Not many people are qualified to have their own infomercial. You have to be a great mediagenic salesperson, have a product with large profit margins that appeals to millions, and fits into a category that is already a known, successful seller.
But you can star in an infomercial of someone already established. Being a part of a profitable infomercial can bring you opportunities you never even imagined. This is the story of Donna Richards who was chosen out of 160 hand-picked people to get the part to help promote Tony Robbins' *Get the Edge*, one of his popular core programs.
Robbins has already transformed the lives of over 3 million people in over 80 countries. His reach is huge. A Tony Robbins infomercial airs somewhere in the world every 12 and one-half minutes and has done so for the past 7 years. That's the kind of publicity that money can't buy.
Here are some requirements that Richards fulfilled to get the starring role in a Tony Robbin's infomercial. If you follow these tips you, too, have a chance to get your product out to millions of TV viewers all over the globe -- using someone else's money, prestige, power -- and air-time.
1. You have a dramatic story about how a product changed your life.
The story needs to have big highs and lows. My client, Donna Richards, author of *My Brother's Keeper, A Kindergartner's View of Autism* (http://www.mybrotherskeeper.biz) was already rich when a woman employee was shot in one of the two pawn shops she owned. Almost overnight Donna lost both businesses and became bankrupt. She went to hear Tony Robbins speak (for fr.e.e.), borrowed money to get his *Get the Edge* program and began putting her life back together.
She said, *I went from driving a $50,000 Lexis to counting pennies to scrape together 59 cents to buy a burrito for my son as a single mom.* She listened to *Get the Edge* on the way to her first job and on the way home from her second job, every day. Within a year she had bought a house, dumped an abusive husband, and was making 2 million a year in a new business. Is that a great testimonial to how well *Get the Edge* worked? The producer of Tony Robbins' infomercial thought so.
2. Make the host look good.
Tie your success and the success of your business and product back to the host again and again. Donna and I worked on her story to incorporate all the different ways *Get the Edge* made a difference in her life. She discussed how, when the Doctors all told her what her autistic son, Justin, couldn't do, she pushed through her frustration, anger and denial by using the Robbins' technique of *Incantation* (In CAN tation) in the *Get the Edge* program.
While Doctors said Justin couldn't talk, couldn't go to regular school, couldn't be anything but a retard, she proved them wrong on all accounts. She thanked the Robbins' company for her fortitude and for the results that positively impacted her son, and her entire family.
3. Romance the producers.
The producers are often neglected because the focus is on the host, the star--but they do all the hard work behind the scenes. Give them gratitude--and gifts. Donna sent a big basket of chocolates and goodies to the producer after she made the cut. Who loves Donna now and would do anything for her?
Of course in addition to sending sumptuous stuff Donna did everything she was asked to with a smile. Like, drop everything (she works full time at her own business -- now a 3 million dollar a year venture) to talk to the QVC attorneys for hours to make sure anything she was planning on saying was legally viable. Like, get the clothes that the producers requested so she'd be dressed appropriately for the set -- and represent the Robbins' product in the best possible light.
Like, get her story honed down to 6 minutes (which we went through a dozen times, timed it and actually got it down to 3 minutes) with the knowledge that she may need to change it on the spot as Tony likes to be spontaneous. The filming is live, so the pressure is great.
Do you want to know what it takes to pass a producer's interview (their call to you) to get in an infomercial or on a TV talk show? Learn what they're looking for so you can make the cut and sell your book, product, service or promote your business or cause. Go to:
http://www.prsecretstore.com/tvtalkshowsecrets.html
Copyright (c) 2005 by Susan Harrow, All Rights Reserved.
This article was posted on Aug 15, 2005
About The Author
Susan Harrow
Susan Harrow, CEO of PRSecrets.com and BookedOnOprah.com, is a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul* (HarperCollins), *The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah*, and *Get a 6-Figure Book Advance.* Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, best-selling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade, People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc.
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