Back in the day, Oprah was the holy grail of media “gets.”
You could meet someone at a networking event, talk to a fiction or nonfiction author, and within 60 seconds they would say her name. Not because they loved daytime TV, but because Oprah represented something else. Something big.
Legitimacy.
And that belief is still alive today, even if the name has changed. Today it sounds like: “If it is not The Today Show, The New York Times, or a top-tier national brand, it does not really matter.”
That is the myth that I want to retire this week. It should have been retired some time ago, and we have addressed it here before, but it’s time to talk about it again because I still hear people saying it.
The outdated idea is not only “I need one big hit.”
It is the bigger, sneakier belief that only the biggest media brands are effective. This is particularly evident when someone has done a lot in the media previously and thinks it still works that way, but much has changed over the last decade.
Here is a taste of what I mean.
Newsrooms are smaller. Attention is completely scattered. Audiences are more loyal to micro-sources these days, which includes newsletters they actually open, podcasts they never miss, creators they trust, niche publications that own a specific category, and industry trades that reach decision-makers.
So the question is no longer: “Can I get into the top media brand?”
The more strategic question is, “Where does my audience already trust the signal, and how do I become a familiar, credible signal inside their world?”
Now I want to add that that question isn’t brand new. We’ve been asking, “What does my target market read, watch and listen to?” since the very early days of marketing and publicity. That part is the same, but the responses are a bit different now.
We have reached a time where “smaller” outlets can outperform “bigger” outlets for authors because effectiveness is not the same as fame.
A top-tier national brand can be wonderful, and yes, it can move the needle. But relevance, trust, and audience match are what create action. A niche podcast with a smaller but highly aligned audience can sell more books than a massive outlet where your topic is a passing curiosity for most of the audience.
The modern goal is distributed authority.
That means you build credibility across the ecosystem that influences your readers, buyers, referral partners, and decision-makers. You show up in multiple trusted places, so you stop relying on one logo to “prove” you.
None of this is new. What is new is how quickly the old model fails. In a fragmented media world, the “top outlets only” strategy is not just limiting, it is inefficient.
And here is the part I have been saying here and in my weekly newsletter, Savvy Sunday News (join below), for a long time. The top media brands are far less likely to pay attention unless you already have traction in the secondary and tertiary tiers. Those producers and editors want evidence. They want to see that you have been vetted, that your message lands, and that you can handle the spotlight. No one has to take a chance on anyone any more. This is another important piece that has changed.
When you build the tiers underneath, something funny happens: the top brands become more attainable, because you are no longer a stranger. You are already validated.
Media Darling Moment: When I hear an author say, “I only want the big outlets,” I know we’re about to build the tier-two and tier-three proof that makes the big outlets possible.
And this is what I want you to remember about how discovery actually works now. Most readers do not find a nonfiction author because one glamorous brand blessed them. They find them through repetition such as a podcast interview or mention, then a newsletter quote, then a colleague forwarding an article, then a YouTube clip, then a second interview that makes the idea click. Big media can be a spark, but the fire is built by consistent, credible visibility where the right people are paying attention.
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. Want to self publish like a pro? My friend, Stephanie Chandler, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association, is offering the Book Publishing Master Course live March 5, 2026, and walks you step by step through launching your publishing company, publishing to industry standards, and building a smart launch plan, with an optional professional certification. Check it out here.
P.P.S. Oh, and one more thing. In life, you can always count on Changes.
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