved just for, you know, big companies, big broadcasting companies. Not anymore.

Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, no for sure. Now, so you need to get out there and, and people ask me all the time, you know, how can I be discovered? And so you it’s, it’s not that you are the secret and you need to be discovered. You have to, to your point, get yourself out there, have a podcast, have a book, have, you know, create videos, blog posts. Um, so, so that the media can actually find you so that you’re, you know, you’re, find-able,

Speaker 2 (08:46):
It’s true. It’s true. In a lot of times, experts will think, Oh, you know, what, if I’m good enough that the media will find me. And sometimes that’s true. Sometimes they will just out of find you because producers and editors and writers, you know, they’re constantly looking for new talent. They want new people, but I won’t know that you’re there unless you tell me. Right. And so the way that you tell me is sharing your expertise and the ways you just mentioned sharing a pitch, telling me that you’re there and that you can talk about this thing. It makes everyone’s life a lot easier to say, Hey, I’m excited about this. I want to talk about it. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
So we can obviously hire someone like you, which I highly, highly, highly recommend. However, if someone says, you know what I want to somehow sort of do this myself first, is that even possible, Paula, in your mind, and then B, where would they get started with outreaching? What does that look like? Probably not calling emailing or something else. Right. Um, and then I have a follow-up question in terms of what we should actually say when we have each out in the pitch and the pitch. Yeah, yeah,

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Absolutely. You can a hundred percent do this yourself. Um, I suggest that people do work with PR professionals, you know, public relations people. Um, I have for some of my, you know, book launches and things like that, but be very specific about when you’re working with a publicist, right? What is the, what is the finite amount of time that you’re going to work with them? Um, and that’s not exactly what I do. I don’t pitch people, but I teach people how to create their own pitches. How to think about, Hey, what content do you have that you can then turn into a pitch. That would be really interesting for, you know, the media to, to dig in on. And I actually have a free course called be a media magnet. So if you go to be a media, magnet.com, you’ll get the free three-part video course that will walk you through exactly what to talk about in these pitches.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
And it’s important to first off, start doing it yourself a little bit, um, to start to understand, you know, how it, how it works. Um, you know, how, how you would reach out to people, what you would say in emails, things like that, depending on what market you’re in, it might be easier or, or maybe a little bit harder if you’re in New York city, it’s a little bit harder to get in right away. So I would say start, you know, with podcasts, start with, you know, um, pitching yourself to podcasts when you start doing that. And then it, you know, you can build and build and build and build from there. You don’t want to start with the today’s show. They don’t know who you are. You have no clips showing yourself, you know, being interviewed in other places. It’s never going to work out that way.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
Yeah. So you need to kind of start small and work your way up. Um, and that’s, you know, it’s important to be able to just start doing that and understand that you might not hear back. And that’s okay initially, because the goal is to start a conversation is to be a resource for the journalists. And if they pass, you might never know because they just won’t hear back. You know, they won’t reply back to you, but you know, being able to start a conversation start, um, you know, to, to get connections in that way is important too. There’s a resource called help, a reporter out that I find to be really, really helpful. And if you go to help a reporter.com, you can sign up. And it’s something that, as a journalist I used for years, so journalists will go to the website and put in information about an expert that they need.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
So for instance, I used this probably, Oh my gosh. Now, like 15 years ago to find an expert on natural medicine, I needed a natural medicine expert. The person who replied is a wonderful expert named Chris Killam Chris. And I ended up working together for a decade. We produced hundreds of hours of television together, you know, because he was fantastic, but that’s how I found him by putting out this query and by, you know, experts seeing it and saying, Hey, I can do that. And then contacting the journalists, it’s a good way to start because you already know what the journalist wants. It’s not like you’re pitching them cold and saying, Hey, I really want you to get excited about this topic that you didn’t even know existed. It’s nice to know what they need. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
Fast forward now. That’s awesome. So help have a porter.com. Right. And then yes, I love free tools, courses, and highly recommend your course. I just want to repeat that once more time. Uh, what is the URL?

