How to Be a Guest on a Talk Show and Meet New People

Celebrities and successful entrepreneurs are not the only people that talk shows are looking for to bring as guests for their next episode. Regular people with a compelling story to tell or a fantastic idea to share also stand a great chance to feature as guests on talk shows as do budding entrepreneurs or artists who are interested in promoting their latest ventures. The big bonus is that such a platform allows a guest to meet people from varied backgrounds and benefit, both socially as well as materially.

Find your niche

If you have already achieved recognition for your work, it is much easier to appear on a talk show as a guest. Such shows are always looking for people like writers, actors, singers, sportspeople and businessmen who have made a mark in their respective field so that they can inspire and inform others to achieve the same. Guests are equally interested because they usually have a book, venture, music album or movie to promote. However for those who are far from celebrities, there are still ways to appear as a talk show guest. All you need to do is to figure out your area of expertise or at least genuine interest – it could be an unconventional career as a dog-walker or a specific talent as flower arranging or cultivating bonsai trees. However it would help if your particular job or hobby has a wide appeal since this would translate into higher viewings for the talk show.

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Then again almost everyone has a remarkable story to tell from his/her life – this could be a recovery from an addiction, a serendipitous incident or even a brush with death. Regular people with such interesting stories to tell usually feature on daytime talk shows like Dr. Phil. Other than this, there is a recurring need for Psychologists, psychiatrists or relationship experts as talk shows often deal with relationship problems affecting large sections of society. Such experts are also brought on talk shows to provide commentary on a particular guest's situation or behaviour. Some TV Talk shows claim to help people work through their issues - by airing their problems both viewers and guests may have a chance of catharsis.

Once you appear as a guest on a talk show, you will naturally come into contact with other guests, the audience as well as production team apart from a vivacious host or hostess. All these people could be ways of cultivating new contacts and friendships and if lucky, this may even be the beginning of a meaningful relationship.

Develop your communication skills

While Experts in a certain field often have a new idea or venture they are promoting as guests on talk show, regular people usually have a newsworthy experience and go on talk shows to let people know more about it. But in order to do this effectively, you have to hone your communication skills well. It is extremely important to be able to connect with the audience as well as the host of the talk show and producers would mainly watch out for this ability when you apply to be a guest on a talk show. Like your communication technique, content is equally important. As a talk show guest you must have a compelling story to share or at least interesting information to offer – the broader the appeal of your content, the greater your chances of being chosen as a talk show guest. Not only this, concerns which touch the majority of audience will also help you to reach out to a wider audience and encourage hitherto-strangers to contact you, by phone, email or through the show. In this way you will not only be sharing your interest or expertise with others but also meeting new people.

Choose carefully

These days there is huge variety in types of talk shows on air which is why the possibilities for guests and topics are endless. And yet despite the seemingly innumerable options, you need to be careful in your selection of the talk shows where you wish to appear as a guest. Primetime talk shows like the Late Show with David Letterman or the Tonight Show with Jay Leno which air at night or late evenings usually have well-known celebrities or proven experts as guests. Thus if you are relatively unknown even though you may have in-depth knowledge about your hobby or profession, you may find it difficult to be invited as a guest on the more popular talk shows. Instead you can expand your options by applying to day-time talk shows. Yet another alternative is Try and choose a show most conducive to your talent or story; for instance if you wish to share your experience about bringing up a special child, choose a show geared towards health and parenting. Spend some time in preliminary research online so that you know which the talk shows are where you have greater chances of featuring as a guest. Then again, don’t restrict yourself to a single medium, that is TV. Certain radio talk shows have higher ratings than even TV shows while internet talk shows are fast catching the imagination of the young and tech-savvy.

Initiate Contact

Once you have shortlisted the talk shows you would like to appear on as a guest, the next step would be to initiate contact with the production team. Most celebrities and creative professionals like writers and artists have an agent who takes care of these formalities; however if you are one of the regular crowd, you will have to contact the show's producers on your own. The best way of doing this would be to compose a letter highlighting why you would like to be a guest on a particular show. Your letter should be compelling, but brief. Check the talk show website for instructions on where to mail the letter; usually you can do this both by e-mail or conventional mail. The website may also give you additional information on eligibility conditions, auditions and references. In all, appearing as a guest on a talk show is sure to put you in touch with a wide cross-section of people and help you meet someone with the potential for building something more.