Congratulations! You’ve been invited to speak on a live radio show. Now what? Don’t panic. It’s a great opportunity and a lot of fun! All you need to do is follow a few of my tips. (Trust me, I’ve done this before.)
Remember this:
No one can see you, or knows that you’re nervous.
Describe yourself as excited not nervous. Your body doesn’t know the difference, but your brain does. Change your language.
Show hosts are professionals. Respect their time. Some don’t get paid.
Listeners like to a) feel like they’re eavesdropping on a private conversation, and/or b) want an opportunity to talk with their new favorite writer.
Show hosts rarely provide questions before a live show - it kills the spontaneity. (Some do this for well-known guests who are insistent, but more often than not, you shouldn’t expect a list of questions.)
Dead air is bad air. No one can see you, remember? You need notes.
When you send a head shot or book cover image, save them as your name and the book title. This makes it easier for the person receiving the images. It’s time consuming weeding through a series of images all titled, “my head shot” or “my book cover.” “KoriMillerHeadShot” and “DeadlySinsCover” are much clearer.
Do this:
Write notes on one side of a sheet of paper. Set the papers in front of you on a table. This creates less noise transfer. Use bullet points, they’re easier to glance at and read.
Call into the show when asked. Show hosts want to a) know that you’re there, and b) may want to chat before the show to get to know you.
Be prepared to talk about anything that you’ve made publicly available.
Practice and record your summary if you’re talking about a specific book.
Call into a radio show using a land line whenever possible. If you use Skype, the call might drop. Call back in immediately. If you must use a cellular phone, stay in one place (preferably where your signal is the strongest.)
Most programs are live. Glitches happen. Roll with it.
Be conversational. Most interviews aren’t about your book. They’re about you.
Create a list of frequently asked questions and practice your answers, but don’t overdo it. This practice is only intended to help you become more comfortable answering questions.
Dress professionally, or at least, get out of your pajamas and slippers.
Breathe.
Send a thank you note or email after your interview, and on the same day.
If you want to be invited back, be sure to promote your interview before and after it airs. Podcasts are available in archives via a variety of platforms.
Think from the host’s perspective. High listener numbers help the host decide who sh/e should invite back. Great shows don’t exist without listeners.
Support the podcast by becoming a follower of the program. On some platforms, this is important to the continued success of the show.
That’s it! Good luck. Oh, one last thing:
Smile. Assuming your subject matter isn’t serious, SMILE. This comes across louder than a rocket blast during an interview.
Kori Miller is the author of, Deadly Sins: A Dezeray Jackson Mini-Series, and the host of Back Porch Writer: The show for writers, about writers, and writing. The live podcast airs Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. CDT and Sundays at 5:30 p.m. CDT on Blog Talk Radio.
Private investigator Dezeray Jackson hates Florida; she hated it 24 hours after she arrived 5 years ago. Not for any particular reason, really, just a whole lot of little ones — bugs, alligators, snakes, and rude, obnoxious people. Dez thinks a break is in order, then she gets the Millicent James case. All she has to do is follow Millicent’s gamer grandson for a month, which could be as exciting as waiting for water to boil, Dez thinks. But a boring, routine assignment suddenly takes some interesting twists when a much-anticipated pre-release game disappears. It’s a hot commodity that could make somebody millions of dollars. But who?
After two years in the Big Apple, Dez is fed up with cheating spouses and embezzling employees. Convinced that she needs a change, Dez tells her boss that she’s ready to move on. He gives her a farewell gift — one last case, involving a missing artifact. Dez and her partner hit the streets, and soon learn that the missing artifact is something more. To recover it, Dez will enter a world that few know about. Dez thought she’d seen it all … she hadn’t.
When Dez left New York, she didn’t think she’d end up back in Omaha, NE, her home town. But here she is three months later. After stints in Florida and the Big Apple, Omaha was an unexpected, but welcome change. But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. One evening, after hearing Dez speak to her female self-defense class, a student is killed in a hit-and-run. Dez gets the case, which leads to an unpleasant stroll down memory lane, with a character she’d rather forget, and involvement with some deadly corporate shenanigans.
Eccentric Mayville Toussaint hires Dez to find two men who stole a box from her. Toussaint’s instructions are simple — find the thieves, recover the box, and return it unopened. A dangerous game of cat and mouse, double-dealing and lying place Dez in harm’s way. Dez recovers the box — case closed. But when returning the treasured item, Dez learns that Toussaint has been playing her own game of cat and mouse … with Dez. Toussaint clearly is not who she seems. But who is she?
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Genre - Mystery
Rating – PG-13
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