What is one of the top reasons that someone is not chosen to be on a talk show? If you area nutcase on the air, the producer will lose their job. What constitutes a nutcase? You may think it's a positive trait to be enthusiastic (and it is), but anyone who is overly zealous about his passion is considered a nut. Bestselling author and screenwriter Richard Price talks about this phenomenon as "The dangerous thrill of goodness." He says, "What happens is you can get very excited by your own power to do good." Don't get carried away by this thrill.

One way to tell if you're being too zealous is that you're hammering your point at top speed with the energy of a locomotive pulling that toot lever non-stop. I remember a man calling me up about how he was single-handedly taking on Starbucks - who, he felt, had done him wrong. He wanted me to promote his cause. While this could have been a great David versus Goliath type story, he was long on emotion and short on facts. Some statistics or figures would have tempered his mania. But he also never checked in with me to see if he had my interest. By talking loudly and barely pausing for a breath, he appeared to be a man who wouldn't take direction well. His single-mindedness was off-putting, not engaging.

When you're talking to a producer speak for 30 seconds or so and then check in by asking, "Is this the kind of information you're looking for?" Listen for other verbal cues, such as encouraging grunts, or "uh huhs."

For more great tips on how to make sure that you're the one being interviewed on a TV talk show, read "Secrets to Get TV Talk Show Hosts to Book You As Their Guest."