But as good as these interviews are, they can be made even more effective.

As with most things, there are insider techniques that can help radio and TV interview “first-timers” do a powerful job. In fact, here are eight:

1. Like the Boy Scouts, “Be Prepared.” Before going on, make sure you’re fully prepared with facts, figures and anecdotes to talk about when you’re on the air. Use a “cheat sheet” with your best info. The audience can easily detect the difference between a guest bursting with knowledge…and one who’s “knowledge well” is quickly drying up. The latter will lose the audience’s attention and any credibility they had been building.
2. Practice makes perfect. One of your key challenges is staying “on-message.” Radio/TV hosts and audiences have a way of yanking you off course. Your challenge will be to know how to keep your on-air balance. If you’re new to the media game, consider getting a media coach. If you already have media experience and just need to sharpen your skill, practice mock interviews with friends or associates. Be sure you’re fully prepared to handle ANY questions that come your way.
3. Year-round Strategies. Publicity campaigns should be viewed as a long-term commitment with the goal of developing as much national media exposure as possible. After all, the longer you’re “out there,” the greater the likelihood you’ll be recognized by the media as an expert in your field.
4. Keep the interview pipeline full: You should conduct as many media interviews as possible. Talk radio interviews can be an unsurpassed way of informing millions about your product…without leaving the comfort of your home or office.
5. Be available at a moment’s notice. Media appearances should be thought of as “instant promotional opportunities,” and you need to be available when they are. That means day or night. Being on the air, often and at any time, will boost your company’s visibility… and sales!
6. Sparkle on air. Enthusiasm speaks loud and clear. To keep the audience attentive, you need to maintain a high level of interest through the interview. No matter if it’s your first or hundredth!
7. Keep the audience listening. Always remember that media is about entertainment first. The trick, of course, is to be both informative and entertaining. Do that and you’ll often find the host jumping in to help you promote your message!
8. Good time management. Key to success with media interviews is how effective you use air-time. A great interview-or a complete bust-will hinge on how well you keep these three things in mind:
   1. Be entertaining,
   2. Be informative, and
   3. Educate.

However, over the last decade, a new kind of celebrity has emerged – the expert celebrity. These are people who are absolutely at the top of their professions, and find a way to use the media to offer their expertise to the masses.

From Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer), Martha Stewart, and Bob Vila to Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Rachel Ray, expert celebrities are taking over television, radio, print publications and the Internet. Moreover, according to media expert Marsha Friedman — author of Celebtritize Yourself from Warren Publishing (www.celebritizeyourself.com) – the next celebrity expert could well be you.

“In today’s world of specialty programming on TV and radio and with the explosion of web marketing, online media and social media marketing – becoming a celebrity is no longer just for the A list of movie stars and recording artists we normally think of,” Friedman said. “Today, we have celebrity attorneys, celebrity chefs, celebrity financial experts and fitness guru’s – we even celebrity bounty hunters! So, if you’re in business and are focused on expansion, there is no better way than to become a celebrity expert in your field.”

Friedman believes that these expert celebrities and those who’d like to be expert celebrities have one primary thing in common – at one time, they were all just working folks.

“These were people on the street with a passion for what they do and with a valuable knowledge that people need,” she said. “Rachel Ray worked at a candy counter at Macy’s before her passion, her ingenuity and her personality enabled her to forge her own celebrity status. In most cases, the expert celebrities you see in the media today were ordinary people before they became household names, but now they are truly celebrities in their fields of expertise.”

The first step that many experts take to establish their celebrity is to write a book about their area of expertise. In order to be successful, Friedman said that experts should ask themselves five questions before putting pen to paper:

• What message am I enthusiastic about that I want to convey?
• Who can benefit from it?
• How will it help them?
• Why am I the one to bring this idea to them?
• How can I make my points unique and different from what has already been said on the topic by others?

“You must ‘zero-in’ on the one singular, unifying idea that excites and energizes you – the one that urges you to get out of bed every morning – the one that defines who you are and what you represent,” she added. “This one central idea will be the driving force behind every single work within your book.”

