3 Television Publicity Tips with Lynn Smith
Branding with Friends | Episode 26
Featuring Expert Guest: National Media Expert, Lynn Smith
Watch or listen to the video interview below or scroll down to read the transcription.
Meet Lynn Smith, National Media Expert
Annie: Today I'm super excited to introduce you to one of my new friends for the business world. If you have been curious about how to get on TV, how to pitch yourself, how to get on TV now in this day and age, yes, you can do it and yes, TV still exists, especially on streaming. If you're curious about that, you're going to love my guests and today's episode.
My guest today is the awesome Lynn Smith. Lynn is a national media expert at NBC News, MSNBC and CNN Headline News Anchor alum. She's interviewed 1000s of people over the course of her 20 year career. And today through her company, Rylan Media, lead helps CEOs and entrepreneurs articulate their vision to gain credibility, and visibility through the media to significantly increase their business. Thank you so much for being on Branding with Friends.
Lynn: Thank you for having me. And you will hear me say over and over again. Tell me why I should care and put this in headline form. And my headline here is, if you are not visible, you're invisible. So you talk so much on this program, about why branding is important. It's because it's your visibility. It's what people are seeing. So that's why I was really excited to join you because we sort of chatted about what our synergies are. And it's really all in the same. What I teach people to do is have their clear and concise messaging internally so that they can deliver it in spaces, not just on TV, but any platform in the media, you cannot avoid video right now in your business. I think it's about 70% of business is going to be video so you got to embrace it, you got to be here for it. So let’s put our best foot forward.
Annie: Love it. I once struggled with that myself, I never really realized what video could do for me in terms of helping me develop that know, like, and trust. But also, like you were saying that story internally, like feeling confident about who you are and showing up as the expert. I was kind of hiding behind proposals I would email and things like that. And I had a coach be like, you're great at speaking why aren't you doing these live? Why aren't you presenting over video? Why aren't you doing more video and here we are Branding with Friends many years later.
Here’s a secret I don't like writing newsletters. I like doing this I like meeting you. I like helping. I'm better at teaching this way than to you know, spend hours and hours writing that perfect newsletter, I want to get in it and make it happen. And that's what we're doing today, Lynn. I love your experience we actually recently met but we have a very a ton in common. I'd love for you to talk a little bit about how you got into the news. How that because I know we share a history of both having been assistants in the entertainment industry. So talk to us a little bit about how you got into this world and how you got yourself back out of it.
Lynn: That was the key part. My kindergarten report card said I asked too many questions. So I was sort of destined to be doing something like this. When I was seven years old, there's a really great VHS back when there was VHS, a clip of me doing a newscast there was just something about storytelling and being the one who was able to bring people really impactful stories. That that just lit me up. And so I studied journalism, obviously. But I did get an opportunity through the National Academy of Television Arts to have this internship in Los Angeles. And it was in commercials, it was actually marketing. And there's a lot of storytelling that is marketing and branding. You know, you're you're telling a story and everything that you do in your business. And you have to make sure it's a story that people understand. And it's the story that people remember, it's not just the one that you're trying to tell. And so I was in entertainment. I was an assistant for about four years, I actually used to work for the director of current development where I would clip out New York Post articles for future Law and Order episodes. I would roll calls and you know that lifestyle well, right, like everybody would come into my office as a news anchor, and they'd be like, how do I do what you do? How do I get on TV? And I always explain to them there is no straight line to a television screen. I was a secretary for four years and I was not below or above any kind of job that I was given. I did though go above and beyond every single job I had the opportunity for.