Speaker 2 (13:13):
It’s B a media magnet.com

Speaker 3 (13:15):
Via media magnet.com. Awesome. Yeah. So there is a free tool for you. We will list that URL down below in the description, so you can find it there as well. And then we source that Paula, I just mentioned. So that is awesome. So we have a way to connect with the porters who said, podcasts, start with someone who was sort of at that level, that’s maybe equal to yours, right? So you’re in terms of maybe the visibility or how long you’ve been in business or, um, you know, whatever you can look at social media followers, maybe, uh, and then you’ll have a better chance and, and build a portfolio. And then later on, maybe get on the today show and, you know, next year

Speaker 2 (13:53):
And, you know, media begets media. Once you get one media hit, it’s a great way to use that, to get another one and another one. And, you know, producers leave, they don’t stay in, in, you know, small places for very long. So hopefully you’ll have a good rapport with the person. And then when they do become, you know, a producer for the today show, they’ll take you with them and they’ll say, Hey, I thought you were really great when we talked, when I worked at this little magazine or this little, you know, newspaper or whatever it was, and now I have this other great job at the New York times, could I interview you there? Smile. You just never know that can absolutely happen. You know? Um, but it’s about knowing the elements of the pitch. Uh, and that’s very, very important.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
Let’s go there. I want to ask you about the element of the pitch. And then I also want to pick your brain on video strategy and, um, what that means. And we do so much marketing training, but we are not the PR. So we’re not, I’m not like you were telling someone how they can become like the star, the magnetic person on video for us. It’s more the tack and you know, the messaging. Yes. But in one struggle, I have a lot with clients that have STEM, just being comfortable on, on video and not feeling awkward and then coming across kind of awkward and just really loving this experience. But, uh, the pitch let’s start there. Um, we have so much good stuff to talk about. So why did what comes to mind with, uh, best practices in terms of pitch?

Speaker 2 (15:19):
There are three elements for a really great pitch. Okay. So the hook, the twist and the takeaway. So the hook is what is going to hook me in that makes this timeline, what is the reason for doing it? Is it around a holiday? Is it because a new study came out, talking about why, you know, sleep is bad for you? Who knows whatever, uh, you know, what is the hook what’s going to be really the, the reason we’re doing this story that the journalist will care about. The twist is how is this different than everything else I’ve ever heard about the topic? So for instance, there was a woman who I’ve been working with for years. Her name is Heidi Hannah. She’s a stress expert. And when I worked in TV news, she pitched that stress is actually good for you. So when I got that page, I was like, that’s very different.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
That’s very interesting. Let’s hear about that. And I have been interviewing her, you know, for 10 years now, because I just loved, loved the way that she had that perspective to know, Hey, this is a little counterintuitive. This is a little bit different. Um, and I’ve interviewed her in both of my books as well. So that’s it. The twist is how is this different from everything else I’ve heard? And then the takeaway is what does the audience take away? What will they do tomorrow that will change their life? Is it that they’re going to drink green juice instead of eating bacon in the morning? Is it that, you know, they’re going to start meditating. I dunno, whatever it is, but there has to be a takeaway. So those three elements, the hook, the twist, and the takeaway are really, really critical because it’s what the producer or editor is looking for. It’s what they need to make it a really great segment.

Speaker 3 (16:55):
I love that. So I bet people can come up with a hook. I bet they have the takeaway because they’re the expert. I’m guessing the twist is the hardest part for most people.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yes, yes, absolutely. Absolutely. But you know, I’ll say, be aware the, um, you know, the, the, the idea that everybody knows what, you know, and that you think like, Oh, you know what, that that’s so easy. Other people will already know that they won’t, you know, it’s, you know, things that other people do not, you have an expertise in a way that, you know, cannot be most of the time can’t be duplicated. So really take, take that part out of it and think about, okay, well, what are the questions that I’m getting most often from clients? Or what are the, what are the things that I’m constantly talking about again and again, that people seem to struggle with. Um, you know, when COVID-19 hit, everybody was working from home and I’ve been working from home, you know, for the past four years. So people were having productivity struggles and I thought, you know what? I could help them. This is something that I write about. This is something that I do. So I started pitching, you know, the biggest mistakes that people are making when they’re working at home. And that started to get some media attention. And then I started talking about it more and talking about it more. So, you know, just also being timely to know, Hey, this is something that people are thinking about right now. It’s a good hook.

Speaker 3 (18:18):
Yeah. Yeah. So you, you either have to be really timely where it’s like, wow, this story needs to happen right now. Or you have to be a little twisty. You said, get this angle going. And, um, and you don’t have to be completely out of the box. What you’re telling us is that, Hey, don’t overthink it. You already know your stuff, you know, be smart about it. But also don’t, over-complicate things

Speaker 2 (18:41):
Exactly. I mean, when you look in a magazine, look at the cover of magazine, every story is exactly the same as the one from the month before. Right. It’s basically the same. Yeah. They just need new ways of telling those stories. So it’s important to look at the medium that you’re looking to pitch and say, okay, what are the stories they’ve done in the last three issues? Or what are the things that’s always on their home page and say, okay, let me do something similar, but a little bit different because you already know they like that kind of thing. Cool.

