Episode 245: Paula Rizzo: Expert Strategies for Authors Navigating Media & Maximizing Communication

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacy Lauren. Well, you guys, this is another one of those times that makes me so excited that I have a podcast, because having a podcast, seriously, you get to meet the coolest people that you never would get to meet otherwise. And that's how I met my next guest. I actually got introduced to her through a friend of mine who I also had on my podcast and went live in the do the Thing community. And she had connected me to Paula, who helped her immensely and just told me how incredible she is and all the things that she's doing to help people be able to basically get their message out, which, as you guys know, I'm slightly obsessed with that. So I'm so excited to dive into Paula, her story, and basically also she's got some really great things that she can give you for free, and we'll talk about that as well. And so I'm welcoming Paula to the show. Hey, Paula.

Hi. Hey, hey, hey. Glad to be here.

Yeah. I'm so excited. This is going to be so much fun.

Definitely.

So I'd love to just start off and tell us about you and your story.

Sure. So my background is as a television producer. I spent close to 20 years in TV news, both local and national in New York. I won an Emmy Award, which was very exciting for that work. And after that, you know, about six years ago, I decided, you know what, I loved it, but time to go. I want to be a business owner, run my own thing. I sort of had always been entrepreneurial and doing things. While I was a TV producer. I produced two books. One is called Listful Thinking and the other one is Listful Living. They're both about productivity and list making. As a TV producer, you have to do lots and lots of list making. So it made me very efficient, and I was able to take that same thing and then sort of use it to my personal advantage and then be able to help other people be more organized in that way. I'm also a LinkedIn learning instructor, so I took basically what I know, and I teach other people how to be more organized and all that. But also I work with authors to help them get their message out in the world, because I know how difficult that is, both as an author and also as a producer for years who used to book the authors or not book the authors and be able to say, hey, this is why this didn't get through. And I couldn't train every single person when I was working in television news, but now I can so it's nice to be able to help authors get, get out there. And to answer that question, what is your book about? Because it's the hardest question to answer.

Yeah. It's amazing to kind of look back now at all these things that you've done that felt so probably different at the time. And now it's like all those dots have connected to totally. You being able to be this amazing force and combine them all together.

Yeah, it's, you know, you don't know. Right. You're doing like, oh, I'll stick a toe here, I'll do this, I'll do it. But it all sort of informs what it becomes. And I'm feeling like this year has finally been the culmination of like, oh, this is what I do. Even six years into business, I'm finally like, okay, this is how I'll describe myself. This is how I introduce what I do.

I love so much about this and I want to really get into how you're helping people and how that even feels, because I know how powerful that is to help someone get something that's yearning in their heart out and then to have people listen to it. But I feel like I need to start with just even how you left the TV producer life, because I feel like that's such a sexy job where it's almost like this thing that it's a childhood dream that in itself. Right. And being able to do that and getting an Emmy and all that stuff. And I'm just wondering, how was that decision for you? I know you said you wanted to go out on your own, but really, how did you do that?

It was a long time that I had been thinking about it and putting a toe out in the water as an entrepreneur and doing a little bit here or there. Having a book really is like having a business. And so I feel like when I first published Listful Thinking, I was sort of thrown into this world of not only being an author, but and also working a full time job, but also saying, okay, well, is it enough for people to just have read the book and then go away? No, I want those people to be following me. And I had a blog and all that, so I was sort of doing and dabbling a little bit in the comfort of having a full time job, which was nice, but it was a very demanding job. And so what had happened? Actually, a year after I published my first book, when I was saying yes to everything, going to every, every single. You want me to speak about lists, you want me to show up? You want Me to do this, I'll do it. In addition to working full time, my appendix burst, which is very, very dangerous and will stop you in your tracks. But the truth of the matter is I wasn't listening to my body. I was getting a lot of messages that I was in pain. And I was waiting and saying, no, that'll pass. I don't have time for this. I have too many things going on. I'll be fine. And the truth of the matter was I wasn't fine. And I ended up in the hospital. And I was in the hospital for nine days. I was out of work for six plus weeks. It took me over a year to recover. Thankfully, there were amazing, wonderful doctors who sprang into action. But most people don't have their appendix burst because they go to the hospital beforehand. So just putting it out there. But that was my first warning that I was doing too many things. And so the thing that had sustained me for so long, being a television producer and the job that I loved, was now getting in the way of the next chapter. And so I knew in that moment, I thought, okay, when I come back. And I did. When I got better and my main priority was health, I was looking at it through the lens of just optimizing my health, feeling good, not feeling overwhelmed, stripping away all of the things that I was doing that I felt like I should do. And I said, okay, this is the beginning of what now my next chapter will become. So I really had to sit down with myself and be real about what I wanted and what I wanted my life to look like. I was really. TV production is a busy, busy, busy business. And I wasn't even working on a live show at the time. But for people who work those hours, you're working holidays, weekends, overnights, any kind of breaking news that happens, you're there for it. Thankfully, I didn't have that sort of job anymore. I had moved to a different type of television production. But it's a lot. And so I thought, you know, I don't want that to always be the way that I'm running my life.