I ended up on the desk of the president of NBC who brought me to New York and I made a choice. Do I really want to have a lifelong career, which in the entertainment industry, as you know, well, you can have a really nice life. I'm doing that go to a lot of cool parties, you know, I went to the finale of Friends in LA. I mean, there's just really amazing opportunities. But I wanted to break into news, it was always a calling of mine. And I got a chance to start at the Today Show as an associate producer, and quickly grew through the ranks there and became an online correspondent. And then my mentor finally said to me, you know, if you want to be on TV, you've got to cut your chops and local news and sent me to Hartford, Connecticut. And so I worked seven days a week for a number of months trying to get a reel together. And I have the news director there, I just posted about this recently on Instagram, I had a news director there put me on the teleprompter and said to me, you're not going to make it in a top-four market in at least 10 years, if ever. And within two years, I was anchoring in New York City. And so it's it's a message of like, we all write our own stories. And we are all in control of which direction that we go as long as we decide if that's the person that makes the decisions.
Annie: Yeah, and I think I think very similarly, I came up. For those of you who don't know me, I graduated from Duke went to Los Angeles, had big ideas about how I was gonna write screenplays and produce films and was quickly humbled into being the second assistant to the president of Lionsgate films, which is the company that makes the Hunger Games. And then I became an assistant and a coordinator to directors at the Walt Disney Animation Studios and kind of worked my way up to another role. It's just like, there's no straight line, I do a TV screen, there's no straight line to a movie screen either.
I did a very similar to Lynn's journey. I definitely wrote a lot of calls. I almost hung up on Oprah, which is my one of my favorite stories. But all this to say is, you know, I think a lot of us who are coaches and consultants like Lynn and myself, we bring into the work we do now all that we have learned and all that we have learned especially about storytelling and our expertise and giving ourselves credit. And so a lot of what we're talking about today is we're talking about pitching TV.
And it may seem silly, like well, why are we talking about this background stuff, like get to this stuff? But this is the stuff right? When like people are gonna ask you about this, when you go on television, they would ask me about it. Oh, you worked at Disney. Tell me about that. Right? Those pieces of our story, even if the work we do now is really different, or has evolved. So if you're new to Branding with Friends, or are glad to be back, just so you're gonna get three great tips from Lynn today all about how to pitch TV if you're a coach, consultant, or service business owner. So if you want to get some TV PR, and have been thinking about that Lynn has brought three tips, she's going to share her third tip right at the end of the episode. So make sure you listen all the way to the end to get as much value from her as you can.
Lynn, what is the first thing we should keep in mind about pitching television publicity?
#1 Action TIP
Be Prepared
Lynn: Well, you know, I, it starts with why I left the news business. You know, I ended up realizing in COVID, that the impact that I could have was no longer going to be through storytelling, the news has changed dramatically. And if I wasn't going to be making an impact, then I was going to be giving my 1,000% energy to my children. But I figured out a way to have a positive impact and have both and I just encourage a lot of working moms out there to think about it is especially and I hope this speaks to you. There are new roads being built all over the place, there is no glass ceiling anymore. It is you, you pave your way. And you will find your purpose when you do that. And so that's why, you know, I created this business to be able to coach people to get that visibility to show them that there are ways to elevate your personal brand and tell your story because it's an important one to tell. And so the first thing that we talked about, and this is really one of my pillars of confidence is being prepared. When they go into a news appearance, especially people that I find who have never done it before. They're so nervous that they're not going to know what questions are being asked. And so I often got the question as an anchor, like, hey, can you just let me know what you're gonna ask me?
And I'd be like, No, we don't really do that. That's the wonderful rule of journalism. Like we don't give out our questions. And I'm not here to trip you up. But I am here to make this an organic interview. So it may go in a different direction. I'm not following three questions. I'm asking you questions based on what you say and your response if that's the case. So what you need to do is go into any appearance prepared, you are an expert on something, you know everything about that topic. So no matter what they ask you, you're going to be able to answer them. Now say you don't know the answer to that question. That happens as well.