Friedman also explained that building more business has been the primary driver behind the emergence of the expert celebrity.

“Businesses are struggling in this economy and success in today’s world requires business leaders to market in a way they may never have done before,” she added. “They need to rise above their competition, become THE ‘go-to’ guy in their field, the recognized expert people want to deal with. The credibility that comes with this recognition can build a business or turn one around that’s failing.”

When it comes to press releases most people believe they just can write one, email it to a radio or television station and sit back and wait for the avalanche of phone calls. But as time passes and no producers are beating down their door, they make a few phone calls to the producers and hosts only to discover that no one even read the release in the first place.

The following are the important components of radio and TV press releases which will make your show idea come to life for producers and hosts, as well as position you ahead of the pack.

The Five Pieces of the Press Release Puzzle

1. Headline! Headline? HEADLINE!!!

Arguably the most important aspect of your press release, headlines are so vital that there are entire books written and seminars taught on how to construct the most effective ones. Now, don’t let this scare you. Writing a killer headline is definitely a skill that can be developed; all you need is a clear and concise overview of your topic. Write down your show idea and look it over. Now look it over again.

What is your key message? Is your show idea newsworthy? Are there any well-known people that you can tie into your topic? Do you have any impressive statistics that are relevant? Is there anything controversial that ties directly into your subject? The answers to these questions will help you develop a headline which is ready for increased attention by producers and hosts.

Your headline must communicate the topic of the show instantly in an eye-catching way. It should not be longer than 1 sentence and will act as THE sound bite on your topic. Now that’s a lot of weight to put on a single sentence!

Sometimes to alleviate the weight of the headline, you may need a sub-head to support it. If your headline gives just a taste of your show topic, then a sub-head is useful to explain it further. When someone reads the headline and sub-head together it should immediately click what the concept of the show is. Do this correctly and you will definitely grab some attention!

2. Discussion Topic

This is your chance to present a concise summary of your show topic. It should continue naturally from the headline to further expand the topic. The headline gets the attention and the discussion topic gives the reader more.

The length should be two or three sentences, tops. This forces you to present (and think about) your topic in a concise manner. Again try to tie your topic to current events, big name, big money, or controversy! Don’t be worried about repeating yourself in the different sections of the press release. After all, you want to get a cohesive point across! (A great tip: try writing the Topic Summary and Headline together. It is a great way to save time!)

3. Talking Points/Questions

These are an absolute must for radio and TV as they are the shaping tools that guide the host through your topic. Often times the host will read directly off of the press release during the interview. This not only makes them look knowledgeable, but it saves them heaps of time! So why not have them read YOUR questions so you can give very specific answers which will not only make you look knowledgeable but also make for a great interview.

Yet again you will need to tie in current events and any controversy that will stir interest (are you tired of hearing this yet?). Generally it is good to give no more than 10 of these conversation shapers. If you do get invited as a guest, your interviews will generally last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes…so concise is a word that you should familiarize yourself with right now!

Remember: the more interesting the questions – the more interesting your interview!

4. Topic Overview

Once you have gained their attention with your eye-catching headline, topic summary and talking points it is time to present the full show idea. This is your opportunity to fully flesh out your topic to position you as an expert on the topic you are discussing. Do not write a sales piece here – write your show! Work your name, personal quotes and product name into the summary. Liberally use the following to build your topic and profile: statistics, testimonials, current news facts, professional title (which is real and honest). Use anything that will interest the producer, host and in effect THEIR AUDIENCE! Try to limit this to a page maximum, with an ideal range to be 4-6 paragraphs with around 4 sentences max in each one.

5. Biography

Now this is the one element that people tend to forget, underplay or overplay. THIS IS ABOUT YOU! This is your chance to position yourself as the expert you are in order for you to be invited as a guest. Use your qualifications, education, career, relationships, memberships, travel history, how many dogs you have….etc. Basically use anything that can help qualify you as an expert on the topic. If you are writing about religion, for example, anything that you do in your life that pertains to religion is applicable and increases your plausibility as an expert on that topic.