There's so much about that that I love because I say this a lot, but it's like the feather brick and the semi truck sometimes has to happen for change to happen. And we want it to be the feather, but sometimes it is the semi truck. And so by you having the appendix first, you had to stop everything. And you're out of the fire now, and you're like, wait, what is happening? And I feel like so many people don't get out of that fire. They're just going. Until all of a sudden 20 years passes, and they're like, oh, my God, what just happened to me? Who am I? And what am I even doing here? And so I love that you use that as an opportunity. And then the other thing that's really cool is your book, is how you left that job, really, because the book was what got you to see the other way. You didn't have this plan to quit. You just had this plan to write your book. And then once you wrote it, you're like, well, it'd be cool if people could listen to it or read it. And then that's where all this other stuff and now that's what you're helping people do. How cool is that?

You. Yeah. I mean, and then I was like, well, what other skills do I have? What else can I do here? And so I started doing some media training and coaching and helping people. And I've worked with people who have been in a startup, people who are cryptocurrency experts, people who. Anybody. I trained the books editor for the New York Times, Fortune 500 CEOs, anybody who really needs to get their message out in the world. But what I found was I love working with authors. I just love it because I can give perspective, because I've done this. I've been there saying, oh, gosh, I just want somebody to read the book. And now I have to go talk about it. It's uncomfortable, especially for people who are used to writing and not used to speaking or being on camera. And it's been a pleasure, a real opportunity for me, to be able to take what I know and help people be of service with what they know. Because to me, that's always what the news business has been, is to be of service and to be a public service to people, to teach them something they didn't know, to save someone in a certain way. And so if I'm able to help people get their books out there and do that, I mean, it's. It's an amazing privilege.

What, have you noticed gets in people's way when they come to you that they've been struggling with, and it makes it really hard for them.

It's difficult a lot of times for authors to come out from behind the pen and the paper and the computer and to be able to then be the voice of that message. And. And the first thing I say is, well, this is not about you. This is about the audience. Think about the person who needs to hear this message. Let's switch the mindset and have it really be coming from a place of purpose and of service so that you can help them. And the second you do that and take the spotlight off of you and off of your ego and off of all of that and what you look like and what your lighting is and all of these things that people say are the issues to why they're not doing media or they're not doing videos.

Right.

The truth of the matter is it's not about you. Think about it from the perspective of who can I get this message out to? And I had a wonderful experience as a producer with a natural medicine expert. His name is Chris Killam and I worked with him for 10 years and we did great stories together. And he would do any media that came his way. It could be a big top tier media or a tiny little blog or somebody wants to interview him. And I said, I mean, you're kind of big time now. What are you doing all these little small things for? And he said, you know, you never know. Who needs to hear this message? Never know. And that always stuck with me. And I was like, what an amazing place of generosity. Really?

Yeah. So the way that you're able to help them tap into that voice and to be able to actually speak the message of their book is by getting them to think of the people that they're helping and who needs to hear it. Have you noticed anything else that you do, maybe people listening can do at home that will help them?

