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How to Prepare for a Good Radio Interview |
By Nora Firestone
A condensed version of this article first appeared in Inside Business news journal, March 2 - 8, 2015.
A condensed version of this article first appeared in Inside Business news journal, March 2 - 8, 2015.
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Radio can be an effective medium for news and information about a company, and advertising isn't always the only option. A good talk-radio interview can be as effective and lasting as a newspaper or magazine article, but elements of the preparation differ, and the live aspect of it can be intimidating to newcomers. I'll address pitching an interview in a future column, and my soon-to-be-released book The $10,000 Apostrophe contains an entire unit on media relations, but this article assumes that the interview has already been arranged.
How it works
Typically, radio interviews are conducted either in the studio or by phone. Some are broadcast on air and others are recorded online, essentially as podcasts. You'll need to know the details pertaining to yours, as well as the Web address and/or physical address of the station and call-in phone numbers for you and for listeners, as appropriate, depending upon whether you're interviewing in person or by phone.
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If you're calling in to the interview, do so on a land line for best reception and decreased risk of trouble. A mobile phone may drop or distort a call, either of which would cause distraction, waste time and maybe even cut the interview short.
Radio interviews have strict time constraints. Know how many minutes yours will last and whether or not you're the only guest for the segment. Live broadcasts will not get edited; podcasts may but are not always.
Radio interviews have strict time constraints. Know how many minutes yours will last and whether or not you're the only guest for the segment. Live broadcasts will not get edited; podcasts may but are not always.
Know your peeps
Rule #1 in all media-relations efforts is to know your end audience. If you're not already familiar with the radio show to which you'll be contributing, get to know your host and the outlet's audience. Read about the host, listen to past and live interviews and take note of listener involvement such as call-in questions and comments. Listening to interviews is a great way to get a feel for the host and for the different voices and personalities of individual guests. After a few listens, imagine yourself in the role of the guest. Notice what the guest does well, what little mistakes (s)he might make that are natural and non-catastrophic and what tendencies you might want to strengthen or try to avoid when it's your turn. This will help you to naturally emulate good conversation and can put you at ease, realizing that all guests are human and imperfect, that they (you) all have something worthwhile to say and share, and that essentially it's just a conversation between two people about stuff that excites them both. In other words, it's a non-threatening, friendly environment where you are welcome and appreciated. So relax into that mindset and let it be the overarching feeling as you head into your interview. There's no extra seat for fear in the studio; he'll have to wait outside the building.
Advance preparation
When originally pitching the outlet, you may have provided specific talking points for discussion on air. Or you may have been invited without such a pitch and be wondering what questions you'll be asked. Either way, it's important to discuss with your host or his/her producer what points or questions they plan to cover during the interview. Get this information as far in advance as possible; several days prior to the interview would be ideal. This lets you mentally and logistically prepare to be on point, focused and informative with your answers and waste as little precious time as possible.
How do I accomplish this? I admit that being a member of the media helps, and that's why I'm sharing these tips with you: I script myself in advance. Writing down the inner dialogue in response to questions that I anticipate while relaxed and not under the gun has these benefits:
Be sure to script in your phone number and Web address.
How do I accomplish this? I admit that being a member of the media helps, and that's why I'm sharing these tips with you: I script myself in advance. Writing down the inner dialogue in response to questions that I anticipate while relaxed and not under the gun has these benefits:
- Allows my mind to focus and expand upon essential points without feeling rushed or caught off guard.
- Enables me to hear my natural inner voice as it presents the answers for me to write.
- Allows a natural injection of personality, which I hope will set a comfortable, approachable and engaging tone for listeners.
- Lets me edit or tweak my answers after initial jot-down, allowing me to omit anything redundant or unnecessary, expand upon important points with more in-depth insights, clarify anything ambiguous, revise anything unnatural sounding, and avoid most of the "uhhh"s and "ummm"s that I tend to let sneak in during casual conversation.
Be sure to script in your phone number and Web address.
Timing |
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When scripting, be succinct and aware of timing. It's easy to inadvertently spend too much time on a single point to the exclusion of other important points. Know exactly how long you'll have to speak with your host and realize that some of that time will be devoted to your host's or callers' comments and questions and perhaps an introduction, commercials or co-contributors.
Rehearse
Practice speaking your interview for timing, pace, clarity and comfort of delivery. Edit out anything off-topic or redundant to make room for the most relevant material. Consider your contact information relevant!
Your goal with rehearsing and editing should also be to develop a non-scripted voice. Think of what actors do: They get a script and work with it until they can present the show without it, in their own unique way. If you have sufficient time, rehearse enough to become so familiar with your talking points that you can recall them in a conversational manner (not necessarily entirely memorized) without reading your script word for word. Plan to have your finished script with you during the interview; you should feel confident using it as a prompt or outline--or even as a script at necessary points--and straying from it to elaborate or answer unexpected questions as appropriate. For your script's final draft use a large enough font for you to read or refer to the points quickly and easily, and leave adequate white space between lines and paragraphs.
Your goal with rehearsing and editing should also be to develop a non-scripted voice. Think of what actors do: They get a script and work with it until they can present the show without it, in their own unique way. If you have sufficient time, rehearse enough to become so familiar with your talking points that you can recall them in a conversational manner (not necessarily entirely memorized) without reading your script word for word. Plan to have your finished script with you during the interview; you should feel confident using it as a prompt or outline--or even as a script at necessary points--and straying from it to elaborate or answer unexpected questions as appropriate. For your script's final draft use a large enough font for you to read or refer to the points quickly and easily, and leave adequate white space between lines and paragraphs.
