TV Lesson: Know Your Props

This is a great example of how to do a bad job on TV. Guest Jill Martin from Us Weekly appeared on the TODAY show to present (and get viewers excited about) her Valentine’s gift ideas. Jill usually does a great job, but today didn’t work out…and we can learn from her mistake. Great guests know their props inside and out. Today, Jill didn’t. So the gift ideas didn’t seem exciting and the segment was a flop.

What happened? Jill was unsure about the details of the products she showed. She read her notes, described the products in a tentative monotone voice, talked to her notes instead of the host, failed to demonstrate or touch the products, and failed to engage the host, viewers and the products. Fail.

Viewers get excited about products/ideas/props that the TV guest and host appear genuinely excited about. The only product that got excitement (and viewers remembered) was the crystal encrusted vaseline container…because that was the product Jill really knew about off the top of her head.

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