The MEDIA PROS Show

Welcome to The Media PROS Show, the show that gives you quick, simple tips to grow your business by serving as an expert on your topic in the media. Learn how to get all the TV, radio, podcast, magazine, newspaper, and online interviews and appearances you want - and how to shine in those media appearances. I'm Dr. David Geier, orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist, and media health and wellness expert. Now 33 episodes into this show, we have talked a lot about how to get more...

Much of the media system I teach the clients I work with one-on-one, and I will teach you as a listener of this show, is how to get interviews by pitching a topic to a reporter, writer, show host or producer. You can't just sit back and expect people to reach out to you. They need to know you, know what you are an expert in, and know how you can help them. We have talked before about creating a pitch file or notebook to collect ideas to pitch reporters and producers. We have talked about how...

In episode 16 of this show, I discussed what the one goal of every media interaction you have should be - every email, every phone call, every conversation before and after an interview - and with every reporter, writer, journalist, show host, show producer - everyone, every time. That goal is to help them do their job, to make their work easier. And the reason you do that is to make them think of you whenever they need an expert in your area. Many of the interviews you will do will come...

One of the most important components of a system for getting more media interviews is a pitch file. This is a folder, or maybe a notebook, or some software online - I use Evernote - that allows you to capture ideas and articles for use later. In whatever field you work in, you will have one or more topics that are right up your alley. You should definitely pitch those ideas to reporters, producers and show hosts. You just can't keep pitching that same topic over and over. Instead, you want a...

Today we are going to discuss a problem I personally struggle with in interviews quite a bit. I expect that most experts do, even if they don't realize it. When you do TV, radio or podcast interviews, whether they are live or recorded, you want to avoid weak words and phrases. One of the things I do with the clients I work with one-on-one is that you and I pitch a TV or radio show host or producer or podcast host. When you get the interview, we help you craft your message and talking points...

This week's media tip might be a little controversial, but I feel strongly about it. You need to be very careful whose advice you listen to when it comes to interviews, whose feedback to get and act on, and who to ignore. Never take unsolicited advice. For your media work, focus on the opinions of people who matter. Who know what you are trying to achieve by doing TV, radio, podcast, newspaper or magazine interviews. Who you trust to give you advice that makes you better. Especially early...

This week's tip seems so obvious that I shouldn't even need to do an episode on it. But I see experts in every field - medicine, law, the financial sector, real estate and so many others - they do it throughout their interviews. I'm not even sure they know they are doing it. But it can not only detract from the interview, but it can also eliminate any chance you have of converting someone in the audience to a customer, client or patient. And that enormous mistake is using jargon, or...

In episode 4 of this show, I discussed all the reasons podcasts are a great medium for growing your business. Go back and listen to that episode if you missed it. But podcasts work two ways. You can host your own podcast, which can be great for a number of reasons. In a bonus episode I dropped right after episode 20, I interviewed a podcast host, Dr. Brent Lacey, a physician who has built a financial coaching business through hosting a podcast. Check that one out too if you are considering...

You've heard me mention on this show many times before that I'm the medical expert for two TV stations here in Charleston, South Carolina. I am actually working on a third station in a different market. But needless to say, I've done a lot of TV interviews. Before COVID-19, I was in studio at ABC News 4 every Tuesday afternoon for a weekly 4 Your Health segment. The host would interview me for 2 to 4 minutes about a medical topic. Once I was offered this opportunity, I reached out to the...

Today's tip is very simple in theory, but it's so easy not to do. And it can disrupt an interview if you forget to do it. And occasionally it can ruin your interview. I am the medical expert for ABC News 4 and FOX 24 in Charleston, South Carolina. Before COVID-19, I appeared on TV, live in studio, every Tuesday during their 5 PM show. We did a live interview, where one of the hosts would interview me about a medical topic. Sometimes they picked the topic, but often I picked the topic. I'd...

Regardless of what you might have heard, radio can be a great way to grow your business. I know a lot of people argue otherwise, but I beg to differ. As I have said in a prior episode, radio and podcasts are the only media where you can reach people while they are driving in their cars. 128 million people drive to and from work in their cars each day. This is a huge captive audience that you can tap into to help people and get more customers, clients and patients. Now for a small number of...

I recently got back from a trip to Florida. I was gone for three days, and I packed for fun. Yes, I brought my laptop in case I needed to do a little work in the morning before we set out, but I was there for vacation, not work. When I got an email from a TV show host I've worked with for years asking to do an interview one morning, I immediately found out I was in trouble. I could do the interview by Zoom through my laptop, but I didn't have a few essentials to look and sound great. In this...

Most of the physicians and other experts I've talked to who want to do more interviews usually focus on TV. And that makes sense. Right or wrong, people seem to think that being on TV gives you more credibility. It can also help you reach more people than other media, depending on the show. I do a lot of TV interviews, and with COVID-19, most of them are remote interviews I do from my home studio. So, if you want to do TV interviews to get more patients, customers and clients, you will...

In this bonus episode, I am privileged to interview Dr. Brent Lacey, a gastroenterologist and the host of The Scope of Practice podcast. In his podcast and coaching, Dr. Lacey helps healthcare professionals learn to manage the financial side of their practices and master their personal finances. In our interview, Dr. Lacey explains why having a podcast can be great for growing your practice or business, what you need to consider before starting a podcast, why being a guest on podcasts can...

In Episode 4 of the show, I gave a number of reasons why podcasts, and being a guest on podcasts, can be great for growing your business. Please go back and listen to that episode if you missed it. But among some of the key points I made are the huge audience - roughly 90 million people listen to a podcast each month, and the niche aspect of podcasts - there is a podcast for every type of field, industry, interest, with listeners who are passionate about that topic - your topic. Hopefully...

In the last episode, I talked about the benefits of working with a publicist to get you media interviews. If you missed it, definitely go back and listen to it, as there are a number of good reasons to work with one. But as I said then, it's not for everyone. In this episode, I want to go over some of the drawbacks. And as someone who has worked with three publicists in the past, I know first-hand the drawbacks that they don't mention. The monthly fees are very expensive. Expect to pay...

Doctors all the time tell me they want to do more interviews and ask me how to get them. That's true of any type of expert who wants to grow his or her business - attorneys, dentists, real estate agents, financial planners, accountants, therapists, chiropractors, veterinarians, personal trainers and so many more. But we are all busy. So if we don't want to spend time developing a system to get TV, radio, podcast, newspaper, magazine and online interviews, is there another way? Actually, yes,...

We are all busy. I'm busy. You're busy. It doesn't matter what type of work you do - doctor, lawyer, financial planner, realtor, dentist, chiropractor, veterinarian, therapist, pharmacist, or really just about any line of work - you have more to do than you have time to do it. One of the concerns I hear from people who want to do more media interviews is that they worry they don't have enough time in the day to do them. They see it as one more thing to do on top of an already busy schedule....

I would bet that whatever type of expert you are, and whatever kind of work you do, you want to do media interviews to grow your practice or business. That is literally the goal of this podcast - to teach you how to do that. But growing your business, and getting more patients, clients and customers can't be your goal when you go into a media interview. If you've listened to some of the other episodes of this podcast, you've heard me say over and over that success in the media, especially...

As you start doing media interviews, reporters and journalists will reach out to you. It might be a breaking news story, and they need a quick quote or reaction. It might be a situation where they need an expert to break down some news topic into information the public can understand. And they get your email or phone number or call your office hoping you can do an interview for the story. Usually, they don't need you immediately. In fact, in the email or on the voicemail, they will usually...