In a post today ( in BBC News ), discusses the government of India’s strong interest in returning to the expansion levels of yesteryear. With a former growth rate of around nine percent annually, India’s latest growth rate has been around 6.5%+ recently. Actually, 6.5% looks great compared to many countries around the world for [...]
From Lists to Introductions
Gaining appearances on radio and TV talk shows follow an unspoken protocol between the author, show producer and talk show host (plus all supporting staff to these three individuals). Writing a book and making media appearances still follows the same step-by-step procedures created in the 90s when I began working within the media system…just the technology has changed. I will attempt to capsule steps to go from beginning to media interview here.
Every Show Has a Beginning
To pursue appearances on radio and TV talk shows matching the genre of the book an author is “promoting,” an author needs to peruse professionally-produced talk show lists (duplicated from previous article in “sources” below). When creating three separate lists for each of radio and TV: “local” (i.e., stations that broadcast to a specific community/city), “regional” (i.e., stations that reach an audience in multiple cities, partial state or up to five states) and “national” (i.e., broadcasts that reach at least 48 states, plus).
Until an author gets their “feet wet” with media interviews, focus on local shows in the beginning. The “ramp up” time for working out an author’s interview hits and misses is different for every author, so there is no timeline that fits everyone…every author can sense when they have the interview foundations down and ready to go to the next geographic level.
For each of the matching local talk shows an author has noted on the professional media lists, develop a simple database in order to keep contact information history for each station. Fields that are critical to this database are: talk show host name, producer(s) name, time of show (with time zone noted), address, phone, city, state, zip of station and section to keep notes of EVERY time the author (or a station representative) converses. The reason the “notes” section is so important is because some show producers want an author for an immediate appearance and other show producers may not invite an author for more than two years…keeping accurate contact notes shows an author is a professional.
Once an author has a database template ready, phone each station of interest:
a) Update the station name, address, host name, producer(s) name – yes, these personnel fields change often and an author doesn’t want to ask to speak with a person on a list that has not been at the station for six months.
b) Within two weeks after you have update the contact information, call and ask to speak with the show producer. Important: time your call for 15 minutes after the end of that particular radio or TV show…producers are very busy before and during the show, so calling before or during the show will mark an author as a novice. Keep in mind that show producers are grading everything about an author from the moment of first contact to see who passes (gets an invitation) and who fails (no invitation to the show) their subjective, protocol tests.
c) When connected to the producer’s phone, do leave a voicemail that is no longer than 20 seconds. Yes, 20 seconds is very short…producers recognize succinct and brief messages above all other laborious messages. An author needs to have a “voice mail message” scripted (but, sound natural) so the message flows quick and to the point. Many producers and talk show hosts deliberately let all calls go to voice mail so they can “listen” to the author on the phone and decide if this person “sounds” like they have the right personality for their show.
d) When connected to a producer personally, briefly introduce yourself, mention you are a resource on a subject that matches the show audience interest (cooking show, business show…), you are an author and willing to e-mail a link to your online media kit immediately, if requested. Producers are usually receptive to authors who are prepared ahead of the call with these talking points and able to quickly get the message out. Follow the lead of the producer from the “introduction” and acknowledge the producer is very busy and you will be very brief.
Gaining an audience on a show an author has an interest in is a lesson in patience. If an author has material that matches a “hot story,” booking a show can be the same day. If an author has “evergreen” material that can be used 365 days a year, it may be up to 730 days (two years+) before a producer extends an invitation…that’s okay.
Hint: talk show hosts and producers are particularly susceptible to author solicitations one week before a national American holiday. Why? Many public relations personnel and authors slack off their contact of media outlets around national holidays and a guest may cancel, get sick, get stuck at an airport, etc….creating an opportunity for a creative author to make a last-minute appearance the week before or week after a national holiday. Seize this opportunity and call your “A-list” ten to two days before a national holiday.
