I was holding a training last week and someone asked me, “What happens when you get your first television appearance… how do you prepare?”  That was a great question! So great that I thought I’d do a blog post about it.

1) Don’t be nervous!

First and foremost, have fun! Of course being nervous is normal, but don’t let it overcome you. ENJOY this exciting opportunity. My first television appearance was the Steve Harvey Show. This is very uncommon to start on national television. Usually you start locally.

I was a nervous wreck! I called my friend who is a hypnotist and asked if you could hypnotize me over the phone to calm me down. He gave me the best piece of advice. He said, “Christina, no one wants to see you fail. Everyone watching is routing for you. Just relax.” When I got on stage, I scanned the audience and he was right, everyone was smiling. I locked eyes with one women and she gave me a huge smile – almost a hug through her eyes – and at that moment, I knew I was OK.

2) Prepare!!

You’re going to have three to five minutes for your segment. Prepare sound bites. These are short snippets of information you can easily relay. Watch the show you are going to be on and get a feel for all the anchors. You’ll want to know if they are more serious, funny, do they stay on-topic, do they lead or let the guest lead? These are all things that will help your segment run more smoothly.

3) Look great!!!

Hair, makeup, and clothing are really important to the success of your segment. You want to look the part. Wear solid color clothing – preferably a bright color that will pop. For women, don’t wear “clanky” jewelry – you don’t want to distract the audience. Keep a television make-up bag. This goes for men and women. You have to wear heavier makeup and powder to avoid shine. Lights are bright and will wash you out.

My friend Tracey Garcia who owns Style Me Bar and was a make-up artist with FOX News for over 20 years did some how-to videos for television makeup.

Women’s Makeup – Watch here > https://youtu.be/aDuxn1WJ58U

Men’s Makeup – Watch here > https://youtu.be/2Q0gXWtjiH8

These tips should have you ready for your first television appearance. How do you get that appearance? Make sure you sign up for my free PR Challenge, www.YourPRChallenge.com to learn step-by-step exactly what to do to get media coverage.
To Your PR Success,