Radio can be a goldmine for you if you have a book or product to sell, you can pitch a good hook to get onto the show, and you can give the station a compelling interview.
And you don’t have to appear only on big stations. Shows devoted to niche topics have loyal listeners.
Here are 5 tips on how to get onto radio shows to sell more books and products.
1. Tie into a hot topic in the news.
Pay attention to the headlines. Right now, hot topics include terrorism, Ebola, the election, patients’ rights, skimpy school cafeteria food and immigration.
Your product or your book might not be a good fit for any of these, but if you train yourself to be aware of what people are discussing, you’ll be in a better position to think of interesting hooks that are perfect when the topic ties in to what you’re selling.
2. Piggyback onto the weather.
Years ago, after a long stretch of rain and flooding in the Midwest, I heard a talk show on a big Milwaukee radio station that caught my attention. It featured an entrepreneur whose company made engines that suck moisture out of basements.
At the time, homeowners with flooded basements were worried about removing the water and preventing mold.
The interview lasted more than 10 minutes. I remember thinking how smart the guest was to pitch that show. And I’m guessing he did many more interviews like it on stations throughout the Midwest.
What are the chances that he could ever have landed a radio interview on a big station without tying into the weather? Almost none.
3. Shine during the pre-interview.
If you pitch a radio station and they’re interested in booking you as a guest, they might call you first to chat.
The conversation might last five minutes or 15 minutes.
You might think the host or producer is being friendly and doing a little researching before interviewing you on the show. What you might not know is that this is actually an audition.
The interviewer wants to see how well you do during a simple phone interview. If you ramble on or sound boring, you’re toast. After the call, you’ll never hear from the station again.
If you pass, and you’ve convinced the host you’ll do well on the air, you might be booked on the spot.
4. Have a website URL that’s easy to find.
Unusual spellings, or a company name that sounds different than the way it’s actually spelled, can cost you a lot of money. URLs that include numbers can also be confusing. If you say you’re at 5CornersPizza.com, will people type FiveCornersPizza.com into the browser?
5. Be helpful without making people buy your book or product.
Listeners and hosts hate it when the host asks the guest a question and the response is “You’ll have to read chapter 7 of my book to find out.”
Offering free tips and advice will help you win the audience’s trust. Work it out ahead of time with the host on how your book will be promoted. Follow the host’s advice to the letter and don’t try to slip in free commercial for your book or product while you’re on the air.
More Free Training Thursday, Nov. 6
Learn dozens more tips during a free webinar at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern Time this Thursday, Nov. 6. Steve Harrison will interview a self-published author who will share the system has has used to get booked as a guest on 1,264 radio shows, land more than $4.5 million in free airtime and generate more than $1.5 milion in direct sales.
Did you know there’s a secret online forum where radio producers share good guests? Steve will discuss it on Thursday.
Register for How to Sell Your Book or Product as a Guest on Radio Shows Nationwide. (This is an affiliate link. Even though this call is free, I earn a commission from Steve’s company if you buy anything from him later.)
nice tips. New way and new strategy for selling books.
Actually, this way of selling books has been around for a long time–and it still works!
Hi Joan, thanks for sharing this great tips!
Booking a radio interview is one of the most effective book marketing strategies for self-published authors to publicize their book.
Please read our blog on How to Pitch Your Book for a Radio Interview
Hope this will also help. Thank you!