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I have (as of 10 December 2016) been interviewed 3 times (twice on Croydon Radio, and once on Blog Talk Radio. In addition one of my poems, “My Old Clock I wind” has been read on Vancouver Co-op Radio.)
Having appeared several times on various stations, I thought it might be helpful to write an article about my experiences in the hope that it will help others to become featured.
Finding a station/show that is right for you
There are a large and diverse range of radio stations out there, playing everything from the latest pop music through to discussions on Greek philosophy.
As an author/poet, it is extremely unlikely that a station specialising in the broadcasting of pop music will have an interest in interviewing/featuring you (unless of course your writing focuses on pop music and, even then it will be something of a long shot)!
Search for radio stations/programmes which feature the kind of content you are producing. So, for example, if (as I do) you live in the vicinity of Croydon you can search for “local radio, Croydon”. This search will bring up Croydon Radio and if one looks around their site it becomes clear they have featured local writers, consequently they are well worth contacting. The same holds true for stations in your locality.
One can, of course look further afield. For instance typing in the search term “radio poets” will bring up stations hosting content by versifiers.
Having found a potential host for your content, check whether they have rules as regards contacting them, follow said rules and make contact.
What should a request to be interviewed/featured contain?
Firstly, one should always read any guidance that may be available prior to making contact. For example some stations ask for a brief biography together with a sample of your writing. Provide what is asked for and include key contact information (email address at the very least and if you feel comfortable doing so a phone number also).
The Interview
Some stations/programmes will contact you to ask whether there are any particular questions you would like to have put to you (Croydon Radio did this and I sent them through several in advance of my interviews).
It is, in any case, a good idea to ask in advance of the interview the kind of questions that are likely to come up.
In my experience, key questions are likely to be
“Why did you start writing?”
“When did you start writing?”
“Tell me a little about your book?”
If you read a sample of your writing, be prepared for the interviewer to ask you probing questions about it, particularly if it deals with a sensitive and/or controversial issue. You may wish to think in advance how you will answer penetrating questions of this nature.
The setting (studio or phone/Skype)?
My first interview took place in the Croydon Radio studio and I found it worked well being in the same space as the interviewer.
However my subsequent interview with Croydon Radio took place over the phone, as did my chat with Annette of Blog Talk Radio.
I was equally comfortable conversing over the telephone from the comfort of my sitting room as I had been talking in the studio of Croydon Radio.
However there is, of course always the possibility that the technology will fail (Skype can be temperamental and telephone connections can go down particularly over long distances).
However in today’s interconnected world, the telephone and/or Skype is, in many instances the only practical option and in the vast majority of cases the technology functions as it should.
Conclusion
In conclusion, focus your search for relevant radio stations/programmes rather than adopting a scatter gun approach. There is no point in contacting a station specialising in 80’s pop music with a request to interview you about your book of nature poems, however well written and beautifully illustrated your work may be.
Read any guidance stations may have on their website prior to making contact and prepare for that interview!
Finally I wish you the very best of luck!
Website/Blog – Twitter – Goodreads
Amazon:
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.
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Many thanks for re-blogging my guest post. Best, Kevin
On 12/18/16, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog
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My pleasure
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Thanks for sharing Don 😃
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You’re welcome
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Fantastic post, Kevin. Useful information. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thank you Tess! I’m really pleased you found it useful. Best, Kevin
On 12/18/16, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog
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Indeed.
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That’s a very useful post, thanks!
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Thank you. I’m pleased you found my article useful. Best wishes, Kevin
On 12/18/16, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog
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Great info. I will check this out.
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I’m pleased my guest article was helpful. Best, Kevin
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Thanks for your insights Kevin. I’ve been guest on 2 radio shows 2014 & Aug 2016. 2014 was the 2nd of a new radio show – I wish your article was around back then! I cringe at my hesitancy but the content was okay. Best wishes for the festive season.
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Glad you found my post helpful Suzanna and congratulations on your 2 radio interviews. I find that on speaking to friends who’s opinions I can trust that they often tell me that I performed much better than I thought I had so perhaps this is the case with your appearances. All the best for the festive season. Kevin
On 12/18/16, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog
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Reblogged this on newauthoronline and commented:
Many thanks to Chris Graham (AKA the Story Reading Ape) for publishing my guest post about how to obtain and do a radio interview.
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Many thanks Chris for publishing my guest post, which is much appreciated. Best wishes, Kevin
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Welcome Kevin
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Thank you for sharing your experience, Kevin. Most helpful and most appreciated. Shared across my pages 🙂
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Glad you found it helpful Tina and many thanks for sharing. Best wishes. Kevin
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Happy Holidays, Kev ♥
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Thank you Tina. You too, have a wonderful festive season. Kevin
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You are a natural when speaking on the radio, Kevin. It was a pleasure to hold the space for you.
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Thank you Annette. It was a pleasure being interviewed by you and thank you again for interviewing me. Best wishes, Kevin
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Great post, Ape! The obvious advice that many don’t take is to make SURE you make time to listen to every single show from the moment you are invited until you “appear.” As much as we hate interviews where the host obviously hasn’t read the book, they hate guests who don’t seem to know much about their show – and listeners love it when you mention something that indicates you listen too.
RE: Q&A prep — In my experience, it ‘s always best to prepare and send a list of interview questions AND the direction of your answers, whether they ask for it or not — NOT ’til you’ve heard they want you, ‘natch, but soon after. (Always begin and end with a polite statement that, OF COURSE, they are welcome to ask anything they like, here are a few Q&As to cut down on their prep time.)
BOTH of you come out looking better thanks to the prep questions, even if they are only used as ice-breakers and segues. It is *especially* helpful to the hosts and show-runners of call-in shows. The ANSWERS, btw, give them a heads-up and better sense of how to guide the segment in directions in which they already know their listeners are interested (and away from those they know could be unpopular). You make the host look good and they will more than return the favor.
MOST of my interview experience is from back in my acting days, but I’ve had more than a few turns at the mic since becoming a coaching front-runner. I think they’re fun – which seems to be the best way to approach them.
Merry Christmas to you, your loved ones, and all your readers.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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I am glad you liked my guest post. You make a good point as regards listening to shows prior to appearing on them. In one instance I knew the interviewer had read my book as they had contacted me long before I approached them about a potential interview. In the other case I sent a copy of the book by email with a polite note saying that I thought they might like to see my work prior to the interview taking place. Best wishes. Kevin
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Pleased to meetcha’ Kevin – and thanks for responding.
Great idea to email the book – did you also include a brief synopsis? Even a quick thumb through the Cliff Notes beats, “I’m sorry, I ran out of time” – with a STICK. lol 🙂
The thing for all of us to remember is that we need each other – they need great content and we need exposure. So the more we can help them fill their need, the better they can help us fill ours.
Merry/Happy EVERYTHING!
xx,
mgh
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I didn’t include a synopsis as the book is a collection of poems and therefore difficult to summarise (but not impossible). Including a synopsis is certainly something to think about the next time I contact a radio station, magazine, blog etc. Happy festive season. Kevin
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I agree about the “difficulty” of summarizing poetry – turning it into prose kind of misses the point entirely!
Maybe just a suggestion of one or two of the poems that would make for an interesting discussion because of the subject matter – or grouping a few by some category not already obvious in the book? Anything to, hopefully, interest them in a good read of your work, if at all possible.
xx,
mgh
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Thanks for the helpful suggestion. All the best. Kevin
On 12/18/16, Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog
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All the best with your writing. xx, mgh
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