by Andy Schichter

No musician loves sitting in a room doing phone interviews with 10 different radio stations, but that’s part of the game. If you want to be a part of the music industry, you have to do all of the promotional work. If you don’t play the game properly, you can say goodbye to a lot of great PR opportunities. If you act like you want to be there, the interviewer will ask unique questions and maybe become fan.

Wayne Kelly, a BC based Radio Publicity Expert was recently interviewed on Music Business Radio podcast. The full interview can be heard here:

He gives a 14-step process on how you and your band can book a radio interview and have a great experience on the air. This process works for all forms of media, including magazine, newspapers, television, podcasts etc…

1. An introductory email

Have some kind of media release saying: here’s the my name, here’s who I am, and here’s where I’m playing. If you’re involved with a charity, playing a fundraiser, that’s a hook to get you in the door with the radio host. Send a media release that’s personable, not Dear Radio Host. It should be direct, Dear Wayne Kelly. It just shows that you have done some preparation.

2. Follow up with a phone call

They will get a sense of how the interview will go. If you sound excited on the phone, and you connect with the host then you’ll have a better chance of getting on. First impression is everything.

3. When the media expresses interest in your band, get back to them

If you get an email back saying that the station is interested in getting together, get back to them. When you have a show coming up in a town, drop by the local radio stations and bring some doughnuts, a couple of CD’s, some tickets to your show. That’d be a great time to ask for an interview. It’s hard to say no in person. But whatever you do, don’t offer cash!

4. Know how long the interview is and who the demographic is

If it’s just a 3 minute interview, which most of them are, then you have to get to the point: who you are, what you’re doing, and tell some kind of funny story. Watch Conan’s… sorry Leno’s talk show, or Letterman’s. Time their interviews; they’re very short. Do some research on who the station you’re talking to, and make sure you fit in with the their demographics.

5. Be a commoner that the listeners can relate to

You can’t be afraid to open up. The listener hopefully wants to know who you are, so be honest. Talk about your family, interests and how that influenced your songwriting. If you’re good, the radio host will pass your name to the other stations. But if you’re rude, the radio host will let them know as well.

6. Send a confirmation email after you get booked

Make sure everyone is aware of the correct interview time, and for God’s sake in the correct time zone. This sounds strange but it’s crucial, if you’re doing a live interview.

7. Practice, Practice, Practice

When you’re cruising around in the tour bus or van, you might as well play through some questions at bandmates, see if you can come up with cool stories. You’ll get better at every interview you do. If you tank, don’t sweat it. Everyone’s going to have a bad interview. It might be you, it might be the host. Sometimes it just doesn’t flow.

8. Be organized

When the interview is booked, and let’s say the time is set for 8am the next morning, send the DJ your information again. Resend your media page, with a brief intro and the number he’s going to call you at. It makes you look very professional. Also, interviewers like to get sample questions. It might seem offensive, but it makes their job a lot easier.

9. Be accommodating

If you have to get up half an hour earlier than you normally wake, do the interview. If it’s a middle of the night kinda thing for you, the station will understand but try to help them out on the interview time.

10. Prepare some notes

Sometimes you want to have information on where you’re playing, what city, other bands on the bill, etc… If you’re touring around, playing 50 dates, you have to be a little organized on where you’re going to be. Have a couple of points that you want to pass around, but don’t sit down and read responses off a page. Listeners can tell if you’re reading. Say things like “Hey, I’m looking forward to playing in Saskatoon, at this venue, on this date. And Vancouver, at this etc…”

11. Walk around when giving the interview

You sound more alert. You sound more in control. This is a sales technique, which all the more major companies have always said if you’re selling on the telephone. Make sure you’re standing.

12). Give away as much information as you can

If you’re going to do an in-studio interview, show up with couple of guitars. Ask if you can play. It’s much easier to describe the music by playing it, than talk about it. That’s an exclusive performance. Workers at the station might gather around, and if they like you, will check out your show. They might even through the song up on their website.

13. Listen to yourself after the interview

This is a major learning tool. You have to do this. You’ll learn from yourself by hearing your answers. Feel free to ask the interviewer for an mp3 of the interview. This shouldn’t be a problem for the DJ.

14. Send a thank you note

Isn’t that simple? The interviewer will remember you if you thank him. It doesn’t have to be a card or anything, just a quick email. A little thanks goes a long way, because when you’re back in town the station will remember you.

Technorati Tags: interview, PR, promoting, Publicity, radio, self-promotion

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 9:54 am and is filed under Music Promotion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.