Everybody knows her. She's the queen of talk, a cultural and financial icon and her impact on business is worth billions. Oprah Winfrey is the most influential woman in America-maybe the world. And, experts call her unprecedented ability to take companies from no names to brand names-The Oprah Effect.

CNBC presents "The Oprah Effect," an original CNBC special hosted by CNBC's Carl Quintanilla that goes inside businesses to explain Oprah's unparalleled impact on their bottom line, their secrets to getting on her show and how this so-called Oprah Effect continues to translate her brand and others into big business.

From Oprah's Book Club to Spanx to Garrett's popcorn, businesses large and small know that there's no better advertising than the power of Oprah. If you're lucky enough to create a product she loves, a brief mention by the queen of influence can make you a millionaire.

In this one-hour documentary, CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, highlights several businesses from Carol's Daughters to We Take the Cake to LAFCO, that have experienced how the Oprah Effect can bring a company back from bankruptcy, or out of obscurity and into the limelight.

So how does a company get onto The Oprah Winfrey Show? CNBC speaks with media coach Susan Harrow who reveals her secrets to getting clients and their brands in front of the media mogul.

CNBC also speaks with Robyn Okrant, who after years of working as a yoga teacher and an aspiring writer is performing a social experiment, Living Oprah. Okrant is living life according to Oprah and blogging about it on her website LivingOprah.com. Okrant's association alone-without Oprah's endorsement-catapults her from anonymity to a readership base upwards of 10K each week.

Carl Quintanilla is co-anchor of CNBC's signature morning program "Squawk Box" (6AM-9AM ET). Charles Schaeffer is Executive Producer of the program for CNBC. Sharon Barrett is the Executive Producer and Bridget Samo is the Producer for Kurtis Productions.