A word of warning though: don’t sensationalize yourself. By doing this you will immediately turn-off producers and hosts. Instead, effectively communicate your achievements and expertise on the topic that you are presenting. Simply rehashing your resume with bullet-points is an absolute “no-no”.

The press release is your marketing tool to get invited as a guest on radio and television shows. If you take your time developing exactly what your interview segment will be about and put lots of thought into developing your press release to clearly reflect that you will be more successful in getting the media attention you desire. So get writing!

Women influence 95% of all purchases and control 80% of all household spending.

She specifically points out their spending habits in these categories:

• Domestic Products

“Buying the ‘small stuff’ has always been in the woman’s domain. Part of her domestic duties as wife and mother has been to keep the family healthy, warm, and well nourished. From the family meal to the family doctor, from shirts for her husband to shoes for her kids, chances are those choices have always been hers.

“What many marketers haven’t caught onto yet, though, is that women’s spending power now extends far beyond shoelaces and shirts.”

• Big-Ticket Items

“In the past, the big-ticket items like cars, insurance policies, and major appliances were historically bought by – and therefore marketed to – men. Things have changed! Nowadays, women need their own cars, their own computers, their own cell phones, and their own investment accounts – among many other new big-ticket items – and so manufacturers are facing a whole new market.”

• The Buying Power of Single Women

“Get this: Single women head 27 percent of households in the United States. Did you register that? More than one out of four U.S. households! Thus, a substantial portion of the market for cars, computers, and cell phones, for instance, is dominated by women serving as sole decision makers.”

• The Buying Power of Married Women

“Looking at married households (55 percent of U.S. HH), the fact of the matter is that the woman of the house spends not her own paycheck but a good deal of her partner’s as well. She still handles all the domestic spending. And when it comes to the big-ticket items, not only is she buying her own products – like the single women above – but she also has a disproportionate say in the shared decisions, such as cars, investment accounts, and family vacations.”

So, what’s the “take-away” from all this information? Again, it’s that – Women influence 95% of all purchases and control 80% of all household spending.

As it’s important to me that our clients are groomed to do their best, we provide them with helpful tips they can study and apply. Let me share a few of these tips, in case you’re also using this medium as a means of promotion. These particular tips relate to your appearance: how to dress, which colors show best, make-up (that includes you guys as well) and more. I hope you enjoy them!

1. Wear something that conveys your personality and your message: You don’t want to be judged by your appearance, but knowing that happens, prepare for it. You want to appear confident and professional, so make sure you are comfortable in what you wear and that the color and fit compliment you. Keep in mind that not every camera angle is going to be close up. Your whole outfit will show, including the shoes. Make sure that your shoes are polished and that laces are not frayed or missing all together. Remember, you want to give a good impression so that your appearance speaks to your credibility!

2. Be choosy about color and pattern: Small, tight patterns do not come across well on TV – they tend to shimmer, so solids are better. Certain colors are overpowering on TV or tend to bleed. Black, white and red fit this category. Blue works very well on camera. You want the audience to focus on your message, not your clothing, so keep it simple and classy.

3. Jewelry: Microphones are very sensitive, so although those dangling earrings and that big chunky necklace go beautifully with your suit, you will want to remove them so they do not make any distracting noise. Keep it tasteful and simple; a nice necklace, a ring or two and classic earrings are a good choice.

4. Manicures: Manicures are not just for the ladies anymore. Clean, buffed, trimmed nails are important for men and women alike. When the camera zooms in for a close up on your book or product, your hands will reflect your level of professionalism. For the ladies, if you choose color for your nail polish, tone it down so it doesn’t detract from the cover of your book or product.

5. Put on your face: Not all shows have make-up artists. You should make sure you are made up in an understated and professional manner. Some base and some powder should do the trick. Base will help keep your pores from showing and powder will keep you from looking shiny. This goes for the men, too. Yes, you are going to have to wear make-up, and you may have to apply it yourself! Make sure, gentlemen, that you cover your face and your forehead with powder; you want your message to shine, not your forehead! If the show has a makeup artist, they can then enhance what you have done. If they don’t, then you will look good anyway. Remember…less is more.