I like to call it the sidestep. a little shuffle. In TV news speak.it’s tap-dancing right? So like, if I have breaking news and my guests has just disappeared, and they're trying to get them back and they get into my ear and they say, Lynn, give us a second, like do some tap dancing, I've just got to start talking about like grass growing, right? So I've just got to go. And that's where preparation comes in. I know so many things about the story, that I could talk and talk and talk until they need me to be back with a guest. And so preparation is what is going to separate you from everybody else. You cannot wing appearances. Now I have had clients say to me before I actually over-prepare, and it screws me up because I'm trying to memorize things. And that's why I want to clarify, you don't go into it memorizing a script, but you go into it, knowing everything that you can possibly know about a topic, and therefore you can't be tripped up. And that's that you go in with that confidence of like I got this, right?
Annie: Yeah, I love that. I think, you know, what's that famous quote, I don't know who it's by. But it's luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And I'm somebody who's an over-preparer. And I think I tend to put you know, 80-90% into things that some people would kind of wing. But that means that most of the time what I execute works really well, like, es, I have failures, yes, I have things to sidestep. But I put a lot of effort in the front end.
And so hearing that, you know, that applies to being successful in business overall, it applies to your branding. And it really applies in this context of if you're going to be interviewed, whether for a podcast or for television, something like that. And I love your point Lynn, which is not to memorize, it's not really about you. In that sense. It's really about making sure you feel really good about the things you're going to be asked about, the field, the expertise, which should be fairly easy for you, as assuming you are an expert, which I'm sure you are. So that's the first thing is to be prepared, what is the second thing we want to keep in mind?
#2 ACTION TIP
Get Your Attention
So it's also making a promise to yourself, I think that a lot of people don't want to go on television or don't feel like they have the chops to go on TV. To them, I say, one, it's something that you can't avoid. If you're a business owner, you're a consultant, you have to put yourself out there. And that doesn't mean that you are going to be on the Today Show, this may even just be getting some exposure on you know, your local news, it may be even getting a podcast, it may be something that you have to do for your website. So the training that I do is not necessary to prepare you to be on the Today Show, it is to prepare you to really showcase your best self. And that's a promise you have to make yourself but you aren't going to sweat the small stuff, that you're going to let that go and that you are going to change the big stuff.
So something that people say to me all the time is I don't like to watch myself on television, right? So you even said to me, like I don't want to see myself on screen. So I'm just going to close this out. And so I really challenge people to adjust that mindset and you know, look at maybe something that they perceive as a weakness, shift it into something that can be an asset. I talked about my weakness all the time, it is public speaking, which everyone so funny is so ironic. And it is, um, it's so different to look into a black box for me the camera, that is where I've trained myself to tell stories in a compelling way, which is what I teach people to do. How do you look into a black box, which most people don't know how to tell compelling stories that way? For me, I can do that in a black box. When I'm standing in front of 800 people and staring at their faces. I'm just picturing them thinking this girl doesn’t what she's talking about. Why am I sitting here? How much longer? Can I take my phone? And that's why whenever I go and watch someone speak, I'm like the person in the front row being like, like the facial expressions.
Annie: Trying to give them the energy.
Lynn: Yeah. And so when I decided to actually say my weakness out loud, I was giving a speech to a ballroom of like 1000 people. And I said, out of the gate. Hey, guys, just want to let you know, my biggest weakness is public speaking.
And I was like, I'm not kidding, my knees, shake my voice shakes. And I said that I needed to figure out how to make it an asset or a superpower of mine. Yes, saying that was the best speech I ever gave. Rather than running away from my weakness. I decided to turn it into my superpower. And now I'm not the best public speaker. I've become a really strong, compelling speaker by embracing that weakness.
And so as we promised ourselves to be gentle and kind to the journey of this, it is really important to just embrace everything about ourselves. And that's it. That's a thing in branding in general, I'm sure that you can relate to you. It's like you can't run away from the obvious in your business. You have to almost highlight the blind spot so that you are prepared when you're asked the tough question about this. Maybe weaker link of your business, and it needs to not be pushed away. It needs to actually maybe be brought up to the surface.
