How to Interview

7 places to stay off the sauce if reporters are present

6/28/2010 By Joan 6 Comments

Journalists and booze don’t mix.

Just look at what happened to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was dumb enough to let an investigative freelancer for Rolling Stone into his inner circle and conduct a tape-recorded interview—over drinks.

Never, ever drink while interviewing with a reporter. That’s a lesson in Interviewing 101 and keeping the media wolves at bay.

But you need to be on your guard even if you aren’t being interviewed, and booze and reporters are present. Many people incorrectly assume that if they don’t see a reporter scribbling in a notebook, the interview, or anything they say, is off the record. Assume that everything you say in front of journalists is on the record, or don’t say it.

Loose lips sink ships.

Here are seven situations when you must stay away from reporters if you’re drinking, or stay away from alcohol if you’re talking to anyone in the media.

1. After-work networking events
The media sometimes attend these events, often hosted by the local chamber of commerce. Smart reporters know how to make nice with you and get you talking. If you aren’t holding a drink in your hand, and you’re busy prattling on about your business, they can slyly lead you to the bar and offer you a drink.

2. Events hosted by the media
Business journals and other business magazines generate a large portion of their revenue from these events, and reporters and editors are everywhere. It’s a great chance to schmooze with the media, but only if you aren’t drinking.

3. Local and national Press Club dinners and special events
Reporters and editors have a well-deserved reputation for boozing it up at Press Club dinners and awards ceremonies. I recommend that anyone who wants publicity consider attending these events, often open to the public, because you can establish valuable relationships with the media—sober.

4. Trade shows
If you’re attending a trade show, you should do your homework and touch base with reporters who you know will be at the show so you can meet them for coffee, offer your expertise and find out what they need from you. Beware, however, of evening cocktail parties hosted by the trade show’s sponsor, where food and booze are plentiful.

5. Conferences and conventions the media cover

Opportunities abound for getting into trouble, from sitting next to a reporter during dinner to joining a group of people that includes journalists at a local tavern, at the end of the day.

6. Fund-raisers and black-tie dinners

Reporters sometimes attend these dinners to cover them, and newspaper and magazine executives often attend them as guests.

7. The “lunch” or “dinner” interview.

If reporters want to interview you over lunch or dinner, that’s usually OK. And if they want to drink, that’s their choice. But don’t even think of having just a half glass of wine. You must be at the top of your game, on point, and coherent.

What situations can you add to this list? If you’re a PR person, what advice do you give to your clients?

Filed Under: How to Interview, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, PR Consultants/Publicists, TV Publicity Tagged With: How to Interview, media interviews, networking events, press club, reporter interviews, reporters and alcohol, trade show PR, trade shows

10 magic questions to hook the media

5/17/2010 By Joan 2 Comments

The next time a journalist is interviewing you, or a blogger is interested in an idea you’re pitching, ask this question: “Do you need other sources?”

They love that question because it shows you’re trying to make their job easy and you don’t want to hog the media spotlight. If you can provide a name, email address and phone number for an expert or source who you know would agree to be interviewed, you’ll position yourself as helpful.

After 22 years working at newspapers, I can tell you that almost NOBODY asks that.

Here’s another question that people almost never ask: “Are you looking for photo ideas?”

Those two questions area among 10 magic phrases to use with the media. I’ll explain all of them when I present the 90-minute webinar, “How to REALLY Use Publicity as an Online Marketing Channel and ZIG When Everyone Else is ZAGGING,” from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, May 19.

This session is perfect for beginner and intermediate self-promoters. I presented it a few weeks ago to Stompernet, the association of Internet marketers, to rave reviews. Come with your questions and I’ll answer them all, either during or after the call.

I’ll also explain the missing link—how to create relationships with journalists and bloggers. And I’ll share my favorite free tools that help you know instantly which journalists need sources with your expertise, and how to contact them.

The session will be recorded, and you can watch the video replay after the call. Register here.

What other questions or phrases do you think are useful to use when speaking with journalists or bloggers?

(Shutterstock illustration)

Filed Under: Blogs, How to Interview, Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, Photos & Graphics, Pitching the Media

Learn words for persuasive PR during May 4 teleseminar

4/26/2010 By Joan Leave a Comment

Company PR departments spend hours—entire days even—poring over a press release, picking apart every paragraph and sentence—and then waiting for multiple layers of approval before it goes live.

Everyone puts their stamp of approval on the document that includes words and phrases THEY like. If only the readers were that receptive.

The next time you write a press release, or copy for marketing materials, or your CEO’s next speech, don’t guess about whether the message will resonate. Know exactly which words and phrases drive persuasive communications.

