Radio
Wants You!
By Francine Silverman
Everyone has a specialty. If you’re a writer, you know
your subject inside out. If you’re an author, you already have a foot in the door – since more than 65% of radio
guests are authors.
Radio hosts need guests. Many don’t care about your
credentials – only that you’re passionate about your subject. The host wants passion and personality in her guests.
Many are not interested in credentials, only a prior telephone conversation.
If you’re in business, you know about it better than
anyone else. As an on-line publicist, I have placed my clients on countless radio shows, both Internet and terrestrial (those
on the air with call letters). My client, Lorraine Cohen, is not an author, but CEO and founder
of Powerfull Living, an organization dedicated to enhancing business development, leadership proficiency, and personal
enrichment. I got her on Debra Pearlman’s radio show, Unlock Your Sales Potential, on WTBQ 1110 AM, in Florida, New York, and it was apparently a match made in heaven. Lorraine was invited back and subsequently invited to be a monthly guest for six months.
While most radio shows cover politics, health, sports, and
the paranormal, there are programs specializing in practically every category. As Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers Magazine,
writes in the Foreword of Ellen Ratner’s book, Ready, Set, Talk!, “If you have a story to tell, information to pass along, and someone interesting
to talk about it, the odds are good that there are a whole bunch of talk shows out there waiting to hear from you.”
I wrote my book because radio websites tend to be woefully
inadequate in providing guest criteria and show themes. Still, without the Internet it would be virtually impossible to learn
anything about radio shows out of our area.
Radio does want
you. Hosts need guests to fill air time. When I was compiling Radio Wants You, nearly 500 radio hosts responded to my questionnaire
without assurance that I had a publisher.
When starting out, look for local shows. For example, if you
wrote a novel that takes place in say, Northern California, radio hosts in that area would
most likely be interested in talking to you. Tie your book into a holiday or event if you can. I placed a client, Joyce Faulkner,
author of a novel, In the Shadow of Suribachi
(Red Engine Press 2005), on a radio show, The Life Lounge with Carol Lee Espy on KDKA, in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA,
tying my pitch to Clint Eastwood’s current movie, Iwo Jima. The host’s short bio on the radio’s website
only references her musical talents so I was surprised when she wrote me that her father was a soldier at Iwo Jima and that
she had produced a story on IWO for WQED that won a regional
Emmy Award, so she was really interested!! You just never know.
Why go on radio? For starters, you can talk about yourself
and your favorite subject – can’t argue with that. It will also increase your confidence on the air. Do one show
and the next is easier. Joe Sabah, in How to Get on Radio
Talk Shows All Across America Without Leaving Your Home or Office (Pacesetter Publications 2005), sets forth his reasons for being a guest:
· You love to talk
· You have something to say to the world
· You want more publicity
· You want to increase your exposure
· You have a book or audio or video tapes to offer
· You want to increase your sales and profits
Francine Silverman’s latest book is Talk Radio for Authors - Getting
Interviews Across the U.S. and Canada (Infinity Publishing 2007). Her next book is Radio Wants You! Intimate
Portraits of 500 Internet and Traditional Radio Shows that Welcome Guests. http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com
