Promote Your Business On Television & Radio

By Kenny Love
Posted Monday, October 25, 2004

How would you like to not only promote your business on television and radio, but also become a local, regional, or even national celebrity at the same time?

Think it can't be done? Think again. I will show you exactly how to do just that, as I have done quite a number of television interviews, and far too many radio interviews to count.

Now, no matter what you do, promote, or sell, there is probably a television or radio program that will interview you for it.

However, most people tend to think that television and radio are only for established celebrities, or that they must find an "inside" connection, or must spend exorbitant amounts of money on a professional publicity firm in order to crack these media.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth, as I am living proof of it. I suppose I have always been a bit of a media ham/hound, take your pick of the terms, for I have been doing television and radio interviews for almost ten years. And, it is a very simple process, and one that I thoroughly enjoy.

Following, is a layout of the steps for you to begin approaching this invaluable level of media for bringing dramatically more attention to your venture(s).

* One point of note that should be stressed, is that you will experience greater results and success IF you can put a "news" or "public benefit" spin on what you have to offer, and not simply convey that your sole intent is to "sell" a product or service.

You should also consider incorporating special discounts or even "freebie" offers for viewers and listeners to further entice prospects to your offer. So, let's begin with the "how to" process.

Television

1. Pick up you local television guide, or even better, search online, and carefully review any locally or regionally produced programs such as morning shows or news programs. You want to list each of these down on paper.

2. Next, get the station telephone numbers, call them up, and inquire the name of each show's producer, and/or the news director for newscasts. You will probably find there is more than one newscast, with each newscast hour having a different director. The more, the merrier.

3. Inform the producer or news director of the offer you have that you feel would be newsworthy and something the viewers or listeners would be interested in.

4. The producer/news director will, at that point, ask you to send more information, generally, in the form of a news release or, more appropriately, a media kit. Make sure yours is top-notch. If for any reason you cannot reach the producer or news director personally, ask the receptionist or an assistant to provide you with their name, as well as the station contact address.

5. Next, be patient. By all means, don't repeatedly hound them in the interest of getting an interview. This will only serve to alienate any future possibility. If they are interested, and you have done a good job of convincing them, they WILL call you. Also, keep in mind that the time frames of them contacting you can vary from 1 week to 1 year, as they are required to produce segments ahead of time.

Radio

Basically, ditto for radio, except whereas the average person is, generally, financially restricted to local television (regional at best), you can (and should) approach radio, literally, on a worldwide basis. How?

Well, radio has as much, if not more, of an advantage because most interviews today, can (and are) conducted via telephone, thus, eliminating your need to travel and incur expense. I, personally, have done almost 100 radio interviews promoting one particular product, or another.

Following up your initial contact, the same way as you do with television, once your radio interview is scheduled, you wait by the phone on the date scheduled. By all means, if you have small children in your home, try to arrange for them to be in a different location during your interview. Also, try to eliminate as much noise as possible within your own environment, outside and inside your home.

Another thing, is that the station pays for the phone call. The producer/news director will call you approximately 10-15 minutes ahead of time and have you wait while they "set-up" the show. During this time, you will be able to hear the outgoing program, as well as hearing the incoming program you are to be a guest on. You will also hear them introduce you to their listenership.

If it is your first time being interviewed, whether on radio or television, the chance is good that you will be nervous. But, don't let this hold you back because once the virgin interview is done, you are generally comfortable from that point forward.

Again, I have an incredible amount of fun doing both radio and television interviews. My interviews via radio have been as far away as South Africa to date, while I sit in the comfort of my own home in Texas.

Below are several web sites where you can have access to radio stations, followed by a research of their programs. The web site addresses listed at numbers 3 and 4, also contain television contacts. What you want to locate, are radio stations with the formats of "Talk" and/or "Interview." With the television stations, simply review their online schedules, much as you would a local television guide.

1. (http://www.radiodirectory.com)

2. (http://www.radio-directory.com)

3. (http://ajrnewslink.org)

4. (http://www.gebbieinc.com)

If you are not utilizing the television and radio mediums to bring attention to your business, products, or services, you are, indeed, doing yourself a tremendous injustice.

So, there you go. Knock yourself out and have an abundance of fun with the media that most people are unfamiliar with or unaware of how to take complete advantage of.

About the Author
Kenny Love, of Kenny Love Enterprises. Provider of diversified information, products, and resources. See the extensive web site at (http://www.kennylove.net).