Land Feature Radio Interviews
From the non-profit National Public Radio (NPR) which serves 860 stations and more than 25 million listeners to major music stations with a limited talk format, the appetite for live on-air discussion continues to grow. The good news is that you don't have to be an accomplished scientist, business owner or an entertainer to be featured on radio. In fact, the one quality necessary to appear on radio is access to valuable information. If you have significant knowledge in a specific area of interest to the general public, you can land a spot on the radio.
Instructions
1. Identify your specialty. Ask yourself what you would talk about if you were asked to stand up in front of a crowd and talk for 10 minutes with no more than a moment's notice. For example, if you are a high school track and field coach, you could talk about the benefits of running (i.e. cardiovascular exercise, weight maintenance, mental health balance). If you were a painter, you could talk about the psychological impact of color on both the artist and its viewer. Of course, if you have a product such as a book or a business to introduce to listeners, make the book or one to three of your business products the area of focus.
2. Create a portfolio. A portfolio includes a product description and a bio. It tells a radio station producer, talk show host or a booking agent what your product or topic is and who you are. See the Resources section below for some websites that provide portfolio samples.
3. Describe what you will talk about. Type a brief description about your specialty. Following is the start of an example description for a new novel: "'Long Walk Up' is a significant and deeply engaging story about prevalent human conditions. This poignant story examines the life of a young orphan, a child pushed into the street alone when her mother dies from malaria. The child from East Africa goes on to become Africa's first female president."
Your description should grab listeners' interest immediately. Include a thought-provoking hook with your description. If you're not sure that your description is attention-grabbing, ask your friends to read it and monitor their initial reactions. Be bold. Be honest. Be specific. Lastly, include photos of your new book or an image of the topic you're going to discuss on air.
4. Create a bio. This is where you focus inward. In addition to listing awards, degrees and certificates you have earned (especially in relation to your specialty), put to paper your deepest passions and one to two key lessons you have learned over the past year. Doing so connects you to the person who will read your portfolio. Being open makes you appear more real, akin to the hundreds, thousands or millions of listeners who will tune in to your feature interview. Store your bio in a safe place. If you're good, you might land a regular spot. If you're not picked up as a regular, use your bio to target other radio stations. Print your full name in bold font. Scan a professional close-up picture of yourself and include it at the top of your bio just above or below your name. Below is an example of an author bio:
"Denise has more than thirty-three years of book, newspaper, magazine and business writing experience. Her works have been enjoyed around the globe with her fan base in India and Africa growing tremendously. Denise is listed in various entertainment and business periodicals, including industry leaders such as Who's Who, 100 Most Admired African American Women and Crosswalk."
5. Study the market. Although there are millions of radio stations around the world both on and offline, not all stations speak to the topic you are going to discuss. For example, a health and science station is likely not interested in featuring guests who focus on home remodeling. As a tip, the station's format (i.e. hip hop, country, political) gives clues as to what the station is looking for.
6. Look up radio stations using one of these directories:
• http://www.radio-locator.com/
• http://www.radiotower.com/
• http://www.onlineradiostations.com/
• http://www.live365.com/index.live
• http://www.npr.org
Directories list station call names, audience demographics, physical addresses or URLs, and more. Print directories also list thousands of stations including contact information and demographic details. A print directory that includes various media forms is Gebbie Press--http://www.gebbieinc.com.
7. Keep in mind that many stations conduct feature interviews over the telephone, which allows you to reach international audiences from the comfort of your own home.
8. Draft a letter to radio station directors, hosts and booking agents. This letter will resemble a standard business letter. List your contact information. Include your email, cell and direct mail information. The more options you give others to reach you, the better your chances of being called or written. If you have a website, include your URL. When addressing your letter, do your homework and address the recipient by first and last name. It shows the station that you have researched them and are targeting the right listener audience.
9. Reach out. Using the directories, make a list of the radio stations you want to appear on. Customize your cover letter template to the particular station you want to appear on. You will use this cover letter for both snail and electronic letters that you send. Continue to submit your portfolio to various radio stations. If after two weeks you do not hear from a radio station, follow up with a telephone call. The more you appear on radio, the more natural you will feel when speaking on the air. You might even land a regular spot on a station and gain a show of your own.
Tags: radio stations, talk about, more than, radio station, your specialty, appear radio, contact information