How to Get on Radio Talk Shows

Radio talk show host and producer Mark Kaye shared tips on how to get on radio talk shows last month when he was a guest on a teleseminar that I hosted. I took some notes during the 60-minute call, which was loaded with great information for anybody who wants to get on the radio to promote a product, service, or issue. Here are some of Mark's tips from the call:

• Mark says that too many guests want to talk about themselves. Radio listeners are not interested in us or our products. They tune in for information and entertainment and if we don't provide that, they'll change the station.
• Authors hoping to promote a book can send a PDF copy of the book or a PDF file with a chapter or two for the producer to review before making a decision about scheduling the author as a guest. This eliminates the expense of sending the actual book.
• Talk show producers and hosts like to know that you'll be a good guest, so reassure them by posting audio clips of other interviews you've done -- podcasts are fine -- on your Web site.
• Make your product, book, service, issue, etc. relevant by linking it to what people are talking about today. Check http://twitter.com for the "Trending Topics" on the right side of the screen to learn what's generating buzz each day.

If your publicity plan involves radio talk show appearances, check out Mark's "Radio Publicity Star" audio program for great information on who to contact at radio stations, how to contact them, how to be a great guest and get referred to other stations, and so on. It's a great program and I'm proud to be affiliated with it.

Learn How to Get on Radio Talk Shows

Need to know how to become a radio talk show guest? I'm hosting a free teleseminar on that topic the evening of August 12, at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Mountain, 4 p.m. Pacific).

My guest is Mark Kaye, a radio talk show host, producer, and personality who is hell-bent on helping people like us discover how easy it is to get on the air. The program, “Get on Radio Talk Shows and Sell More Books!,” is geared to authors, but I've already got a lot of nonprofit leaders and small business owners registered for the free program because the advice Mark will provide applies to anyone seeking the valuable exposure their business will enjoy through radio interviews.

Learn more about the teleseminar and register at http://www.buildbookbuzz.com/teleseminar/. I'll send everybody who registers a link to a recording of the call, so even if you're busy that night, go ahead and register. You'll still be able to listen to it later.

The Secret Lives of Radio Talk Shows

Here's what I'm wondering about this afternoon: When the host of a taped satellite radio talk show asks people to call the network's tollfree number to talk about the day's subject, what happens when people do actually call when the show airs weeks later? It's taped, it's done, it's on the air. And yet, they're asking for callers.

OK, let's forget about what happens to those callers for a minute. Want to know how they get the callers who are on the show? They go looking for them using specific parameters and a number of resources. They want a good mix of "callers" with different viewpoints, experiences and perspectives.

I put "callers" in quotation marks because these individuals aren't calling in. They have been signed up to be guests on the show. A producer calls each, adding them to the queue of scheduled -- vs. random -- guests on hold.

Just so you know should you ever want to participate in a taped show.

But back to that original question: Somebody, please tell me, what do they do with the calls from people who don't know the show is taped and call that tollfree number so share their opinions?