Each year, more and more television shows are doing
segments about inventions and inventors. The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno has had inventors as guests a couple of times each
year for several years. In 2003, The Christopher Lowell Show,
The John Walsh Show and Oprah, among others, devoted entire
one hour shows to inventions and inventors. In addition, there
are now several shows in production about inventors and
inventions. They include Invent This! on Tech TV, which was
just renewed for its second season, as well as several other
shows in production that are scheduled to air in 2004.
Television is a very powerful tool for marketing your
product. The audience for The Rosie O'Donnell Show was about
five million viewers a day, and The John Walsh Show had around
two million viewers per day. The segment of The Christopher
Lowell Show that featured inventions aired a minimum of three
times in 2003, and there are many half hour shows about
inventions that repeat often.
How do inventors get on these shows? is a question I hear
often. There is a lot more to consider than just "getting on"
a show to assure that the appearance will have a substantial
impact on an invention's potential for success.
Producers
Usually, the first thing that will happen is you will get a
call -- out of the blue -- from a TV producer. The producer is
the person who coordinates the content of the TV show or a
segment within the show. But be careful, not all producers are
created equal. You may get a call from a TV production company
that shoots TV commercials. Inventors often get calls from
producers who say they want to shoot an infomercial about
their invention, and they will air it all over the country at
no charge. What they don't tell you at first is that you need
to pay them between $10,000 - $15,000 to shoot the commercial.
Be very wary of these types of producers. Ask questions to
determine which type of show the producer is working on and if
it will cost you any money. Legitimate TV shows will never
charge the inventor to be on their show. In fact, they will
often pick up the traveling expenses and hotel. Make sure to
ask the name of the TV show and where it's being shot.
Getting on the Show
If a producer calls, don't spend a lot of time peppering
him about the show early on. Just make sure you won't be
charged to be on the show. That's the first point. Now, it's
time for you to shine, to make you and your invention stand
out and to sell the producer on the idea that you and your
invention are perfect for the show. Remember, TV shows should
be entertaining as well as informational. They should be
lively and fun when it comes to inventions. Producers are
looking for upbeat, energetic guests. Your invention could be
ideal for the show but if you are shy and quiet and low
energy, you probably won't be chosen. You only have about 30
to 60 seconds on the phone with the producer to sell yourself
and your invention. You may be asked to submit a picture of
yourself. Ideally, you will have one available that you can
e-mail to them immediately. They aren't looking for super
models so don't be concerned about how you look. They just
want to make sure you look presentable. After the phone call,
if you have a web site, they will probably visit it to look at
your invention, if they haven't already done so.
Be prepared for a phone call, even if you aren't expecting
one because you never know when you will be called. Know how
to pitch your invention with a brief, one or two sentences of
what it does and how customers benefit from it. Be
enthusiastic! You will most likely be asked how you came up
with the idea for your invention and how many you have sold.
Be ready to quickly answer these questions. Smile, relax and
imagine you are telling your best friend about how cool your
invention is. Show enthusiasm. Remember, they are looking for
inventors first, inventions second. You -- and how you present
yourself -- are more important than your invention to a
producer. If you are shy or don't feel comfortable talking
about your invention, you need to practice. Practice in front
of friends or family or in front of your video camera. It
could make the difference between having your invention seen
by millions of people ... or not.
What Types of Inventions?
TV producers are almost always looking for consumer type
inventions. Your invention must be in production and available
for purchase by the viewers. If it's only available on your
web site, that's okay. If it's in the prototype stage, most
producers won't include it in the show. Why? Because viewers
will call them asking where to purchase the invention. Often,
the TV show will provide a link on their web site to your web
site, but only if you have your product ready to sell.
What Comes Next?
It may be several days before you get a call back from the
producer. If you are chosen to be on their show, you will be
asked some additional questions such as: Are you available on
the date the show is taping? Are you willing to donate enough
of your product so that each audience member can have one (if
you can afford it, always say, "Yes!")? Where do you live? If
the TV show is shot in a studio, you will normally be flown to
the studio at the expense of the show (if it is too far to
drive). If you need to stay overnight, your hotel is also
generally paid for by the show. In addition, the bigger shows
will have a driver pick you up at the airport, drop you off at
your hotel and then provide another ride to the TV studio for
the show. TV shows with larger budgets will not hesitate to
fly you across the country. Smaller shows don't have the
budget for that and will generally look for local guests who
can drive to their studio. There are also invention shows that
like to profile the inventor in his or her environment, and
they will come to interview you at your workshop. Whatever you
do, don't clean up your messy workshop! People are fascinated
by inventors' workshops, and viewers and producers will both
want to see yours in its original condition.
Next Issue: The day of the show ... what to expect and
how to be your best!
**********
Ted VanCleave's extensive background includes marketing,
business development and public relations with both Fortune
500 companies and small startup businesses. He founded
InventionShowcase.com to help independent inventors get more
exposure for their inventions. Ted has appeared on The John
Walsh Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, ABC World News among
others and has been a guest on more than 150 radio shows and
interviewed by USA Today. Call him at 800.856.9025 or by
e-mail: ted@inventionshowcase.com. |