Yeah, I mean, it literally comes down to saying the words out loud, being able to hear yourself say these things. So often people think, oh, if someone asks me about it, I'll be great, it'll be fine. It'll just come off the top of my head. It never does. It does for no one. Everyone needs to practice. You know, I worked with anchors and reporters for years that their business is speaking on camera and none of them, for the most part, go in cold. They all practice. They're all doing this multiple times. The first take is never the one you take. Unless of course, it's a breaking news story and then they have no choice. But if you have the luxury to be able to practice, absolutely do. See the words that roll off your tongue and the ones that don't. I worked for years with an anchor who couldn't say the word especially. It just was not his word. And so we all knew do not put that in any kind of script for him to write, particularly is the word that we would say for him. But we knew that of him. You have to know these things for yourself to say, okay, well, if I'm going to tell this story, this is how I'm going to tell it. And the other way that I teach it, too, is something that I developed called the accordion method. And the accordion method is a way of having a short, a medium and a long answer to any question that you're asked. And the idea here is that you really want to front load the answer. So give a headline, give something really snappy and catchy right up front so that you catch people's attention and they get value out of what you're saying, no matter how long they listen or how much time you have. And then if you have more time, you can open your accordion and give them a little bit more or a little bit more, depending on. On what the conversation will allow.

I also notice in this work, a lot of people fall into imposter syndrome and they're wondering, are they good enough? What do I have to say? And do people really. It's almost like when you speak it, because I helped people start a podcast and I did a challenge and I have a workshop. And so that's one of the big things I have to help them overcome. And I would love to hear what your strategy is, because I'm imagining you're running into that. Even though they just wrote this amazing book, there's still all these things when you hit a new level, right? These things, you might have worked through them at the old level, but now that you've hit a new level, you could come into it again.

I didn't invent lists. I just talk about them more than anybody else. And so there's nothing new, Truly, nothing is new. And I think when people start to think through that, it's like you're just putting your own special spin on it, right? And you can't compare yourself to everyone else because you'll drive yourself insane. And then you'll never do it, you'll never talk about it, you'll never help people. And the truth is, people who buy my book about list and productivity will buy five other books about list and productivity because they're interested and they're into that, right? And everybody needs to hear a message a different way. So for the people who are thinking, oh, well, why me? Or, oh, well, I don't have anything to contribute to this, you absolutely do, because you have your own special mark, your own special imprint that you put into this that will resonate with people in a different way. You don't know who Those people are yet, but they will gravitate towards you versus someone else because that's just the nature of these things.

And what do you think about being able to. So when you're helping people, are you also helping them go and go on the news or are they doing that themselves and you're helping them prepare for that?

Typically they'll be working with a publicist or either publisher who will be pitching them for those types of opportunities, and then I'll be getting them ready for that. I often help people also to come up with ideas if they're going to pitch themselves. So what happens a lot of times in the sessions when we're talking or when we're practicing, people will say things or things will come up when we're trying to figure out what their talking points are. And I'll say, oh, that's such an interesting idea. You should pitch that. It's a great story idea. Because that's what would happen. When I was a TV producer, I would be pitched an author or an idea or story, and I would always pre interview that author beforehand. And as I would talk to them, I'd say, oh, well, I was pitched this by your publicist, but this is actually way more interesting. Let's do a segment on that. So I'm always sort of listening for those types of opportunities. And it doesn't only have to be a pitch for media. You can turn it into your own website, blog, you can turn it into your own. I'm going to do a video on that topic and just put it out there. You don't have to wait anymore for media to pick you and for you to go ahead and do this. Everyone can be their own producer at this point. And that is where a lot of times you'll be found as well. Because producers and editors are looking for experts. They're looking for people who already have a voice, who are already speaking about these things. It happens to me often. I do a lot of media myself. And producers will say, oh, we saw that you wrote about X, Y, Z thing. Could you come talk about it on our show?

Yeah, yeah. And now you have the confidence, right, to be able to do that. Do you think that you got that from being the TV producer or did you get it from doing the work you're doing now after you wrote the book?