Now you can be more prepared for that close-up!

Last week I sent you Part 1 of my interview with Lee Habeeb, a friend and business associate who is a “Talk Radio Coach to the Stars.”  To refresh your memory, Lee currently coaches 7 of the top 10 talk show hosts in America; people like, Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt and Bill Bennett.  He also developed “The Laura Ingraham Show” and was Laura’s Executive Producer for many years.

Below is Part 2 of my interview…I hope you enjoy the information!

Warm Regards,
Marsha

My Interview with Lee Habeeb: Part 2

Marsha Friedman: One thing I regularly tell my clients is the importance of not only being interested in the talk show host who is interviewing them, but also demonstrating a caring for him, his show and his listeners.  In your opinion, how important is this?

Lee Habeeb: In my opinion listeners are attracted to this sort of caring.  Take the case of Click and Clack, the two car brothers.  I don’t really care about car repair or cars, but every time my wife and I are in the car and those guys come on, we tune in because there’s such energy there.  You get the sense that they live, breathe and love cars.  But furthermore, they love each other.  The audience loves them!  The show is so rich in detail, in warmth and humanity, you can’t help but tune in whether you like cars or not.

The best performance comes from those who are relaxed.  These brothers are so relaxed because they prepared for so long, they’ve got the details down so well that when they get on the air, they are ready to go.  And this is what happens as you can probably imagine for most guests doing a radio tour.  The more prepared they are and the more interviews they do, the better they will get!

MF: That’s a great example of how to manage the expectations of a guest.  After booking guests for 20 years, I know that by their 15th interview, that’s when they start hitting their stride.

LH: Yes. The staged interviews you do in a room that aren’t real can be a real waste of time.  It’s like scrimmages.  If you ever coached college basketball and said, “Hey, let’s scrimmage and then we’ll play one basketball game” no one would ever get better.  That’s why there’s lots of practice, but then you get right into the season and you start playing games.  And luckily, there are a lot of games before the NCAA tournament so you can get really good.

It’s the same with radio interviews.  There’s generally a progression.  In the beginning – you’re awkward, not sure what you’re doing, and after all, it’s your first time.  Then step by step, interview by interview, you get better at it.

MF: I often try to explain to people that this is an art – a skill that you develop.  It’s not the same skill as being a public speaker or being a professor.  Just because you’ve done hundreds of public speaking engagements or talked in front of groups, it is not the same thing.  It’s very different, and that difference really needs to be understood.  I emphasize the fact that there is a skill attached to this kind of activity.

LH: Well, look at E.E. Cummings – I think if you had stuck him in sonnets, I don’t know how good he would have been.  So even with poets or even actors who are great on the stage, they just may not be as good in front of a camera.   A good 100 meter sprinter is a different runner than a 440 or a 400 meter.  And I get this all the time.  “Man, he’s such a good guest.  He should host a radio show.”  My response is, “Oh, no, no, no, no.”  Most people who are good guests can’t host a show because they’ve been so good at reducing stuff to six minutes that the idea of carrying a show for 15 hours a week doesn’t work as well.  They’d rather spend 15 hours in a week to get six solid minutes.

So if you’re a professor and you have an hour a day, three days a week, 15 school hours, and you’ve had 8 years to prepare this, that’s a lot of time to make your point, get those ideas across, and do all the goodies and magic you do in that classroom.  But it has nothing to do with coming on a radio show and having seven minutes to impress the listeners.  It’s a totally different format.

MF: You know you’ve really sent home the point that being a good guest is a craft.  You’ve got to study, prepare and drill.

LH: I can go to a basketball game and during the practice, I can pick out who the captain is by how he walks around.  He’s not the guy slamming the ball down and trying to impress the cheerleaders.  No, he’s the guy in a quiet conversation over here because he’s actually the leader.  He’s acting like it; he’s talking like it.  The best way to credibility is to be credible.

