Veteran radio talk show host George McKenzie thinks radio is an often overlooked publicity outlet for authors, consultants, and anyone who has a product or service to sell.
Why? Because they pitch their books, products or service to radio DJs, and fail miserably.
The secret, he says, is not to pitch what you are selling. Rather, find the right “hook” that will get you onto the most popular morning and afternoon drive-time radio shows or on the radio news so you can promote what you’re selling without ever making it sound like a promotion. For example:
–Know the station’s market and find something interesting to attract listeners.
–Use humor. If you’re publicizing a spaghetti dinner, for example, use the Internet to find out little-known facts about spaghetti, and share them with the radio audience.
–Bring food to the station the day you’re on the air. There’s an unwritten law in radio that says, “The more you bring, the more you sing.” It’s a great way to get invited back.
–If you’re selling a product, such as toothbrushes, you can offer a lifetime supply to a listener who wins a contest. Work on an idea for the show with the disc jockey. Radio is all about giveaways.
–If you want to get onto the radio news, be the local angle to a national story.
George explains how, and he gives lots more tips, including how to woo radio talk show hosts, what phrase you can use on the air (DJs love it!) and the best day to get coverage. He was my guest during a teleseminar called “How to Get Onto Drive-Time Radio Shows.You can read more about what we discussed or order the CD.