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Get a studio line for radio and print interviews (regardless of who is calling whom). That backup number is your insurance that the interview will take place … even if it completely slips the mind of whomever arranged the interview. |
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| Don’t even think about using a cell phone for radio interviews. The quality is never good enough, regardless of what the commercials say. Also, disable the call-waiting feature of your telephone, or use a line that doesn’t have that feature. |
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| Be early for television show interviews. If you can be delayed (by weather, traffic, or a spontaneous bicycle race), you will be delayed. Factor it into your plans! |
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| Until a producer or editor gives you a firm “no,” you’re still in the running as a potential source. Submit different angles and news hooks on a regular basis, and keep your ideas fresh and timely. That way, your story pitches will remain welcome at that media outlet. |
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| Tread lightly. Hope that the host will mention your book on the air and that the reporter will include the title in his or her article, but allow for the possibility – without losing your cool (which would tempt you to burn bridges) – that it might not. |
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| Pay attention to distribution. Be sure your book is as widely available as possible before your media blitz – that way, you won’t have to worry about steering listeners or readers to the one Web site in the world, or the one bookstore on the planet, where they can buy your book. (The media probably won’t let you do that type of steering, anyway.) |
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| Listen. It’s fair to have your message points prepared before interviews, but listen to what your interviewer is asking you. Listen for the first and the last word of each question, and don’t interrupt. |
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| Know what you want to say during interviews, and practice saying it. Ensure that phrases you’ll definitely deliver, such as your book’s Web site, will roll smoothly off your tongue. |
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| Keep your story pitches free from jargon and shop talk. Media decision makers aren’t engineers or technicians, and they don’t work in your industry. So be sure they can understand – and relate to -- your story idea. |
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| Angle your story pitch for particular beats. Most topics can be slanted in various directions (for instance, a business story might be repackaged as either a health-related story or perhaps a parenting story), and the more beat editors/producers you approach, the more widely your story will be picked up. |