Prepare to engage
Give your audience a reason and the ability to connect with you after the interview. Prepare your website in advance with the information you want listeners to find if they visit. For me, this often means designing a special page dedicated to the needs or interests of a particular audience. For instance, when speaking to authors I direct them to www.norafirestone.com/for-authors for helpful insights, resources and interaction. When speaking to other audiences, such as nonprofit volunteers, I've prepared pages specifically for them. The ability to do this is one of numerous reasons why I favor and teach the DIY website-building option, which enables site owners to create such pages at whim, without waiting for hired webmasters to get to it.
If it's not feasible for you to create a special page for your audience, invite listeners to sign up for your newsletter, enter a contest you're running, or whatever makes sense for you.
Also, create a good pressroom-style section of your website for showcasing or linking to media interviews that have featured you (see my article on designing a virtual press room here).
Promote the show in advance to your own people. Provide details about how and when to listen, and encourage them to call in with questions if the show accepts callers.
Arrange to have someone record the interview for you when it airs (if it's a prerecorded podcast, you can plan to record it yourself). You'll want this as a clear, digital recording, so it's a good idea to be listening by computer. You can record with a free audio program such as Audacity or with screen-recording software if you have it.
If it's not feasible for you to create a special page for your audience, invite listeners to sign up for your newsletter, enter a contest you're running, or whatever makes sense for you.
Also, create a good pressroom-style section of your website for showcasing or linking to media interviews that have featured you (see my article on designing a virtual press room here).
Promote the show in advance to your own people. Provide details about how and when to listen, and encourage them to call in with questions if the show accepts callers.
Arrange to have someone record the interview for you when it airs (if it's a prerecorded podcast, you can plan to record it yourself). You'll want this as a clear, digital recording, so it's a good idea to be listening by computer. You can record with a free audio program such as Audacity or with screen-recording software if you have it.
During the interview
Speak clearly and at a natural, reasonable pace. Unless it's inappropriate for some reason, smile during delivery. Be genuinely excited about presenting your expertise or information. Your authenticity and enthusiasm will show through to your host and audience, and enthusiasm begets enthusiasm.
Remember to state your phone number and Web address occasionally, with the invitation for listeners to contact you.
Be a gracious guest. Naturally integrate your host's name and positive points about his or her show as/when appropriate. This demonstrates that you understand that it's not "all about you," and it'll help new audience members remember this show and host, which is the least you can do in return for all the publicity your host is giving you. Of course there's less time/opportunity for this in a 10-minute interview than there is in a 50-minute interview, so use common sense with this. At least remember to address your host by name a few times during the conversation.
The goal with your interview shouldn't be to sell your product or service in the traditional sense. Unless your interview is a paid marketing segment, don't consider journalists and hosts your co-marketers. There's a line between journalism and marketing that's predominantly misunderstood and often completely ignored, and wise people understand and respect it. More appropriately, your goal is to serve listeners with authenticity and useful, professional insights and information and to do so in a way that also well reflects the professionalism and judgment your host or his producer demonstrated in introducing you to their audience.
Remember to state your phone number and Web address occasionally, with the invitation for listeners to contact you.
Be a gracious guest. Naturally integrate your host's name and positive points about his or her show as/when appropriate. This demonstrates that you understand that it's not "all about you," and it'll help new audience members remember this show and host, which is the least you can do in return for all the publicity your host is giving you. Of course there's less time/opportunity for this in a 10-minute interview than there is in a 50-minute interview, so use common sense with this. At least remember to address your host by name a few times during the conversation.
The goal with your interview shouldn't be to sell your product or service in the traditional sense. Unless your interview is a paid marketing segment, don't consider journalists and hosts your co-marketers. There's a line between journalism and marketing that's predominantly misunderstood and often completely ignored, and wise people understand and respect it. More appropriately, your goal is to serve listeners with authenticity and useful, professional insights and information and to do so in a way that also well reflects the professionalism and judgment your host or his producer demonstrated in introducing you to their audience.
Gracious sign-off
Thank your host for having you and for all that (s)he does for the listening community. If applicable, remember to thank the host's producer, assistant or whomever else played a major role in running the show and including you.
After the interview
If your show was a podcast, be sure to link to the interview from the pressroom/newsroom page of your website. If you've recorded an on-air interview, link to the archived episode if it exists on the radio station's Web page; if it doesn't, add your own digital recording to your website's pressroom/news/media-related page as an audio file and be sure to also include a link to the show's website as a courtesy.
Featuring your interview on your website lets visitors hear it after it was live, and also lets journalists and other hosts and producers see that you have some experience with giving a good interview. Promote the past episode through social media, your newsletter and other appropriate methods for people who missed it.
Featuring your interview on your website lets visitors hear it after it was live, and also lets journalists and other hosts and producers see that you have some experience with giving a good interview. Promote the past episode through social media, your newsletter and other appropriate methods for people who missed it.
Listen in to my interview with host Doug Huggins of WRSP radio for authors
Click here to listen to my Feb. 3, 2015, interview about writing, publishing, marketing and more. While listening, notice the following points:
- I remember to naturally integrate my host's name and positive points about his show here and there, as appropriate.
- My goal with this interview is not to sell myself or my product or service, it's to genuinely serve listeners with informative professional insights and useful information and to do so in a most professional manner, which I hope will also well reflect the professionalism and judgement my host had in inviting me to engage with his audience.
- I've scripted my talking points to ensure that I don't leave out information that I think is important, yet I'm using the script mostly as a guide rather than reading everything word for word.
- Do you hear me smiling?
- Do I sound at ease and approachable while still speaking with authority and professionalism?
- From an audience member's perspective, what did you like or appreciate? Is there anything upon which I could improve? Feel free to leave a comment below.