Speaker 3 (19:07):
Love that. So maybe we’re leaving the Le the best for last. I don’t know, but I’m just saying that because so many of our clients do either video series, which I know you teach, um, and, or webinars might so nice webinars recorded ones. And so let’s imagine maybe you even have an example from someone you worked with, or we just, you know, sort of make someone up or talk about it in general, but let’s imagine we’re recording a webinar or, you know, 45 to 50 minutes sort of webinars slash sales training. And you have someone that is not experienced on video. Maybe they’ve tried some video, it didn’t work out. They sort of are not that outgoing in terms of their personality. And they say, Paula, I suck, well, what do I do? How do I get better? What are some of the things we, what would be recommend? What do we do with those people? Well done. I’m going to, that’s my piano teacher for my son. I don’t want to hang up on you. Stick with me. I need to just get her out of the zoom, Skype. [inaudible]

Speaker 4 (21:00):
Please do it now while we’re now we got you down again. Every time she died, they’re locked in here.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
Hope you got that message. All right. If she dialed in again, we’ll have to wait until he calls her from his computer. Somehow all of our Apple devices are connected. Um, yeah. Yeah. It’s like when your cell phone rings, it rings on your computer. I don’t want a ton of time to be so helpful, but it’s not. Yes. So let me move you down here and we’ll pick it up with the video. Yes. Okay. So Paula, let’s talk about video strategy. We’ll imagine that we either have someone who was doing a video series or actually recording a webinar and they don’t have much experience doing it. They’re a little awkward. Maybe they’re afraid. What can we do quickly to help them feel better? Come across in a much better way? What would you advise them to do?

Speaker 2 (22:04):
I did this with all my media training clients. That’s something I call the accordion method. And it’s a way of thinking in headlines. So when you’re interviewed, you know, in a conversation and, you know, with media and things like that, you should have a short, medium and long way that you answer any question so that if you have just a short amount of time, you have a quick headline that you can give. That’s impactful. If you have more time, you can open the accordion and you give more and more and more, right? So the same thing, if you’re giving a presentation or if you’re going to be doing a webinar or whatever it is, think about what the headline is. What’s the most impactful thing that you can say in the very beginning of that, that you can pull people in and hook them and make them excited to stay.

Speaker 2 (22:51):
And also it’s something that you should be practicing. That introduction is the most important part of the entire webinar and also the ending too. Right? Cause those are the two things really, that people remember the most. So if you can sort of think about, okay, let me think about what the headline is here, so that I can give people this really impactful idea right upfront so that they know, Hey, this is something that’s really exciting and I want to hear more about it. Um, and then you practice it and you practice in front of the camera you practice using. Um, there’s an app called Marco polo, which I really love because it’s a way to talk to your friends or your colleagues, uh, with video messaging. And it gets you really comfortable talking on camera because you’re talking to your friend and you’re in a conversation with somebody and the clients that I have who started, you know, using that because they were sort of terrified of video.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
I have found that it really is helpful. It’s really impactful for you to be able to, to have that new sort of, um, you know, way of communicating with the machine, with the, you know, the camera with whatever that, that you think, Oh, there’s a person behind there. There’s some somebody who needs this message. So that’s what I would say for someone who’s new. Um, and also to think about it in a way that you’re, you’re there to be of service. You’re there to be of service to your audience. So you want to make sure that they’re getting information that they can use if you’re distracting, because you’re stumbling and you haven’t prepared, and it’s difficult to watch for the audience. They’re not going to get the impact that you meant for them to have. So you’re doing a service to them by practicing, by getting coaching, by getting help, whatever it is that you need to do, but to really be able to bring your full, best self to it, it takes work.

Speaker 2 (24:39):
Not everybody is good at the beginning, you know? And so be easy on yourself and knowing that, and even, you know, professionals that I’ve worked with for years, anchors reporters, people who live their life in front of the camera, they don’t always get it right. The first time, you know, you see a wonderfully polished, beautiful piece. Do you know how many times we did have a time? We had to have them do it over and over again. Okay. Can you do it one more time? Your eyes were closed. Could you do it one more time? You did. You said this instead of that. Okay. One more time. So the understanding of yourself too, that this, it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
So great. So you had, there’s so much goodness, in what you share. So the, the hook, right. And notice when I actually tried to do that, um, and, and hold I get it right. But so in the beginning of our episodes, I will always say, in this video, you will learn X or in this video, I’m going to show you how to get rid of this big problem. You have something that works them in. So that’s what you mentioned. And then the accordion is a really great visual to think of how we can expand that. And Marco polo. Yeah. Practicing right with real people. Oh my God. And I looked back to my first videos in 2012, 2013, Paula whole, my God. I’m like, can I just hide this forever?

