Local television is one of the most underused credibility tools available to an executive over 40, and one of the most accessible. Stations run three to five hours of live news a day, and every hour needs guests who can explain a story in plain language. Most of the experts who could fill those slots never ask. This is the process that gets you asked back.
Why do producers book the experts they book?
Understand the job on the other side of the email first. A local producer is building a show that airs in a few hours, and every segment has to answer a question viewers are already asking. The producer is not looking for the most credentialed person in the market. They are looking for someone who is relevant to today’s story, can be clear in a short window, will show up on time and will not create a problem on air.
That gives you four things to prove, in this order: relevance, clarity, reliability and safety. Your biography addresses none of them. Your pitch, your clip and your first appearance address all four.
What should you be the expert in?
One beat. Not your whole career. Producers file guests by the question they answer, and a guest who covers “business, technology, leadership and careers” is hard to file. A guest who covers “what AI means for small businesses and families” is easy to call.
Choose the beat where three things overlap: you have real operating experience, the station already runs stories on it, and you can explain it to a viewer who is making breakfast. Then write the one line you would want the chyron to say under your name. If you cannot write it in under ten words, narrow the beat. This is the same discipline I ask executives to apply to their next role in How Do Executives Over 40 Reinvent Themselves?, and for the same reason: specific sells, general does not.
Who do you actually pitch at a local station?
The producer of a specific show. Anchors read what the rundown gives them; producers decide what is in it. Most stations have a morning show, a noon newscast and an early evening block, each with its own producers and often its own booker. The morning show is usually the easiest first target because it has the most time to fill and the most appetite for explainers.
Finding names takes about an hour. Check the station website for a staff page, search LinkedIn for “producer” plus the station call letters, and watch the credits that roll at the end of a broadcast. Station email formats are usually consistent, so one confirmed address tells you the pattern for the rest. Keep a simple list: station, show, producer, email, the date you last pitched and what happened.
How do you write a pitch a producer will read?
Short, tied to today, and about the viewer rather than about you. A pitch that works fits on a phone screen.
| Part | What it contains | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | The news hook plus your angle | New scam targeting local parents: 3 things families can do today |
| Line one | The story they are already covering, and why it matters locally | Saw your piece this morning on the voice-cloning scam in Westchester. |
| Three bullets | Exactly what you would tell viewers, in plain language | How the scam works in one sentence; the one phrase a family can agree on; what to do if you have already sent money |
| Proof | One line on who you are and a link to a 60-second clip | I advise companies on AI and I am a regular on FOX 5. Clip: link |
| Close | Availability, including today | Available in studio or by Zoom any time before 3 p.m. |
The clip matters more than most people expect. If you have never been on air, record yourself explaining one idea from your beat in 60 seconds on your phone, in good light, looking at the lens. Upload it unlisted. A producer can judge in ten seconds whether you will be clear on camera, and that single link removes their biggest risk.
Timing is the other half. Pitch the same morning the story is in the news, early, before the rundown is locked. A perfect pitch on Thursday about Tuesday’s story is too late. Set alerts for the terms on your beat and keep a draft ready so you can send within fifteen minutes of a story breaking.
What do you do on the day of the segment?
Arrive early, bring three points and leave your slides at home. A local segment is usually two to four minutes, which is time for one idea, two supporting points and a practical takeaway. Write them on an index card. Say the most important one first, because segments get cut from the end.
- Answer the question that was asked. Then stop. Silence on air is the anchor’s job to fill, not yours.
- Talk to the viewer, not the host. Use “you” and plain words. If a term needs a definition, you have the wrong term.
- Dress for the camera. Solid colors, no fine patterns, nothing that reflects.
- Say the practical thing. Local viewers want to know what to do this afternoon. Give them one action.
After the segment, send a two-line thank-you to the producer with a note on what you could speak to next. That email is how one appearance becomes a second. Reliability is the whole game: the people who become regulars are not the most impressive experts in the market. They are the ones who answered the phone at 6 a.m., were easy to work with and made the producer look good. I wrote more about what live television teaches about speed and preparation in Brand, Reputation and the Viral Moment.
How do you turn one appearance into a lasting asset?
The segment is three minutes. What you do with the clip lasts years. Ask the station for the link or record the broadcast, post the clip on your site and your LinkedIn with a plain description of the story, and add the appearance to a press page. The next producer who considers you will search your name, and a page of real segments answers the reliability question before they ask it. My own press page exists for exactly that reason.
Then keep a cadence. One relevant pitch a week to a short list of producers is enough. Most will not answer, and that is normal. Over a year, the ones who do will come to think of you as the person for that beat, and at that point the relationship inverts: they call you when the story breaks. That is what being a regular means, and it is available to anyone willing to be useful on a deadline.
If you are using TV as part of a larger move, a new consulting practice, a book, a board seat or a second act, run the career premortem first so you know what the appearances are for. Credibility compounds fastest when it has somewhere to go.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a publicist to get booked on local TV?
No. Local newsrooms book most guests directly from producer inboxes, and a short, relevant pitch from the expert carries more weight than a generic one from an agency. A publicist helps once you have a track record and want national reach. For the first local booking, your own email, sent to the right producer on the right morning, is the whole system.
- Who do I pitch at a local TV station, the anchor or the producer?
The producer. Anchors read what the rundown gives them; producers build the rundown. Look for the producer or booker of the specific show you want, usually the morning show or the early evening newscast, and address them by name. Station websites, LinkedIn and the credits at the end of a broadcast will give you the names.
- What makes a TV pitch get accepted?
Three things: it connects to a story the station is already covering, it says in one line what you will tell viewers, and it proves you can be clear on camera. A subject line that names the news hook, three bullet points of what you would say, and a 60-second clip of you speaking is enough. Pitches that lead with your biography get skipped.
- How long does it take to become a regular on local TV?
Expect the first booking within one to three months of consistent, relevant pitching and the regular slot within a year of reliable appearances. Regulars are not the most credentialed experts; they are the ones who answered the phone at 6 a.m., showed up early, explained the story in 90 seconds and made the producer look good. Do that five or six times and the station starts calling you.
- Does local TV actually help an executive’s career or business?
Yes, mainly through what the clip does afterward. A three-minute segment becomes a video on your site, a line in your bio, a reason for a prospect to trust you and a credential the next station checks before booking. Over 130 appearances have been the single most durable source of credibility in my own work, and the compounding starts with the first one.
Want help choosing your beat?
The Reinvention Pressure Test is a working session with Chris to pick the one line you want under your name, build the pitch list and decide what the appearances are for.
See how coaching works · See Chris’s press page · Read There Is No Tomorrow