I recently received this email:
I am a author of a managing fear book and I wanted to ask you a few questions:
1. Is it better to pay a publicist to get you on radio talk shows or is it better to do your own research.
2. I hear that radio stations get a monthly newsletter where authors can put their book information in. These managers read the newsletters to find people to interview for future programs. Do you know anything about this.
3. What is the best approach to getting interviews from various radio stations. - Stan
Paying a Publicist
If you’ve had a book published by a company, they may well wish to hire a publicist on your behalf to protect their investment. Good for you - you negotiated a good contract! But, if you are a self-published author, chances are you are working on a small or non-existent budget.
Although there’s no doubt a connected publicist can get you choice interviews, never under estimate the power of a good press release and an email database.
DIY With Databases
You can buy radio station databases which allow you to target stations and shows by format, city, etc. – which is preferable to bulk mass mailing your release to a large group of folks where a good percentage simply won't care.
Gebbie Press offers up-to-date radio station databases in various formats. The Radio/TV database on CD is $155 (as of this writing).
The website also lets you use it’s online database - sorted by state - for free. If you are working with no budget, you can use their site to build up your own database by visiting stations individually and saving email addresses.
Radio-Mall.com also offers radio station databases categorized by commercial, non-commercial, Christian, country, news/talk, and more. The prices vary.
Here at Radio.about.com, I have also created a listing of other radio station databases you might find helpful.
The Radio/TV Interview Report
The Radio/TV Report, or RTIR, is a publication that has been around for a long time and exists solely to promote authors and experts and is sent to radio and TV stations every few weeks.
For rates and further information, you have to visit the website and fill out a brief form. They will respond with the necessary details. This is more expensive than purchasing databases and emailing press releases yourself.
The Best Approach
A good press release will get you interviews. Your press release must demonstrate to the on-air host why his audience will benefit from hearing you on-the-air. Look for ways to tie yourself in with topical, top-of-mind news events if possible.
Keep your release down to a one-pager and provide enough information to interest a host or producer but remember not to exaggerate. Keep it truthful.
After you’ve send your press release, follow up with a phone call if possible.
Once you get an interview, create excitement and interest when you are on-the-air and you'll be asked back.