Annie: Yeah, I will and knowing that it can come up and, and knowing that that's okay. There's no perfect business normal, perfect person. Right. But I think embracing that I love the kind of pivot that you gave it like about public speaking.
Could you talk a little bit too about, you know, you're talking a lot about how to show up in that space, like if you get a TV interview. But could you talk to us a little bit about tips for if we're coach or consultant? And we want to be, say on the local news, like, what is the best way to go about that in today's reality?
Lynn: I actually do this in a program that I have. It's called TV news Academy where I help people craft pitch and book appearances. And the one thing that people don't understand is how they have to get my attention. And that's really the third tip that I wanted to give people is that, as a decision-maker, I call the decision-makers, the executive producers of a show, the anchor, the reporter, and also their bookers, you don't have to know who those people are their names, I teach in the course how to find for each different types of programs, how to find those decision-makers. But what you have to do is you have to get their attention. And here's why. If I pull up my inbox right now, I currently have 63,341, emails unread. That's what my inbox says, I get pitches. I mean, 100 a day, I would say when my show is on the air.
And I'm looking at the first three words, subject line, I don't even open most emails, as you can see, that's why I have so many unread emails, decision-makers need to be compelled to open your pitch. So in addition to teaching people how to make the perfect pitch, I have a pitch template to do that. You have to compel a decision-maker of why it's important. That's why I started this podcasting, tell me why it's important and put it in headline form, drill it down for me, don't sell me your business, sell me a news pack, this is going to be something that I'm covering already today, I just want your voice on this. Is there s some sort of controversy out there that's in your wheelhouse as a coach or consultant, that you're an expert on, that you can give insight to a program? You know, many of my clients have when we first start working on their pitches, they are pitching their book, and they're pitching their podcast, or they're pitching a product. And I have to remind them that they are the support of the story. They are not the story. So how do we find that great news peg that its decision-maker is going to just be so compelled to open up that email and want to dig into it? And so getting my attention is maybe one of the harder things and we really try and navigate the wording, like what are those really impactful phrases that you know, it's something that I cannot, not cover that day?
Annie: It's irresistible?
Lynn: Yeah, first of all, exactly. It's like, this is TV gold. And it's, you know, that's what, that's what gets me excited. You know, it's like, I call myself a TV nerd. Because when there's really good content, I'm just so fired up about it. And that was, you know, the great thing about anchoring a show is I had the ability to do that. And when I really wanted to get out of the actual rat race of the cycle of that I wanted to show other people how to do that. I wanted to show people that there's such an unmet market because people don't necessarily know how to.
Annie: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm very curious, based on what you just said, I'm sure you teach it in depth in TV News Academy. But the first three words, can you give us an example or two? Or three words that caught your attention?
Lynn: The one that I give as an example is, you know, how this will change everything, you know, and that's not even the three words, but it's like this is gonna change everything, you know, this devastating study, or the bubbles about to burst.
Annie: Some sort of imminent impact.
Lynn: A problem that is just percolating out there. And then you're the solution. Like, here's the problem, here's the solution. And when people are developing, what their solutions are. The other thing I remind people of is, it's a visual medium. So be visual, your information is not enough. So include the impactful statistics that will become full screen. So full screens are those graphics that come up over an appearance when someone's talking to reinforce what they're saying. What are those three bullet points that you want the viewer to be looking at? Those bullet points of information that you as the expert has provided, is there some great B roll that we can pull that is like, have you seen this, you know, footage that is just devastating?
Annie: Or exciting. We don’t have to be downers.
Lynn: Exactly. But it can be exciting, or you know, it inspiring. And it just starts to get my attention, it has to be visual. Because if it's not visual, you want to be pitching to print.
Annie: Also even just knowing some of that language, and I think it goes back to your first tip about being prepared. So that's not only being prepared to like, talk about your expertise, but being prepared for what somebody is going to need. And I think there's a really nice synergy. But I always teach people with branding, they're worried so much about it being about them. And it's not about them. It's not about them, they're not the story, you're not the story and the brand, you're the guide, right?
