Of all the marketing methods I employ to get the word out about my speaking service and my information products the method I enjoy most involves being interviewed on radio stations throughout North America. The reason they are so enjoyable? They can be done from home over the phone while sitting having coffee in your pajamas. They also give you great exposure for no cost to you. To pay for a 15 minute interview would exhaust my publicity budget in no time flat.
When I have a new book coming out or I am going to be speaking in a specific city I immediately send out one page press releases to radio stations in the specific city or surrounding area announcing the fact and inviting them to call me for an informative and interesting interview.
( I tell how to write an effective one page press release and give samples in my manual " Public Speaking for Profit and Pleasure" I prefer to either fax or snail mail the press release to the media outlets. Emailing them isn't that effective. Many producers are inundated with emailed releases and usually delete them as soon as they come upon them.
I usually get a phone call from a producer or their assistant if they are interested and they usually are if I have written the press release in an enticing manner. In the past 2 months I have had about 4 interviews ranging from 15 minutes in length to 35 minutes.
Before the on-air experience a producer will want to talk to you to see if you will make a good guest or not. If they want to proceed they'll set up a time for the actual on air interview. If they aren't interested they will usually say that they'll get back to you and you will never hear from them again. Be enthusiastic, informative and brief with your answers. Don't hog the conversation. Give the interviewer a chance to get a word in and don't over plug your book or event.
Ask the producer or the assistant if they would give out the name of your book and/or your website near the end of the interview. I have never had them refuse and they usually mention my contact information a number of times during the interview.
Prepare about five talking points for use in the interview. Write them down so you can stay on track. I find that 5 points are more than enough to direct the flow of the interview.
I purchased a phone mic. from Radio Shack to record all my interviews. The one I have has a suction cup on one end that I stick to the phone receiver and plug the other end into my tape recorder. When I receive the call from the radio station I press "record" and I am off and running. After the interview I listen to it and critique my performance.
Give radio interviews a try. It’s a great way to get publicity by staying at home and speaking to thousands on the phone.
About the Author:
Mike Moore is an international speaker/writer on Humor and Human Potential
How to Get Radio Interviews to Promote Your Business