A bit of everything. It's just a bit of not being as intimidated, I would say, about the world of television where I know a lot of times people are, oh my gosh, what happens behind the scenes? There and it's like, I know what happens over there. It's like everybody else's office. It's like just to be able to, to make it be a little bit more accessible in that way. But the truth of the matter is that TV producers have a job to do. They have to do their job just like everybody else. They're looking for a great story and they care only what their audience gets out of it. So when you sort of think about it in that way, like these are humans doing the job and they need somebody who can help them do that job, it takes some of the pressure off too. You know, it makes you a better guest, it makes you a better person to partner with them.

Yeah, I'm having a flashback for a minute because this is so interesting. I'm realizing, I think a lot of people, they have an idea just because someone does something, who they are and what they do. And I had this experience when I had just graduated from college a few years after I had this job or I sold custom suits and I would go to CEOs office and attorneys and all high level C level people and be selling these suits to their offices. And that's when I finally, I got to meet people that were in those positions. And so it broke down that idea of what that was. And so I all of a sudden was realizing, oh my God, he's running a 5k this weekend or he's doing this. And it just changed the way I looked at everything because this is from me selling bookstore to door. I had a very scrappy life before then. I hadn't been around people like that. And then until I ended up going in my own CEO group where I'm with the other people and just talking to people that just sold their business for $50 million and they're talking about the same kind of life stuff. And I think there's that you just kind of addressed that moment of what that's going on in the TV producer's office. And I think there's something about that barrier breaking in your mind that when you aren't afraid. I think that may be why I'm not afraid to approach anyone anytime because I know they're just like me in some way. And so I'm just wondering is that what you're saying is really just opens up that door of everyone being human?

Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's sort of like that moment when you're a kid and you see your teacher at the grocery store and you're like, wow, they eat food, you know, like you just. It just changes the game for you. It's a very strange feeling. But the truth, you know, like, right now I'm working on a novel, and so now I'm in the trenches of thinking through, like, oh, okay, so I need an agent. Because my agent that I have now is a nonfiction agent only. So I need a new agent. So I need to start querying, and I need to start looking for these people. And I'm thinking already I'm going into that mode of, oh, these people, they're the gatekeepers, and, oh, my gosh. And, you know, it's. And I get it. But now I have to take myself back and say, wait a minute. Again, these are people who have a job to do, who are looking for the next great book and who want to be able to make money for their family. And it just. It's like everything else, right? It kind of has to take you back a little bit to say, okay, I have something to offer, too.

Yeah, this is such a good point. I want you guys to hear this for a minute, because whether you want to be on TV and you want to promote your book or you want to ask the guy out on a date, or you want to go to some investment meeting that you might be scared to go to, or whatever it is that you want to do, we're all human. And being able to lose that idea that things have to look a certain way, I think is really important, too. I'd love to hear at the end of it. So when you've helped someone and they've gotten through that, I don't know. Sometimes it's hiding right where we hide because it's so much easier.

Yeah.

Stay in that, like, safety zone.

And it's like, this is your baby. This is your project that you've been working on for so long. So a lot of times I'll work with people who are also used to speaking in their professional capacity. Right. You know, their teachers or their speakers about whatever it is, but they haven't yet talked about this book. And so that becomes sort of this thing. And after a while, no one cares about your book, to be honest. Right. They care about you. They want to love you. They want to fall in love with you. And then it won't matter what your book is about. They'll be like, oh, I love that person. What's the book? Of course I'll buy it. And then they follow you, and it doesn't matter if. Then you switch. And now you're not talking about that thing anymore. Now you're talking about something else. They just like you. So that is really the goal, to be able to be likable and to have people follow you.

And what do you think they get out of this experience? So after you've been able to help them and then their book is launched, they get on the media and all of that stuff. What does that look like for them after?

