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On Friday, July 16, my day was going along as any other day until I got a voicemail from a senior associate producer at O2 Media, which produces the Lifetime Television Network show, The Balancing Act. He wanted to talk with me about my book and my work.
Wow! A national television show, large cable company, senior producer wants to talk to me about my work! Oh my gosh!
So I got on the phone, gave him a call, and had a wonderful conversation. He had checked me out fully, visited my website, and had some very pointed questions. He then told me they were very interested in my work and felt it would be of great benefit to their demographic. He definitely wanted to have me on their show in 3-5 minute editorial slot that would represent me as an expert in my type of coaching.
So he proceeded to give me all the details about what would happen, what wouldn’t happen, how it would be styled, but then the big shoe dropped.
For me to be on the show, I had to pay them! I had to pay them to the tune of $5900! Wow!
This totally floored me! You don’t pay to be on a show that’s asking to interview you, that’s not the norm. So why were they asking me to pay a $5900 scheduling fee?
The producer told me they have a 2 million opt-in email list they email to weekly and they claim to have approximately 400,000 women watching on a daily basis. So why would I be paying them to be on the show?
Bottom line, it’s advertising. They want to have me because they believe I have a worthwhile service which will make a good show and be of benefit to their demographic, but at the same time they are doing me a favor and creating an advertisement.
What bothered me is why didn’t he just say that? He never called it a paid advertisement. I don’t know if there are any FCC or FTC guidelines which he must adhere to in his representation of their proposal but it felt sort of like bending the truth a bit.
And to top it off, I never heard an absolute guarantee that it would air. Just think, I would pay $5900 for an advertisement that yes, I would get a copy and could use on my own site, but may not air on their show and introduce me to their huge audience.
I did some online research and found this type of programming is called Pay to Play. I also found there are many different opinions on the web ranging from this being a scam to it being a legitimate business endeavor.
So I wonder if this is what the business of interviews on television are becoming? Is this going to be the norm? I don’t know but I hope not.
If you are contacted by a company that wants to interview you, but you have to pay for it, I suggest you need to consider several things to protect yourself and get the most from your investment should you decide to proceed with the offer:
- check out the company
- check out their claims
- get a guarantee in writing that your spot will air
- find out if their guarantee can be overturned by the parent company or the network
- ask for a list of references you can contact about how their spot affected their business
You need to be very, very careful and do your homework before making your decision as to whether or not this is appropriate for you and your business. You want to spend your advertising budget wisely.
Since, before this, I had never heard about Pay to Play, I would welcome your comments on this ‘Pay to Play’ television and whether paying to be interviewed is what you would consider a scam or just another form of advertising. Have you ever been offered this type of interview? What are your views? Should this become the norm for interviews?
Please leave your comments and I look forward to a rousing, in depth discussion on this topic.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I had a similar experience 7-8 years ago but it was an offer to have my own radio show (before blog talk radio). I don’t remember what they wanted me to pay but it was a lot. They said I could get sponsors but that would be up to me.
Here in California, one of the local stations does an infomercial that looks like it’s part of the news. I saw a couple of them before I realized it was an infomercial and not a newsworthy interview. Have no idea how much they must pay for that kind of exposure.
Buyer beware!
I’ve never heard of this kind of pay to play, but I can understand companies reaching out to potential “advertisers” to try to “fill spots”. I agree that you need to do your homework before entering into this or any kind of contract.
I consider this kind of practice very shady. Even if you get a guarantee that it will air, you have no verification of their number of viewers or the number on their mailing list. I’ve turned down every company that made this kind of offer to me. I do my own research in my niche and if I haven’t at least heard of them peripherally, they are suspect, in my view.
Thank you all for your comments. If you watch this program, The Balancing Act, it is an informational show but all spots lead to a promotion of some sort. It is like a spin on an infomercial concept.
I still wonder why it is not portrayed by the company in that light? Why they would risk bad feelings and taking on a shady reputation by approaching prospects as they do?
Elaine,
You were a target of an elaborate SCAM that has been playing out for many years. They mainly operate out of Pompono Beach Florida. By the way Jennifer Angelson of Balancing Act offered to produce my show for only $4,900. Never have figured out why they charge different prices.
They love to prey on coaches, we have been contacted about 6 times by different sales people with different angles on different shows all with the same up front payment of from $4,000 to over $8,000. Yet our research showed they rarely produce any shows, hence the reason they close down their companies and start new.
You were smart to avoid them and you did the coaching community a favor by broadcasting your story.
Bill,
Thanks so much for your input on this! I wondered myself how they come up with the price they charge since it seems to be different for almost every person I have heard or read a story from. One lady was asked to pay over $30,000. The producer told me company’s pay $50,000 to $350,000 for their slots on the show. And I did see content on the web about the Florida location and different companies operating from same address.
Thanks again!
Recently contacted by LIfetime Balancing Act- They want me to pay $19,700 for a scheduling fee…for a 3 min interview, that I can use, they will promote and share information…Its a show about and for women….but its not a commercial….I have to be committed and pay my way to Fla….
Maureen Sperling seems intense and focused on the show, but its way over my budget for 3 min…..Do all guests pay to be on a show? Thanks
Hi Tina,
If you pay close attention to all the guests, each has something in some way to promote. Yes, the shows producers do a good job of making it informative and not salesy. But still a promotion none the less and yes, from all I have seen, everyone has to pay since it is in essence advertising.
I am curious, since your fee was so high, what product or service did they want to promote for you?
I look forward to your response.
Elaine
I was also contacted by “The Balancing Act”. I gotta say, on the one hand, I know it’s a legitimate show and production company (02 media) and $5900 is not all the money in the world. On the other hand, aren’t the scams that sound reasonable and legitimate the best scams out there? $5900 is probably less than the price of a couple of commercials but it also buys a TON of online advertising where I know exactly how many people are viewing and clicking on my ads.
Thank you for posting this Elaine. Was researching them after they scheduled a call with me for the second time, glad I found this so they don’t waste my time.