The best way to be credible is not to talk about yourself.  Talk about the problem and the solution.  Talk about the audience’s problem, the host’s problem, not your own problem.  Here’s the solution.  I’m not the solution.  This is the solution.  And then your credibility goes up the more comfortable you are in your own skin.  The more you try and sell yourself, the less credible you sound.

MF: That brings up the question about how someone should pitch themselves as a good guest?

LH: For starters, don’t pitch yourself.  Talk to the host, engage him and then through him, define a problem and offer the solution.

These hosts and producers could care less about you…they care about their show!  Every day they look at the pitches they get and think, “Hmm, what would make this show work today?”  And in the timing of the news cycle, what would make the show work.  No matter what business you’re in, there’s a news cycle.  If you’re in the vitamin business, it’s vitamin news.  I’m just trying to make the point that there’s always news you can tie your message into.

MF: Lee, you’ve given us so many nuggets.  Is there a final piece of advice you would like to share?

LH: Get with a professional media coach.  You’re not going to get good as a talk radio guest by yourself.  And, if you’re going to spend x amount of dollars on a PR campaign, make sure you’ve got the coaching.  And make sure you get coached from a seasoned professional who’s actually done it as this is a specialty.  If you’re going to get out there, be prepared.

MF: Lee, thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and speak with me today.

LH: It has been my pleasure Marsha!

###End of Part 2###

Click here to read Part 1.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed my interview with Lee and found some interesting points to consider when thinking about your own talk radio publicity campaign.

As Lee is one of the top “go-to” guys for helping national talk show hosts be the best at this medium – who better to give you advice on how to effectively use this medium when appearing as a guest!

I’ve separated the interview into two parts – below is Part 1 and this link will take you to Part 2.

I hope you enjoy the information!

My Interview with Lee Habeeb: Part 1

Marsha Friedman: Lee, why do you think being a guest on talk radio is such a good marketing vehicle for promoting a product, book or service?

Lee Habeeb: There are a few reasons why being a guest on talk radio is superior to every other medium.  First and foremost, when you’re on a talk radio show you’re getting the implicit endorsement of the host.  And what makes talk radio so powerful is the fact that the relationship between the host and the listeners is very intimate.  This differs from TV where pictures and action distract the audience’s attention and the segments are very short.  The speed of television is – four minute segment, commercials, four minute segment, and commercials again.

With talk radio, the hosts are on with the audience three hours a day (every day) and people become addicted.  They listen in their cars and online.  That three-hour session with that host over a long range of time builds a strong bond.

And these bonds are lasting.  This is evident in the career span of the average radio host.  Look at Gordon Liddy, Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, they have been doing it for decades and continue to go on and on.  The life of their careers is longer than most television hosts.  Television tends to chew up hosts and spit them out.

And so, the intimacy between the host and listener is powerful.  When you’re a guest, you become the expert the host is endorsing because he’s carving out some of his show time for you.  And I think that is the true power.  It’s the testimonial power and the implicit endorsement that you’re getting from this host.

MF: I couldn’t agree more.  What qualities would you say are the most important for somebody who wants to make the most of their air time when being interviewed as a guest on a talk radio show?

LH: The most important thing to think about is… “Who cares?  Why should I be listening to you?  What are you going to do for me?”  That’s the voice of the audience and they’re brutal.  Just think about when you’re the audience.  If the program doesn’t either pull you in emotionally or provide quality information…you hit that clicker button.  And how many times a day do we hit our clicker buttons while watching TV?  I would say 95% of our choices in television are choices away from certain programs seeking something we like instead.

MF: To reiterate your point, when prepping for the show the question most important to ask yourself is “Who is your audience and why should they care?”

LH: Exactly right.  The most important audience is the host.  If you can engage him, he by proxy is the entire audience.  The only reason most people gather around “The Savage Nation” is because they’re interested in what Michael Savage has to say and what he is interested in.  So by proxy, you don’t have to worry about entertaining Michael’s audience, you simply have to engage and entertain Michael.

