LAND I N G YO U R N E X T RADI O P L AC E M E N T LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT Booking a television interview on shows such as Today and GMA is incredibly valuable.. But, even national brands and thought leaders coordinate radio interviews. That’s because the public trusts the voices coming through their car and smart speakers. iHeart Media recently issued a nationwide survey and found the same, reporting that radio serves as the most trusted medium for Americans, even lifting their mood and making them feel less alone. So, how can you secure radio interviews that are going to reach your target audience, provide a training ground for television and provide quick wins for your media outreach campaign? We’ve developed this guide to help you do just that. You’ll also find recommendations on how to prepare, so that you feel confident and excited heading into an interview. Thank you for reviewing and please reach out with any feedback or questions. INTRO Justin Goldstein President & Founder, Press Record Communications justin@pressrecord.co LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT HOW TO START • Finding the Right Fit • What The Media Is Looking For • Developing a Pitch PREPARING IN ADVANCE • Information to Gather from Reporters • Scheduling • Practice Sessions WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW • Questions for Reporters • Tracking for Coverage • Think Past the Placement ABOUT PRESS RECORD COMMUNICATIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT FINDING THE RIGHT FIT • First, determine the type of interview you’re looking to secure. Would a live or taped interview format work best? Are you looking to land on a talk show or speak with an outlet’s newsroom? • Next, determine your target outlets. Ask yourself whether your story is a fit for national or local programming. Then, drill down on your target’s programming lineup to identify whether it’s aligned with your story idea. Perhaps its content contains too much fluff or it looks for more serious content? • Keep in mind that there are several gatekeepers in a radio newsroom. Beyond assignment editors, you’ll likely find producers and bookers who evaluate guest submissions and coordinate interviews. Planning editors can play this role as well. Stay away from field reporters unless you’re looking to coordinate an on-site interview. • Identify whether your target outlets schedule remote or in-studio interviews or both. This will become more important as vaccinations continue and producers and spokespeople are more comfortable connecting in-person. LANDING YOUR NEXT RADIO INTERVIEW LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT WHAT THE MEDIA IS LOOKING FOR? • Producers and bookers love data. Planning to release a new survey or report? Make sure to reach out to radio outlets once either asset goes live. • Remember that local radio is often looking for stories that a mom or dad on their way to work can relate to and easily digest. Topics such as home-buying tips, last-minute gift recommendations and suggestions for managing stress and anxiety work well. • Harder news or longer-term trend angles certainly have a home on local radio as well. Can you discuss how a new technology is set to transform a city or smaller community? What will the future of X industry look like? • For local interviews, locally-based spokespeople are preferred, but not required. However, you should try to bring a local angle to the table. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but a tactic that will yield results. LANDING YOUR NEXT RADIO INTERVIEW LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT DEVELOPING A PITCH • Aim to coordinate key assets to include in your pitch that will help to attract interest from bookers and producers. These include: ° Headshots ° Social media handles ° Bios • Brevity is best when generating a subject line. 12 words or fewer typically works best. • In your subject line, mention key assets that you have available and include a call to action. Reference the city you’re pitching to when reaching out to local radio. • Be sure to mention availability for interviews. This allows the media to garner the green light more quickly on scheduling. • In the body of your email, offer suggested talking points or questions. This helps producers to better envision what a potential segment could sound like. LANDING YOUR NEXT RADIO INTERVIEW LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT INFORMATION TO GATHER FROM MEDIA • Establish whether your media contact wants to conduct an in-studio or remote interview. If remote, which platform would that interviewer prefer to use? Perhaps Skype or Zoom? • Will your interview be live or taped and how long will the interview last? • Do you need to dial in or arrive early? This is particularly important for live remote interviews where producers will want to connect at least five minutes early to test your connection and answer last-minute questions. • Will your segment air on traditional broadcast, on the station’s website or both? • For in-studio interviews, ask your contact if he or she can share parking instructions so that you don’t have to waste time on the day of the interview trying to find a parking spot. You secured interest. Now what? PREPARING IN ADVANCE LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT SCHEDULING • Offer to share a calendar invite with producers and bookers. This is helpful as they are prone to forget bookings due to the 24/7 fast-paced nature of a radio newsroom. • Share a calendar invite with yourself, team or client that includes pertinent detail for an upcoming interview, including details to connect, time of an interview and key messages to point to. • Send a reconfirmation to your media contacts at least 24 hours in advance to recap the date, time and purpose of your interview. PRACTICE • Coordinate a practice interview with a colleague, family member or friend. • If you’re planning to use a cell phone, practice making calls from the location that you intend to dial from to ensure that your signal is strong. • Test your wireless or wired headphones to make sure that you can hear audio clearly. PREPARING IN ADVANCE LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT QUESTIONS FOR REPORTERS • Do you need additional assets for your story? Perhaps b-roll or imagery would be helpful for an online story to accompany your segment? • Would you like to schedule a follow up interview? • Is there another spokesperson with whom I can help you connect? • When do you plan to run your story? TRACKING FOR COVERAGE • For taped interviews, follow up with your contact 24 hours after you record to check on an air date. • Ask for a downloadable file of the segment that makes air. This is key as networks and stations often wipe their systems of older content, leaving less opportunity to obtain a file down the road. • Scan a station or network’s website AND social media to see if coverage makes its way online in addition to broadcast. Your reporter contact may post to his or her social media as well. WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT THINK PAST THE PLACEMENT • Securing coverage is just the first step to realizing the benefits of a radio media placement. Leveraging placements to support your sales, marketing and recruitment efforts will take your investment in broadcast media relations to the next level. • Pull quotes and insights from radio placements to develop content such as executive blog posts and LinkedIn articles. • Then, you can promote those blog posts and LinkedIn articles on your website, using trending keywords to boost SEO. • Share links to broadcast media coverage with your target audience on LinkedIn and beyond to boost engagement. • Incorporate media placements into your sales and marketing emails, calls and in-person meetings to establish credibility and excitement with your target audience. WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW LANDIN G YO U R N E XT RADIO PLACEMENT Press Record Communications is a strategic media relations agency that is well-versed in helping clients to secure earned television and radio coverage. We also produce and develop publicity for podcasts. Established in 2018, we have made our mark quickly, supporting organizations across several verticals including B2B, B2C, technology, public affairs and nonprofits. Our Founder, Justin Goldstein, was named an Exceptional Under 35 by the Public Relations Society of America. ABOUT PRESS RECORD COMMUNICATIONS