The client is your hero, it's their story, you're there to play a supportive role as their guide, you are the Obi-Wan Kenobi. And then with it seeming with TV news, and trying to get on television, and it's really the same similar kind of thing where you're not the story. And I think that's the biggest way to go into it to pitch a producer and say, I know I'm not the story. This is you really leading with this is the hot story. I'm the right expert to come to talk about it. Here's how I'm prepared to come to talk about it. Here are those three things full screen. And here's you know, here's some you know where you can see me talking. So you know, I'm not full of ish, right?
Lynn: Exactly right. And that's why one of my learning pillars of confidence is purpose. It's understanding what your purpose is in that role. And you know, when you're talking about you coaching your clients, their story is Obi-Wan Kenobi like that's a story in and of itself. They aren't the story for their client, but they have a story, I actually have a quiz on my website, that is a story archetype quiz, where you can find out what it is that is unique about you. Are you an overcomer? Are you a champion, are you an undiscovered star, and it's a beginning of a journey of really, you cannot make an impact unless you have a story. And your impact is only as great as your story. And so it's really the first step in really identifying what it is that impact that you want to make. And so when you come to the table, in any appearance, you're coming as your best self. So what makes you different than every other consultant that's out there, what makes you different than every coach you have, you have to identify what that is to be able to be successful.
Annie: I love that. And that's kind of a nice leader. And so I was gonna ask you lead. Before we get to our third and final tip for today. I know you brought something on, you want to talk a little bit about what's coming for you, and what's the best way to get in touch with you. If folks are interested in learning more about your program and just wanting to pitch TV, how do they reach out to you?
Don’t miss this special opportunity for “Branding with Friends” fans…
Join Lynn’s TV News Academy at TVNewsAcademy.com
Lynn: I actually decided to make this masterclass. It's a free masterclass. You know, I just wanted people to see some of these shifts, a couple of them I've talked about today. But these are shifts in your messaging that reach the masses. So you want to reach a million viewers, you need to make shifts in how you're messaging. And so I go through this, and it's really I mean, for me, it's taken 15 years to acquire some of this information. And I would have people come into the studio. And it would be their first appearance, maybe they've gotten media training from their PR firm or something like that. And they've never actually been in a newsroom. So this PR firms just kind of get them and no insult to appear from it's just they want them to say certain talking points. They're not teaching them how to say it in a compelling way. And so I wanted to be able to just, you know, for everyone to just sort of seeing that baseline. And you know, of course, there's there is my program, I have TV news Academy, it is a really 30 days, and we just go through all of the different ways to create your own story, how to identify what it is, create that perfect irresistible pitch to get the attention of the decision-makers, perfect your backgrounds. Oh, yeah, that's something that people take for granted. And this isn't just for appearances in the media, this is for your Zoom calls. They're important. And this is your it's your face to your clients. This is what they're going to take away. You know, I say often, people make their impression, the first impression of you within five seconds, and then they decided they trust you within 30 seconds. And so tell me why I should care. Put that in headline form. And that's the first thing out of your mouth is the first thing you say so that it's not, you know when you are appearing on something, you're not just saying thank you so much for being here. Yes, I am. And then you explain why you're there. No, you are hitting me over the head and you are just making me care from the second I opened my mouth because our attention spans are too short. And so we just go through ways that we in the last module where we maximize our talk time, we want to make compelling sound bites because you can't ramble on and TV, you only have two and a half minutes, you only have this amount of time. Yeah, and they're not going to make more time for you, they're only going to give you that two and a half minutes. And so it's, you know, just that that sort of immersive experience behind the curtain of TV news that you just don't get to see have like, even just the cheat sheet of anchor cues of things that I would say, to let my guests know what I need from them. And then obviously, I just do my one on one consulting, where I just work with different individuals that want to take their delivery to the next level. And it's something that's just been so fulfilling. For me, I never really imagined that this would be a path. And when I started doing it, and I saw how it fills my cup, I think you can probably relate to this. Your branding is only as successful as your enthusiasm and your energy and your energy.