In my next “how to write a book” article, I will cover protocol for an author once a producer extends an invitation for appearing on a talk show. Stay tuned for what schools don’t teach you about the media…
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com
Sources:
Talkers Magazine
List of Talk Show Hosts on Wikipedia (good place to go to other websites)
Introduction
First comes the book, and then comes the show. Learning how to write a book alone is a step-by-step process. You can successfully publish a quality, desirable book following a project timeline, but when it comes to publicity…whoa! The world of publicity is like the “Wild West” of publishing (and this is how an author feels sometimes…longing to get back to writing). In the previous “How to Write a Book” article, I described how to create an online media kit. Creating this online media kit is work, no doubt! Now, let’s get that online media kit onto “the street” in search of media interviews.
Every day, more than 10,000 guests appear on radio and TV talk shows across America. More than 90 percent of the author guests DON’T have household names. Many people love to be on radio or TV…in fact, I’m convinced many authors write a book just so they can be on radio or TV.
Talk show hosts and their show producers recognize that authors are, for the most part, interesting people with a message to share with listeners or viewers. An author’s book is often the entre onto a show. Hosts and producers are cautious about including authors in their show because many authors are not well-prepared to appeal to the show audience.
A producer or show host will invite an author on a show to impart knowledge, illustrate something or share an interesting story. Nowhere in the “guest description” does it say “sell books.” Before you are a guest on your first show, listen/watch interviews on as many talk shows as possible to see how “coached” authors handle interviews. Media coaching is big business and well worth some level of involvement for each author.
Guests who “commercialize” about their book are quickly phased off the show segment and never invited back. Guests who are interactive, fun, informative (translation: makes the host look great and gets the audience involved) can’t leave the show set or get off the phone without the producer booking a return appearance. Show producers have private bulletin boards where they exchange information (very candidly, I might add) about guests…”this person was great,” “this person was a dud…”you get the idea.
For example: Rarely, if ever, say “In my book…,” “In chapter nine of my book…” Instead, say something like, “Earlier this year, my research found that 22 percent of drivers in the United States drive in some level of sleep mode…” Or, “Before I started cooking with saffoil, I thought it was okay to use. However, after reading many studies on saffoil, I have found saffoil is dangerously flammable and…” For great drama, if you are in the studio, you can have a mock kitchen on set (TV) or hot plate (radio) and demonstrate how saffoil catches on fire…producers love this kind of excitement and controlled drama. Viewers sit up in their chairs and listeners turn up the radio when you involve some controlled drama. Be creative and “fun” with your material.
Some authors are “booked” on shows by publicists working for publishers (very few authors in this category). Some authors hire a publicist to “book” shows for them and pay based on the national ranking of the show (the more listeners/viewers a show has, the more it costs to be booked on the show). My favorite approach is to develop a database over time while increasing level of experience on my part, handling details myself or seeking the help of my spouse, intern or individual in the office with free time.
Unless an author is struck by lightning and lands on a national show the day his or her first book comes from the printer, I recommend starting small and gradually building to the national shows. Two reasons for this:
a) Experience in front of a microphone or TV camera definitely helps. When conducting media interviews, an author HAS to feel comfortable and relaxed…emotions come through the airwaves. No substitute for experience.
b) Make mistakes on the local shows where it’s perfectly okay to “pick yourself up,” dust off your awkwardness in front of the microphones and learn for the next interview.
As an author progresses from the local to the regional to the national shows, the level of expectations for professionalism of the author grows, too. This is not taking anything away from local radio or TV shows because there are some high quality, interesting local shows…everyone in media knows ambitious authors are working their way up the media ladder and accept this “local to regional to national” model.
On every interview, an author should learn what worked, what went great and what bombed during their segment. On one of my first TV interviews, the interviewer was wearing the usual earpiece (to listen to the producer/control room for instructions) and a lapel microphone. The interviewer started to talk while the camera was on me and I was speaking. I paused briefly because I didn’t know what was happening. She was talking to the producer about the next question to ask, not talking to me at all…but the camera was on me and my microphone was “on.” Thankfully, my “pause” was not overly conspicuous, but I sure learned to separate myself from all the commotion going on around me in the studio while “on camera.”
In my next “how to write a book” article, I will cover more nuances about being a radio and TV guest. In the meantime, check out the sources below to get a “feel” for the “personality” of the talk industry. I have met with individuals from Talkers Magazine, William Gordon and Alex Carroll…all have something valuable to offer an aspiring author.
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com