Oh, it's just such great confidence. I have a client who just launched a book called Thriving With Anxiety and he hired me probably about a year before his book came out, which was very smart. So you never want to wait until the last minute because you do have to practice. You have to try this on, basically go through the book and the themes and all of that. And it does take time to ramp up. So we worked together about a year before and he was booked on Good Morning America and he was so excited. I mean, literally the week before, we were on a zoom call going through his outfits of what he's going to wear and what's going to happen and all that. And it was wonderful. But he was like, I feel ready for this. I'm not terrified. Yeah, I'm scared because it's a big deal, but I'm not at the point of like, I would have been if I hadn't had the practice. It's like everything from what your studio setup is like, I mean, they came to him, of course, but now the pandemic has sort of changed everything. Everyone can be live on any TV show from anywhere in the world. I mean, that was always the case, but now it's a lot more. The capabilities are different now, and so people don't. You're not counted out if you're not in New York or you're not in la, but really just having that confidence and being able to say yes, because it really breaks my heart when people say no. And so often that happens. They say no to opportunities because they don't feel ready. And then a member of the media will not call them again. Because I know as a member of the media for many years, if I tried to book you and you said no, I move on and I find someone else who said yes. And then they're my hero and then they're my go to expert. And I have long forgotten you because you said no. It's just the way that it goes. Yeah.

I'm just thinking of all the people in my community right now that I know are aching to start a business or do something different. A lot of teachers that are in my group that have been doing that for like 20, 30 years. And I kept thinking of ways to help them make at least one step in the direction. And they also want to write books. And I didn't think about the book being the thing that could be the easy place to start, because then that's where other things could build from. I love this conversation.

Yeah. I mean, the book really, it's a nice way. I mean, it could start as a blog. I mean, one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was start a blog. And I did about lists years ago. And the woman that I spoke with, I said, oh, maybe I'll write a book about it. She said, why don't you write a blog? Write down 50 blog ideas. Give yourself a goal and a time of how long you have to write those and when you're going to post them. And if by the end of 50, you're still interested in this topic and you have more to say, then you keep going. And then you start thinking about the book. Because the truth is that people get really excited about a thing, but then can you sustain it? I mean, I've been talking about this lists and productivity and all this stuff because it's ingrained in me for so long. I mean, it's part of my career. It's part of who I am as part of what I do every day. So for me, it really works. But I think that exploration is something that's really important for people to do. When you're starting something new and you're not sure if that's the thing. I didn't pick this and think, oh, this is the thing. This is it. I'm gonna leave my job and I'm gonna do. No, it was a fun thing I sort of did on the side. That then morphed into everything else.

Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. That's such a good, easy micro step. I feel like I have to ask you for a couple of ninja tips on the productivity side just because that's important to being able to do the thing.

Yeah, well, list making, of course, is a big. A big thing that I talk about. And what I do is I usually make my list the night before. So it is my shutdown strategy. It is the last thing I do when I close down the office, which is so important now for people who work from home and are doing everything in the same space. Right. Our. Our work has changed. But I always had done that, even as a television producer, because I like to have that be my final thing. And look to the next day, make those daily lists and be able to then in the morning come in, look at the list and say, what's my intention for the day? What are the things that I would like to get done? And the things that go on that list are only the things that I have the time and the energy to do. Right. It's not like, oh, I wish I could do all of these things tomorrow. I have to be very, very clear and focused what I can actually get done in a day. So that takes a little bit of practice to also know yourself, know how long tasks take. I love to time myself when I do things and say, okay, well, I'm going to work on some emails or work on this video or whatever it is. I think it's gonna take me an hour. Let me just look at the clock and see how long it actually takes. And then how many times did I get distracted and how many times did I not wanna work on this and be like, oh, I could use a snack? So you do sort of have to notice yourself and see what your capacity is and how fast you can do things. Cause we procrastinate. It happens. But I find that also using a stopwatch really helps. It's called the pomodoro technique. And so it's 25 minutes of targeted time. And what you do is you pick one task and you set your timer for 25 minutes and you just work on that task. And if you get distracted, you have to stop the clock. And then you just keep building up and building up. You can start with 10 minutes, you can start with five minutes, whatever it is. But the rule really is 25 minutes. And I use this all the time. I work with a writing buddy on Fridays. We're accountability buddies for each other. And we show up on Fridays to I write my novel and she writes her memoir and we use the pomodoro technique. We do 25 minutes. All right, put yourself on mute. Let's do our thing. The timer goes off, we take a five minute break and then we do it again.

Yeah, I feel like there's so much in that that you could use with everything that you're doing.

Yeah.

Too.

I mean, I even time myself how long it takes to put makeup on in the morning just so that I know if I'm in a rush. This is like the A look and the B look. How much time do I have?

