Getting paid

Appearance fees on TV are usually small. The people who do well from reality TV use the attention to sell something of their own: a business, a product, a service, a school, a book, appearances.

So the useful question is not how a show pays you. It is this: if your show got you a lot of attention, how would you turn that attention into money? What would people buy from you?

Write your answer now. Every lesson in this module builds on it.

Follow the triangle. The show gets attention. Your story builds trust. Your school or offer is where they pay.

Make sure every piece points to the next one:

• Every clip points to an episode.
• Every episode points to your site.
• Your site gives away one free thing for an email.
• Your emails offer one paid step.

If attention is coming in and nobody is paying, look for the broken link in that chain.

Give people a way in at every level.

• Free. A checklist, a short lesson, a quiz.
• Small. Something under $100: a course, a guide, a workshop.
• Service. You or your team doing it with them.
• The big package. Your best, most complete offer for the person who needs it most.

Think about four customers: the two you meet most, one you rarely meet, and one who in an emergency would pay the most. Build the big package for that last person, and describe only what you can honestly deliver.

Brands pay for access to people who trust you. Before you ask for a deal, make a one-page media kit:

• Who you are and what your show is about, in two lines.
• Who watches: their age range, where they live, what they care about.
• Your numbers: followers, average views per clip, email list size.
• Three ways a brand can work with you, with a price for each.
• How to reach you.

Approach brands your viewers already use. A small deal with a brand that fits beats a big one that doesn't.

Your show can sell for you without stopping the story.

• Your work on camera. When viewers watch you deliver, they see what they would get.
• The infomercial. A longer piece whose one job is the free offer.
• The micro show. The daily format ends with a question and a link.
• A sponsor bumper. A five-second line at the start of an episode for a partner.

Each site has a money job.

• Show site. Sends people to your free offer and sponsors.
• Business site. Sells your service and the big package. Has a booking calendar.
• Personal site. Sells your book, talks and appearances.

Put a way to pay or book on every page. People who are ready should not have to look.

Write this on one page and keep it where you can see it.

1. The one thing I will sell first:
2. The price:
3. Who it is for:
4. The free thing that leads to it:
5. Where people pay (a link or a booking page):
6. The clip I will post today that points to it:
7. The ten people I will tell about it by hand:

Your first sale usually comes from someone who already knows you. Tell them directly before you wait for strangers.