Articles

Talk radio interviews aren't what they used to be.

Back "in the day", hosts would invite guests into the studio for 30 minute or longer interviews. A guest would be able to do a handful of interviews and see their sales go through the roof!

Marsha Friedman, Founder of EMSI , a national pr firm says, "Sadly, those days are gone. Unless an author is a truly big name nowadays, the chances of hitting pay-dirt with just a couple of big radio interviews are history."

The reasons are two-fold.

First, there just aren't as many talk shows with a format for guests as there used to be. Friedman adds, "Secondly, the amount of 'per-guest interview time' has shrunk." Blame the research. The result of much research found that the shorter the segment, the more the audience will stay involved.

When it Comes to Talk Radio Publicity, Quantity Still Rules.

Let's think about this fact. Marsha Friedman says, "There are 1,000's of stations available that seem to be small and a waste of your valuable public relations time. But wait! Don't make that decision so quickly!"

Look at it this way. "If a 1000-watt radio station had, say, only 100 listeners, you'd probably think it wasn't worth the trouble, right?" adds Friedman. Think about this. If you were booked to speak at a conference that had 95 people would you do it? Of course you would."

See the contradiction here? "I would suggest that you go on every talk radio show that you can, no matter what the size is! You'll be building lots of selling momentum!and something else, too", add Friedman.

Get Your Feet Wet in the Small Markets Before Taking the Plunge With the Majors.

Marsha Friedman says, "It takes approximately 10 to 12 radio interviews before most clients are comfortable behind the microphone. So it's far better to make your first inevitable mistakes on a smaller stage than a bigger one, and that's where the little stations come in. The small stations give you a fantastic practice field when it comes to radio pr."

Having a large number of interviews under your belt will definitely give you experience. What is meant by practice is that you will be able to gather your thoughts, your pitch and interview style and sound like a pro in no time.

Typical errors for first time guests include not giving out their website address or the title of their book, or not mentioning it frequently enough. It is a huge mistake to undersell and/or oversell!so avoid that at all costs!

Marsha Friedman says, "If you have a overly technical subject, try to avoid being too dense. But if you are going out to smaller stations initially, you won't have a national audience hearing your mistakes."

Sure, there can be pitfalls with smaller stations. It is important to get yourself ready because sometimes you will run into unprofessional situations. So make sure that you reconfirm your interview a couple of times before you are due to appear on-air.

And, nothing can save you from the 500 watt or 1,000 watt radio station in Peoria that's hosted by a kid right out of broadcast school, so be ready for what an unprofessional host will throw at you. Hosts on the smaller talk radio stations may not do as much research as the big national hosts. So you may have to walk them through the major points of your topic.

Marsha Friedman says, "Prepare for these interviews as though you have just met someone on the street for the first time and you're telling them about your book. If the hosts aren't as prepared as they should be, you still need to be on your toes. But remember; don't talk down to the audience of a small radio station. You may be offending some very intelligent people without even knowing. Win over your audience, no matter what the size of the station!"

The point: small stations can get your sales going while getting you ready to hit the big time!

Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook "How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest" visit http://www.emsincorporated.com.