I'd love to hear what your number one piece of advice is for people on doing the thing.

Well, I think it's that we need to stop being so hard on ourselves. That's the hardest part, is that we put so much pressure, and I think a lot of times we don't realize we are doing it. You're doing it already. There's so much that we've already done. And we look at these to do lists and we say, oh, but I didn't get anything done today. But think about all the things you did do and write those things down, because we are much more accomplished, I think, than we even notice. So it's really giving yourself a pat on the back for some of the things that you're already doing and you're pressuring yourself to do even more. You're doing enough a lot of the time.

That's great advice because it is so easy to dismiss all the things that you've done and only think of the things that you haven't done. And being able to celebrate what you have done is so beautiful. Is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I asked you?

Oh, how interesting. What a good question. I don't know. Well, I mean, I think one of the questions that a lot of people ask me is how have I been able to continually come up with ideas and talk about lists and productivity and media and all that stuff? And the truth is I just stockpile ideas as I think of them. I'm writing them down. I always try to have some structure when I'm doing my blogs and my email newsletter and all of that kind of stuff, because I have tried the other way, being easy, breezy and fun. And when it comes to me, I'll talk about it, and just being inspired doesn't work for me. Then I do nothing and I feel paralyzed, and I'm like, oh, gosh, I don't know what to write. I'm not sure what to do. So for me, I need to have a whole bunch of ideas ready to go so that I can pick from them and say, okay, let's do this one, and then have things set up in advance because that helps me to be less stressed and helps things to just sort of run as smoothly as possible. When I try to do it off the cuff, it's too much pressure and it just doesn't work. Of course, are there days when I have a great idea and I'm like, I should do a video about this, or, oh, that just happened. Let me just do that. Totally. But that's not my norm.

So when you're stockpiling ideas and you're writing them down, do you have a system for where it goes. And what is that?

I do use Google Docs. I have folders for things. I've started to use Notion, which is very, very good. But there's a lot going on there that I still don't understand. It's wonderful, but it is a lot. And I have always worked with someone in my business, whether it be a writer or an intern back years and years ago, or someone who can help to keep me accountable to who helps me to produce the content. And so I'll have regular meetings with my writer or my assistant or whoever it is at the time to be able to say, okay, what are the next few months of content looking like? What do we have? Let's come up with some ideas. What ideas do you have? It's nice to sort of have that back and forth with other people so it's not just on you. And you can really have a lot of different ideas that maybe you didn't even think of.

And do you have an ideal client or someone that you like to help?

Well, I love to work with authors, of course. Nonfiction, fiction. I've worked with poets. Nonfiction is definitely easier as far as opportunities in the media and all of that. Not to say that fiction authors can't do media, but you just have to sort of be able to pull that message from the book in a different way, because the book is only new for so long. People only care that you have a new book for a very short amount of time. And then after that, it's like, how do you stretch that book beyond that? And I think that's what I do help a lot of authors with too, is not only the book launch, because people are really excited about the book and the book coming out. This is your book forever. Your publisher now goes away. Your publicist now goes away. Everyone is gone, and it's just you and this book. How do you continue to sustain and talk about it? Do you start a live stream show? Do you start a podcast? Are you doing blog posts? Are you doing speaking? What do you do? And I get it. I've done this. And so that I think is the most fun for me is to sort of say, okay, now we get to play and you get to produce whatever you want to produce. Now that the book is out, you have this great work that now you can just slice and dice and use in all different ways.

And please share where people can learn more about you and kind of get into your ecosystem.

Yeah, of course. So if you go to paularizzo.com 10q I have a freebie and it is the 10 media questions that all authors need to answer. And you can follow me on LinkedIn. I have LinkedIn learning courses there and of course on Instagram as well. And my handle on Instagram is List Producer.

Thank you so much for joining. This was so much fun getting to do with you and I feel like I had a lot of epiphanies as we've been talking.

So, so fun.

Thank you for having me and for you guys. Do the thing. Don't wait for opportunity, Create it. And hey, have you checked out my Facebook group yet? Go to do the thing community.com Bye guys.