Speaker 2 (25:58):
When I look at it off the internet, it’s horrible,

Speaker 3 (26:01):
But there’s no way around it. You just gotta get into it, practice it, do it again. And again then. Yeah. It’s not about being perfect. And you’re so right with letting go of not making it about yourself. Yes. Someone so true. Someone once said that to me, because I think it was a speaking trainer. I forgot his name, but, but I was doing some public speaking coaching and, and he said, Carolyn, don’t be so selfish. And I, and I said, I’m not selfish. I’m gonna find a sort of save the world and share again, you know, but he’s like, no, you’re all about yourself. Me, my anxiety, my, you know, the way I look, my speech, my accent, my, this, my dad, he’s like, you’re so self centered right now. Stop it. It’s about the people. How can you help just one person in that audience? How can you forget that and make it about them and not about you? I’m like, Oh yeah, you’re so right. I am really selfish with all that stuff.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
Isn’t that interesting to see that perspective. Right. I mean, we don’t think of it that way, but it’s like, Oh yeah, wait a minute. Nobody cares. If my hair isn’t perfect or, you know, they just want the, they want the information, that’s it. Totally.

Speaker 3 (27:06):
Yeah. This is so good. Uh, let us know what we can do to connect with you or you’re writing new books. Um, or you already have books courses. We already talked about a course, but give us some of your, your goodness, your things that are out there and how we can connect with you more

Speaker 2 (27:22):
Sure. Yeah. Well, if you go to Paula rizzo.com/checklist, I have a checklist to become a go-to media expert, of course. Um, and you know, my two books list will thinking and list for living or out there in the world. Wherever you can get books, I’m working on a novel right now, but it won’t be ready for some time. Um, but I’m really excited about that. And I’m actually doing a, um, a masterclass on how to create your own live stream show, because I started my own, um, a few months ago, it’s called inside scoop and I do it every week and I love it. It’s so fun to be able to connect with people and do live video, which, you know, my background as a TV producer is something that I absolutely love to do, but I know that a lot of people are intimidated by live streams and going live and creating things.

Speaker 2 (28:11):
And what will I talk about and who will I interview and all of that, uh, you know, it’s a little different than podcasts because you’re seeing you’re on camera. You have to perform the entire time. So I put together this masterclass, uh, if you go to Paula rizzo.com/go live, you’ll be able to check out some information about that. Um, cause I’m just excited for more people to go live and for more people to be out there spreading their expertise. I mean, people need to know what, you know, don’t hide it from the world. It’s one of those things where it’s like, how dare you, keep it to yourself. You could change someone’s life.

Speaker 3 (28:43):
Yeah. It’s your obligation. I say that a lot also in sales, like closing on a sales call to obligation, to close, because if you don’t do it, you can’t help anyone have anyone so amazing. So your website slash checklist and then Paula was a.com/go life, right? We’ll put those links below in the description, amazing resources, Paula you’re full of value. That’s awesome. So, um, with that, I want to be respectful of your time. Uh, thank you guys for watching us, check out all the resources below, go connect with Paula, buy her books. Highly recommend her as you can tell. She is awesome. And yeah, Paula, thank you so much for being

Speaker 1 (29:25):
And now I would love to hear from you, give us some comments below, let Paula, and I know how you like this episode, how we been able to shift your mind in terms of your visibility, your video and your media strategy, and what are you going to do to take action? Get the attention of the media for your business. We would love to hear from you as always stay focused on your goals, because I believe that your message is out there to make a difference. It needs to be heard and seen by a whole lot more people. Thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time. Do you often feel stressed and overwhelmed from growing your business? Do you crave more ease and happiness from your success? What if I gave you a tool that has the power to instantly make you feel focused, peaceful, and at ease all while growing your business faster than ever before, I’ve created the business growth scorecard that has helped countless business women, but place overwhelmed with confidence and not a scorecard is available online. It’s free takes less than 10 minutes and provides you with a customized growth plan, including your personal scores, go to business growth, scorecard.com to take the test right now, I look forward to helping you grow your business with ease and excellence.

Speaker 5 (31:07):
[inaudible].