December 19, 2002

Radio Talks Shows Need You

When I was 14, I wrote a letter to a producer at KGO Radio in San Francisco making a pitch to be a guest on one of my favorite talk shows, the Owen Spann Show. To get the producer's attention, I sent a letter and included an article from the San Francisco Examiner about the radio talk show covering youth issues that I had hosted for a couple of years on a small San Francisco station.

The pitch worked. The producer was intrigued with the idea of a pint-sized talk show host whose voice had still not changed. I landed a guest spot and co-hosted a show with Owen regarding the state of public schools.

With over 6,000 talk radio shows in the United States, there are ample opportunities to get on the air. About a third of all talk shows cover general interest subjects while others deal with specialized topics such as restaurants, sports, psychology, and business so there are probably multiple opportunities for your area of expertise.

Most business owners or managers are experts in their professional field, yet few imagine that they could land a guest spot on a talk radio show. What an opportunity they're missing! When a primetime radio spot costs more than $300/minute, a 60-minute guest appearance is a real prize. Just think how much more people will believe what you have to say as a guest than they would listening to your advertisements.

A lot of PR novices concentrate on print rather than television or radio. That's good news because it creates opportunities to get your story on the air. Remember that the broadcast press is a voracious beast that constantly needs to be fed. Radio talk show producers are always searching for new material, and you'll be surprised how open they'll be to your pitch. Hey, if a 14-year-old kid can find a way to get on the most highly rated radio station in Northern California, you can too.

The steps you should take to land a talk radio show appearance are really quite simple:

1) Target the producers of those radio talk shows that would be the best spots for your message. Since most producers are inundated with email, faxes, and letters, the initial step is to call them. As briefly as possible, identify yourself and why you are calling, and, most importantly, why you would be a great guest. To do this effectively, take the time to familiarize yourself with the show you're pitching. Your likelihood of landing a guest slot dramatically increases when the producer knows you're a listener or fan. Also, you need to make sure that you relate your area of expertise to a theme of general interest, or, better yet, emphasize how your topic relates to items in the news.

2) Don't oversell yourself. Producers can sniff out a phony quickly. The last thing you should do is pretend to be anything but who you are. If you're calling to pitch yourself, say so and never pretend to be a publicist.

3) If the producer isn't interested in your pitch, don't waste your time arguing. Just start thinking about the next show you would like to land. There are too many other great talk show opportunities out there to worry about why a particular producer doesn't want to put you on the air.

Even the most silver-tongued individual is unlikely to land a guest slot with just one phone call. Chances are you'll end up having to make multiple calls. Be pleasant but persistent. Once you pique the producer's interest, you'll be asked to send information about yourself. This should include press releases, your biography, customer testimonials, reprints of articles that have been written by or about you, a sample of your product (if relevant). Also, it's always a great idea to include a tip sheet with 10 to 15 questions that the host could ask about your topic. If you've had successful appearance on other radio and television shows, you should include a copy of one of these tapes.

4) Once you've sent in your material, keep following up until you land your guest slot. You may need to send a few follow up letters. Keep the producer informed of any media coverage you land by sending copies. Remaining top of mind is oftentimes the reason why you'll be picked as a guest over somebody else.

In a future newsletter, I'll talk about what you should do once you land your coveted radio appearance to maximize the opportunity.

Best wishes,
Patrick Galvin