Larry King Tips: How to succeed in Broadcasting in the Digital Era

I’ve been in the talking business for a long time. I started off in radio in the ‘50s, and worked in Cable TV, Satellite TV, and online. But nothing has the immediacy online does. You can have your own podcast or YouTube channel tomorrow.

There’s good and bad to this: while it’s easier than ever to broadcast to the world, its that much harder to get attention and connect; that goes for attracting guests and listeners.

The challenge is to find the ways to make a human connection--through the internet. As Cal Fussman (Co-host of Breakfast with Larry) put it, “it’s very hard to knock on doors now because you are blocked off.” How do you create connections when you are separated by a screen?

Something Alex Banayan shared on Breakfast with Larry was Be human. Be present "If there are thousands of people emailing you or DMing you, it’s the one person on your porch, looking you in the eye, knocking on your door, that actually makes the human connection."

Here’s how you can do that, today.

How to Meet the People You Want

There’s nothing more powerful than being intentional about who you want to meet and why you want to meet them. Know who you want to meet and why. Why are they important to you? How can they help you?

When you’re starting out, you have an advantage. You are naive. You approach the world with the belief of possibility, as Alex puts it. People want to help people that want to be helped. You would be surprised who will talk to you when you ask for help. Three things got to where I am today: praising others, being curious, and, as much as anything, asking for help.

Engage your heroes. Be brief. Brevity shows thoughtfulness. It shows respect. And it signifies awareness.

Reaching out through Emails

The secret to reaching out to others through email is ending with a short, simple, and very relevant question.

Bill Gates taught Alex this. Bill would ask, “I want to be where you are. What five books would you suggest I read to help me get there?”

He would devour them in a week, track his heroes back down, and ask again, “Can I have five more?” They became emotionally invested in his success. You may want to try it in your emails.