Daylight savings time was just a few days ago, making this the perfect time to remind you to be early to your media appearance. This may sound like common sense, but there have been multiple occasions where people I’ve interviewed on TV have arrived late to set or shown up at the last minute.

Obviously if it’s live TV and you’re late you don’t even get to go on. All the hard work and logistics it took to make your media appearance happen end up going to waste. And you probably won’t get a second chance at that station. But even if your appearance isn’t live and will be taped, the last thing you want is to feel rushed. It doesn’t help you relax and it certainly doesn’t endear you to the TV host and crew. When you arrive, you want to feel welcomed, not met with disapproving looks.

So, in the spirit of daylight savings time, give yourself an extra hour on the morning of your media exposure. Reserve that hour for any contingencies that might happen. Maybe you’ll get a flat tire, or get lost on your way to the station. You never know. Give yourself plenty of time. Worst case scenario, you get to the set early and you can relax and go over your notes. You might even have a chance to meet the host and bond with them, which will set a wonderful tone for the interview. In short, showing up early is a win for you, a win for your publicist and a win for the entire TV production team.

To chat more about public speaking and media coaching, just contact me here.

Have a great day!

Dave