“What I know for sure is what you give comes back to you.”
--Oprah Winfrey
I guess it’s inevitable when working in PR to find yourself in a room with clients who ask you to get them or their products on Oprah. Nationally, 7.4 million people watch Oprah every day. Her support of a product, service or even political candidate can translate into huge results. Naturally people are interested in getting onto that set, sitting beside Oprah on that leather couch, and basking in her seemingly Midas touch.
Now, in addition to getting on Oprah, you could also win the lottery, take a rocket to the moon and lose 30 pounds in 30 days without doing a lick of exercise. I’m not saying these things can’t happen. I’m just saying they are extreme long shots. Oprah’s staff does not sit and wait for people to call them and pitch story ideas. They actively search for hot trends or ideas and then research the top findings that fit their areas of interest.
The energy entrepreneurs hold captive in the vague goal of “get on Oprah” can detract them from doing things that can help them build their brand awareness in a more practical way, such as “send out at least six newsworthy press releases a year,” “invite my local business editor to lunch,” or “review a year’s worth of my industry trade journals and come up with at least three story ideas to suggest to them that relate to my product or service.”
If you want to get on Oprah, perhaps the best way to go about it is to focus on becoming so spectacular in your niche, and do something that impacts people so deeply or helps their lives so much that you become a magnet for not only Oprah, but many national media outlets. In the meantime, consider other potential outlets you may be overlooking, that could be a perfect way to tell your unique story.
