Talk Radio Public Relations: Every Station Counts!

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

In the 'golden days,' the hosts of major-market talk radio shows used to bring guests into the studio for long chats. A guest would be able to do a handful of interviews and see their sales go through the roof!

Marsha Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of Event Management Service Inc , a national pr firm says, "Sadly, those days are gone. In the current market, without a stellar name, a handful of interviews won't set your sales afire.

The main question is: why? There are two reasons for this.

The first element is that the number of talk radio shows with a guest format has dwindled over the years. Friedman adds, "Next, the time each show allots for guest interviews has been drastically cut." What is to blame for this? The researchers. 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.

Think about it. 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 that certainly doesn't mean you should thumb your nose at them."

Think about this point of view. "Say a low wattage stations had an audience of 95 people. A utter waste of time, right?" adds Friedman. "But what if you could go to an auditorium and talk to 100 people about your book, would you go? Absolutely!"

See the quandary here? So decide not to pass up an interview, whether big or small. You'll be building lots of selling momentum!and something else, too", add Friedman.

A rookie baseball player doesn't throw his first pitch against the New York Yankees, does he? Of course not!and the same applies to radio.

Marsha Friedman says, "I have found in my nearly 20 years in talk radio public relations that is takes generally 10-12 talk radio interviews before clients feel totally comfortable being interviewed in the air. It is a much wiser decision to cut your teeth on the small stations so that when you get the opportunity to appear on a huge national show you are comfortable enough to really take advantage of the terrific promotional opportunity. 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. You'll be able to crystallize your thoughts on your product better!get your presentation down to a few succinct words!sound like a pro instead of a floundering amateur.

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."

Of course there could be problems using the 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.

- Marsha Friedman