The beauty of radio is you’ve got no one to look at, so all you have to do is engage the host.  You’re rarely even in the same room with them.  Moreover, since the host booked you on their show, your message is something they are interested in.  But if the host doesn’t like your interview, you are out the door!

MF: You mean a host will cut the interview short?

LH: Absolutely.  Your job as a guest is to entertain the host, share good insights and provide quality information.  In other words, provide good content for the host…which is what they want more than anything else.  After all, in many cases they could have three hours to fill per day!

MF: You’re really hitting on something which can be an obstacle for talk radio guests to overcome – making the most of their time on air.   The natural inclination for guests is get on the air and start selling.  But the problem is that they end up sounding like an infomercial!

LH: It’s crazy to think “I’ve got to say the name of my book 14 times!”  I’ll never forget, one author we had on Laura Ingraham’s show, who had obviously been coached by a consultant who said, “Name your book 12 times.  When you’re saying a sentence, name your book.”  And so he kept on saying, “Well, in my book “Blah Blah”…in my book, “Blah, Blah.”  Finally, Laura said, “Hey, this interview’s coming to an end right now if you say the title of your book one more time.”  He couldn’t just have a conversation with her and, of course, he only got five minutes and we didn’t book him anymore due to his shameless self-promotion.

The important thing to remember is his time on the air was not his time.  The host has loaned you the airtime, whether you paid for it or not.  As the host, I have given you good grace to invite you into my house.

Ask me about my family before you sell me your book, product or service.  Develop a relationship with me.  If you can do this, I will give you more time, plug your book or product, push you towards success…all without even thinking about it.  Even when you leave the studio, I’m going to say, “Wow, what a great guest.  Don’t forget, you’ve got to go out and buy so-and-so’s book.”

To help this along, be prepared before you are interviewed.  Have your five funny bullet points, a personal story and a flattering story about the host.  The best way to achieve this is to research the host.  Listen to a podcast of a recent show and find out something special that happened and say, “Before we get into the book, I listened last Thursday and that segment you did with so-and-so on sailing, even if you’re not a sailor, you had to love that segment.  Just thank you for doing what you do.”

You’ve got to care.  I think too many people don’t care, and to me pre-show preparation represents caring.

MF: Great point Lee.  It may seem like a lot of research before each show, but the payoff has got to be worth it.

###End of Part 1###

Click here to read Part 2

But, having been in the PR industry for 20 years, I know public relations has always been like that 2-for-1 advertising deal.

With advertising you need a big budget because a successful ad campaign comes down to repetition, repetition, repetition.  Even with the right vehicles in place for your ad buy, as well as the best placements and a quality message, consumers still must see or hear your ad numerous times in order for it to be effective.

And spending on advertising can be hefty.  In the United States alone, from January to September of 2008 over $54 billion was spent on advertising…and that was just the amount spent by the TOP 10 ADVERTISING CATEGORIES!

So it is no surprise that in this tough economic climate that advertising would be the first to go.  A recent survey conducted by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) found that 77% of marketers who responded are planning to cut their advertising budgets.

But, even if your ad budget isn’t being cut, one thing that advertising doesn’t deliver as well as PR is consumer trust.

TNS, a leading marketing information group, surveyed 1,000 US households regarding consumer trust late last year. In that survey, a mere 35% showed any level of trust in advertising.

As well, in a Nielsen Online Global Consumer survey, when asked what sort of advertising they trust the most, a whopping 78% said they trust referrals from customers more than any type of advertising.

And that is exactly what PR delivers: trust, credibility and word of mouth promotion.  The implicit third-party endorsement that comes with appearing as a guest on radio or TV, or to have a story written about you in newspapers and magazines is absolutely priceless.  Something you can’t put a price tag on.  This is what can be achieved with PR and at about one-half to one-fifth of the price of an ad campaign.

Most of them offer the same service, if not better, than the big retainer-based agencies, but at a fraction of the cost. They’re driven to perform because they only get paid for what they deliver while retainer-based agencies charge for their time and their overhead, but are not accountable for results. If they get media placements, that’s great, but if they don’t, you’re still left holding the tab.

