Everyone makes mistakes, but mistakes on TV can put your career in jeopardy.
A good PR team will help you rebuild your reputation after a disaster, but a great PR team will prevent you from making these mistakes to begin with. This is why TENXPR has a list of the top 7 mistakes experts make on TV.
These will not only tell you what NOT to do on your next TV appearance, but they will save you from becoming a viral meme on social media.
Mistake #1: Failing to provide talking points.
Make a list of the five talking points you want to cover in the segment and give them to the producer ahead of time. The producer will build the questions for the host around those talking points. If you do NOT provide your five biggest talking points, you’re going to get a curveball.
Mistake #2: Letting the producer shape the segment.
It’s no secret – they have many other segments going on. Help the producer shape your segment by providing them with the necessary information. The more information you feed them, the better the segment will be, and the more control you will have over what will happen during your appearance.
Mistake #3: Failing to expect the unexpected.
If there’s something you don’t want to talk about, something going on with your company that could be a hot topic, something is in the news, or anything like that; you need to be prepared and have a canned answer so you can field those questions.
Mistake #4: Sticking to the script. 
Yes, you need to bring talking points and prepared answers to questions. But, you also need to know how to bridge a conversation. What does that mean?
When the host asks you questions, you need to be listening. Don’t just read off whatever bullet points you wrote down in a straight row and think that’s how the segment is going to go down. This is a real conversation. Listen to their questions so you can answer them correctly. Otherwise, they won’t see you as an expert in your field.
Mistake #5: Not following the host’s lead.
Always follow the host’s lead. Again, this requires listening. If the conversation is going in one direction, you need to be able to follow it. You’ve given them the talking points you can cover, and they’re just turning those into questions to make it a great segment. Don’t try to control the conversation. Don’t run them over. Let them do their job.
Mistake #6: Plugging your product or service.
Do NOT…I repeat…Do NOT promote your product or give your website address. That is not your job. If you have a book, give them a copy of it. In their introduction, they will introduce who you are and promote your product or business for you. This is not QVC or HSN – you do not need to sell your product.
Mistake #7: Do not lie or over-exaggerate the truth.
People will find out and call you out for it. Worst of all, your customers will lose trust in you. It’s always harder to mend a poor relationship than it is to start a new one, so always put your best foot forward.
If you make any of these mistakes, the producer will NOT invite you back. Even worse, you could become the subject of conversation when producers from other shows get together for dinner or drinks. Because guess what? They all network with each other!