Annie: Yep, that's, that's the key. So well, that's how to get in touch with Lynn. So we'll make sure that their notes are here that you can check out TV News Academy and all that lead has going on, you should definitely check it out if you want to learn more about how to confidently prepare and show up well, and get on TV, which would be awesome. So if you're on TV, let Lynn and I know we would love to see it.
Lynn: Please do, I’m LynnSmithTV on all the socials, LynnSmithTV.com and TVNewsAcademy.com
Annie: Awesome. Well, if TV is your goal and your person, I'm so glad that y'all could meet her today. And if today's gotten you thinking, Oh gosh, I don't know how to tell my story. I am not clear on that. My business is not branding itself. Well, I'm always here for you to you can check out free time with me a free consult at greateststorycreative.com.
Lynn, I'm so glad you've been here. We've been going through so many great tips today, we've learned even more than just those three tips from you about TV confidence and how to make it happen. I think a lot of lessons can be applied to podcasts and Other appearances as well. But you know, we've been talking about several things. So the first time is prepared. And then we want to get your attention. And what's that third thing we really want to keep in mind about pitching television.
#3 Action Tip
Course Correct
Lynn: Yes. And you know, this is something that I would say is a mistake that's made so frequently, is it's it's really important to just really promise and prepare and then oh my gosh, Annie, I'm literally blanking on I think we went through our third one, I’m going to have you pause it.
Annie: This a live show. So we're not going to edit it, this is we're showing vulnerability, right? We talked about this. So I will go ahead and tell you what your wonderful tip was to get it right. So more about getting it right. This is a real moment. We're here on live TV ability.
Lynn: So here's the vulnerability moment. Today was a day and I told Annie when we got on today was the day that I got the phone call from the school that I forgot my son's lunch, I got the phone call from my other son's school that I forgot to tell them who was picking him up today. And it's like, you know, those days when everything goes wrong? And here's what's really actually get it right. It's important to pick up on this because this happens in live TV, right?
So I say we can we pick up on this and we can edit it out and like no, we're on live TV, we got to get going. You have to know you've got to be able to recover. Do you know how many times I've had a teleprompter just disappear from me or I've had this is a really good example, I had a guest whose microphone just went out, the battery went dead. They had to put his microphone on while he was talking. And he didn't flinch. There's one manhandling him and there's cut they're covering him with videos and no one can notice it. And he didn't flinch. And I say that because you really want to be able to recover in any situation in television. Yeah, let's see whether or not you thought I did well in recovering in my own. Well, yeah, absolutely. Vulnerability piece. We're not perfect. I actually have this behind here. I was showing it to somebody. This is a poster board that covers up light switches because it looks messy in my background set and they said Lynn, stop trying to be perfect in your at-home set. Like, take that off, show the light switches show what it is that makes you imperfect. We all aren't polished all the time. We all aren't doing everything that we wish we were doing and that's okay. That's all right, and let those moments happen and embrace them for what they are, and then grow from them. There’s no bad TV experience when you have that mindset.
Annie: What's the phrase it's like, there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? And I'll comes back to that. Well, thank you again, I think you had some great nuggets to share and great inspiration if folks want to get in front of TV and kind of get beyond themselves and know that it's not really about them. So if you're on TV after this, we want to hear about it, send us a link. Good luck to you. And thank you again for being a guest today.
Lynn: Oh, it was wonderful to be with you. And thank you.
Annie: And we hope you all enjoyed yet another episode of Branding with Friends. So many thanks to my special guests, Lynn Smith of TV News Academy and so much more. I hope you'll tune in next time when we tackle yet another topic where branding needs business.
“Branding with Friends” Episode 26
Show Notes + Resources
Here are 3 key tips on how to use television publicity to grow your service business:
Be prepared
Get my attention
Course correct
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