Here’s how it works.  When a company engages a retainer-based agency, they are charged a flat monthly fee based on the number of hours they estimate they need to work in order to get the job done. $10,000 a month is an average fee, but it can go as high as $20,000 or even $30,000 a month.

Once the retainer is established, the money is divvied up amongst the team in billable hours, much the same way a law firm or accounting firm handles its business. The executive who brought in the business bills for “managing” the account, which is usually about 10 hours per month, costing the client as much as $350 per hour, or $3,500 of a $10,000 retainer. The executive sets assignments, approves press releases and written materials as well as handles communication with the client but never pitches the press.

In these large retainer based agencies, the executives are used as sales people and compensated for the amount of business they generate for the company.  But, unbeknownst to the client, that executive who closed the deal is the person with the most PR experience, yet does the least amount of work on their campaign. The rest of the retainer is split up among a few junior associates who do the writing, the pitching, the calling and the tracking.

The staff assistants get into the action by billing $75 per hour for activities such as phoning, faxing and organizing documents. They may even charge to create the client’s bill at the end of the month, compiling out of pocket expenses like shipping together with the hourly billing as tracked by the team members. The top executive massages the numbers so they fit the retainer, and it then takes the assistant as long as two hours to compile the bill.

A retainer-based agency may charge clients as much as $125 per month just to assemble their bill.This is a huge difference with how Pay-for-performance PR works. Most firms that operate in this manner set a simple fee for each media placement the firm obtains and the client signs up for a campaign with a specific budget in place. Then, one by one, the placements are made, confirmed and executed and the client is billed weekly or monthly against their agreed-upon budget. The campaign never goes over budget, and every client dollar is counted against a real media placement rather than for “best efforts.”

As marketing budgets are shrinking, companies are pinching pennies and seeking a more quantifiable return on their PR investment. Pay-for-Performance PR not only reduces risk and costs the client less, but more importantly, these firms bring home the PR bacon for clients, or they don’t get paid.

What They Need & When They Need It

With that in mind, if you have products to promote, I want to let you know it is not too late to get on the air before the holidays! If your products are available for purchase and have mass appeal, then now is the time to let holiday consumers know about it…and there are still a limited number of interview slots left for you to take advantage of.

As talk radio “insiders” we know what the hosts and producers are currently thinking about.  Right now, they are gearing up for the pre and post holiday season.  Why?  Because most producers and hosts go on vacation during the holidays and as a result their show goes on “hiatus.”  During this hiatus they run “best of” shows instead of new programming.  So in the run up to their vacation, hosts and producers are deciding: who they will be interviewing as guests in December, which shows they will re-run during hiatus and finally who they will be interviewing during the first week of the New Year.  The final point is very important to them, as the last thing they want to do when they come back from vacation is to have to scramble for guests.

The advantage for our clients is that we not only understand the timing and scheduling of talk radio, we also understand the needs of the producers and hosts and the fact that there are only a certain number of talk radio interview slots available for choice guests.  For example, we know that there is an intense scurry for the “must-have” New Year interview slots, where hosts and producers are really looking for the New Year/New You angle. So with that in mind, we position our clients in a way that is going to grab the media’s attention during the holidays and after the holidays.

And because we’re a top resource for talk radio guests, hosts and producers take our calls and schedule our clients if the topic is a good match for their audience.  This gives us a distinct advantage over the hundreds and thousands of pitches that hosts and producers receive daily.

But keep in mind that when it comes to radio air time, being interviewed as a guest is much different than buying advertising time.  With advertising you have a broad selection of stations and shows to choose from to run your spots.  While the playing field for being interviewed as a guest is not anywhere as wide.  You first have to know which stations have a show with a format for guests.  Then, you need to know which of those shows have an audience that would be interested in your topic.  It’s also knowing who to call; when to call and how to reach them to respond to your pitch.  This is where we can help – as this is what we do for our clients, day in and day out.

The point I really wanted to press home to you is if your products are available now and if your message is timely, then you can take advantage of the few cherished interview slots still available out in time for the holidays and for the beginning of the year.