If it worked for Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil

It will work for you to get your own talk show

From where I sit On The Kowch, the best way to get your own talk show is to be an expert on another person's show.

It worked for auto-mechanic Lisa Christensen, science guy Dr. Joe Schwarcz, gardening expert Mark Cullen and tech guru Marc Saltzman just to name a few. They started as expert guests on the talk shows and eventually became popular regulars on CJAD in Montreal or CFRB in Toronto. That led to creating a spot in the programming lineup for them to have their own show.

It also works in television. Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and decorator Nates Berkus were all regular guest experts on Oprah. Now they each have their own talk show.

What all these people have in common is that they are entertaining. It's not about you. It's about your expertise and how you become a compelling guests. It's not about flogging your book, website or business. It's about telling stories and providing the audience with a reason to make sure they tune in next time you're on a show.

When you become an appointment tuning guest you increase your chances of one day landing your own talk show.

Today, the internet provides excellent exposure for experts. But not many experts with popular blogs or websites have figured out how to use their online success to land a radio show.

Liz McCallum's blog Big Beautiful Wellness deals with plus size positive philosophy that encourages size 14+ women to stop waiting to be thin to get out there and live.

"The statistics on our demographics are ever increasing and traditional interventions fail consistently," McCallum wrote me in her email. "Little or nothing is provided for this group that is empowering, motivational or inspiring. The thrust is typically, 'you're fat. Hence ugly. Hence not so bright.' This negativity can have a devastating impact, not just on our women, but on our daughters as well."

Online it would appear that McCallum has a hit. Her Facebook page got 300,000 visits last month. Two thousand women registered at her blog for a regular newsletter.

Lianne Castelino and Andrea Howick write the popular blog Where Parents Talk They also host a weekly TV show on Rogers Cable.

All three women asked for tips on how to go about getting a radio show.

My advice: Take charge of your destiny. Offer your services as an expert to the talk shows to get your foot in the door of the radio station you want to host a show on. Let the hosts and their producers know what you can bring to their shows. Send them air an email with that information and links to your websites and blogs.

If something is in the news that relates to your expertise, phone them with an offer to provide insight into that event.

Give them three good examples of what you can talk about on the show that will be of interest to their listeners.

For more information on how to pitch a talk show click here

For information on how to pitch a show on the CBC click here

But both these websites don't talk about the one thing that discourages people from hosting their own talk radio show.

There is a misconception out there that radio stations pay big bucks for experts to host their own shows. At the end of the day you're lucky if you get 100 bucks for a one or two hour weekend show. In most cases experts aren't paid a dime or have to fork over hundreds of dollars to the radio station for the air time to host their own show.

If the radio station doesn't have the budget to pay you to host a show, ask for two to four minutes of commercial inventory an hour that you can sell to your own clients to generate revenue. Tell the station you want to own the 15 second billboard - the produced into to your show that says this show brought to you by (name of the sponsor).

It's not easy to sell commercial time. But it's worth trying. If you can't find clients who want to purchase air time than use the commercial inventory to promote your own business. Advertising on the radio works. Use your sales inventory to generate more business or more visits to your website. The more people who click on your website, the better the chances of you getting the website sponsored. Then you can sell clients a combo package. Advertise on your website and on your radio show. You now have a multi-media advertising opportunity for prospective clients.

The number one mistake that experts make when pitching a show is letting money get in the way of chasing their dream to be a talk show host. They don't understand how radio provides them prestige, credibility and a platform to reach new clients.

Consider the time you spend hosting the show as an investment in your business.

From where I sit On The Kowch, experts who refuse to host a talk show because the radio station won't pay them aren't really chasing their dream to be a talk show host. They're only chasing a pay cheque.