An often under utilised strategy in building your personal brand as an expert in your field and marketing your business is becoming a resident expert on your local radio show. 

By enhancing your effectiveness in being interviewed on radio you will be able to be listed as one of a radio shows expert panel which will enhance your business success without the expense of advertising.

Speaking as a guest on a radio show is a superb way to reach your target audience and for them to hear your message and without you having to invest in placing an advert.

One of your goals when appearing on a radio show is to ensure that you get invited back – ideally as a regular guest expert.

You can research the radio shows that will be relevant to your target audience at Radio Locator http://www.radiolocator.com

Consider getting some practice with your local public or commercial radio stations before you approach the mainstream media.

As a radio show host I am always on the look out for a great guest who I can invite time and again to share their expertise and opinion and of course entertain my audience – remember, all radio shows measure their success by audience numbers, which for commercial radio stations can be translated into advertising revenues

Here are the five keys building your personal brand as a great radio show guest and increase your chance of being asked back again onto a radio show as a guest expert.
 
1. Be Easily Accessible

Make it easy to do business with you – that includes the very basics in terms of returning phone calls or emails from the radio show researcher or producer. 

Yes I know this may sound very basic, but usually when a radio show researcher contacts you it’s to ask you to appear on the show that day or the next day.

One radio station I am on the panel of experts for calls me the evening before the show.  Their protocol is that once the radio show for the day has finished they end up in a team meeting to determine the areas that will be covered the next day, often as a result of the breaking news in the papers, then they ring their network contacts of experts aligning with the areas they will be covering.

So if you are positioning yourself as an expert and resource to your radio station, don’t turn off your mobile phone.  A radio show researcher is unlikely to call you a second time if they can not reach you.

2. Understand The Radio Show’s Objectives

Be sure to research the radio show you are planning to approach so that you discover the tone of the show and the style of the radio show host.

Remember the show host will guide the discussion – after all, they are concerned about their reputation with their listeners.

When you are approached by the radio show to be a guest, don’t be mislead by the phone conversation with the researcher – they are pre-screening you to see if you would be someone who will be compelling and interesting for their guests to listen to.

Practice your listening skills so that you can tune into the areas they want to discuss on the show, take notes of the areas they are going to cover on the show and keep your verbal replies in the pre-show interview succinct and relevant so that you get confirmed as a guest for the radio show.

3. Make The Radio Show Host’s Life Easy

All too often I notice that when someone has a new book that they would like to promote, when they do get the opportunity to speak on radio, they expect the radio show to send them a list of questions to answer.

In fact, the team on the radio show do not have time to read your book from cover to cover and compile a list of questions.

You need to compile your own list of the top 10 questions that would be of relevance to the listeners of the show relating to your book, your product or service. 

Structure this into a media release with a short bio about you and have that ready at all times to provide to media contacts.

They may change the questions they ask you in the interview which is where it pays to invest in developing your skills as an interviewee.  It makes it so much easier for the radio show researcher or show host to structure the interview and they will certainly remember that you are easy to do business with which will mean you leave them with a favourable impression so that they will put you on a list of the people to invite back to future shows.

4. Be Interesting And Entertaining

Remember, the radio show host and the producer of the show are keen to ensure that their listener numbers are ever increasing.

They are therefore looking for guests that will provide information and entertain their audience.

I always recommend to my guests to practice being interviewed and record themselves - you listen for the ums, errs and aah’s.

Write down the key points you want to cover but do not write it as a script.  If you read from your notes, unless you have had significant practice in speaking from notes, it will be noticeable to listeners and your conversation will be stilted.

Keep your input to short sound-bites of information – a 3 minute monologue is not going to impress the show host – you must allow the radio show host with the opportunity to be in dialogue with you.

5. Don’t Over Promote Yourself

Air time on a radio show is wonderful as you are not investing in advertising and you will be positioned as the expert in your field.

However the radio show host is not expecting you to constantly promote your web site and services.

My radio show is positioned with my guests as a no-sales zone, and if guests do speak too much about their own business rather than provide relevant information, we edit their comments out of the show.

Live shows are likely just to cut your interview short.

And it will be certain that you will not be invited back again as a guest expert.

Your Assignment

If radio is a medium you would like to explore to build your personal brand and position yourself as the expert in your field then here is your assignment:

Create your key talking points and media release

Practice being interviewed and listen to the recording – watch out for long silences, words that you repeat as a force of habit and ums, errs and aah’s – the more you practice the smoother the interview will go

Make contact with one of the radio shows that reach your ideal clients and contact them about their network of contacts and how you might best be considered to be a guest on the show. 

By building your profile in the media as a key no cost strategy in your marketing plan you will definitely position yourself as an expert in your field which will ensure your stand out from your competition.