Word wizard Dr. Frank Luntz will discuss “Words That Work in the Press, Politics & Public Relations” during an audio teleconference at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 4, hosted by Bulldog Reporter. Registration is $99 per person. You can lean more and register here.

If Luntz looks familiar, it’s probably because he’s been a guest on almost every talk show in America, including Meet the Press, Nightline, The Today Show, Charlie Rose, The Jim Lehrer News Hour, The O’Reilly Factor, Tavis Smiley, Montel Williams, and Hardball. He also served as a consultant to the award-winning NBC hit show “The West Wing.”

The “Instant Response” focus group technique Luntz pioneered, in which focus group respondents “dial” their approval or disapproval on hand-held gadgets, has been profiled on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America (on Election Day 2008) and on the award-winning PBS show Frontline.

His focus groups have become so influential that presidential candidate Barack Obama had this to say following the PBS presidential debate, “When Frank Luntz invites you to talk to his focus group, you talk to his focus group.”

During next Tuesday’s call, you’ll learn how to grab your audiences’ attention and, ultimately, influence their behavior. You’ll also discover how to maximize what Luntz e calls “ROL” (return on language) in areas ranging from corporate reputation and employee satisfaction to product development and media relations.

Filed Under: How to Interview, PR Consultants/Publicists, Press Releases/News Releases, Public Service Announcements, Writing Articles Tagged With: Bulldog Reporter, Dr. Frank Luntz, persuasive language, pollster, PR language

Resource links experts with radio shows that need guests

2/11/2010 By Joan 9 Comments

If you’re a guest expert, or a PR person who represents an expert, and you’re looking for radio talk shows and podcasts that need guests, don’t pitch only the big shows.

Many of them are difficult to book, and you might be far better off trying to get onto shows that reach niched audiences.

Check out RadioGuestList.com.  You can use this site several ways.

How to be on a show

Experts, authors and PR firms searching for the right shows can sign up here. Whenever a talk show is looking for guests, RadioGuestList will notify you.

How to find guests for your show

If you’re a radio show booker, podcaster, talk radio host or TV producer who needs guests, submit your talk show booking opportunities here. RadioGuesetList will email its list of guest experts, authors and PR firms so that experts who are a good fit for your show can email you directly.

How to see which shows are available

On the homepage, you can see a list of categories on the right side. I clicked on a few of them and saw lots of opportunities for authors, musicians, small business people and Internet marketers to appear as guests. If you have an area of expertise, you’ll find something here that’s a good fit.

The site is maintained by Scott Fox, an author and Internet marketer. Check out his 10 tips on how to use social networking to market your product or service. You can also follow RadioGuestList on Twitter.

Never done a radio interview before? George McKenzie, a former radio talk show host, offered tips galore when I interviewed him about how to get onto drive-time radio shows and ace the interview so that the host invites you back.

Have you used RadioGuestList.com? Share your success stories here.

Filed Under: Authors & Publishers, Business Promotion, How to Interview, Media Leads, PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, Publicity Resources, Radio Publicity, Social media marketing, TV Publicity Tagged With: george mckenzie, get booked on radio, podcaster, radio guests, RadioGuestList.com, scott fox

Ebooks offer talk radio contact info for specific niches

12/1/2009 By Joan Leave a Comment

radiomicrophone2 If you’re trying to get onto radio talk shows to promote your book, product, service, cause or issue—and you’re on a tight budget—a series of inexpensive ebooks will help you locate the contact information for shows in specific niches.

Talk radio advocate Francine Silverman has based the ebooks on her book, Talk Radio Wants You: An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited (McFarland & Co. 2009).

The ebooks include the show theme and guest criteria, which is usually missing from radio websites, in addition to title of show, name of host, email, phone (optional), website, best method of contact, and where the show is aired. You’ll also find information on Internet radio shows.

“Naturally, there are more shows in the book in every category, but as more questionnaires are returned, the number of shows in the ebooks are likely to surpass the book’s,” Silverman says. “The business ebook, for example, has 53 shows, compared to the book’s 49.”

Even though some of these shows are small, Publicity Hounds can use these gigs as practice sessions. Appearing on TV and radio talk shows in smaller markets lets you make your mistakes, and learn from them, in front of much smaller audiences. Then, and only then, will you be ready to hit the big-time talk shows in the top markets.

The ebooks include information for these niches:

Business
53 shows, ($20). Covers workplace issues, innovation, entrepreneurship, business strategies, careers, finance, small business, sales, home-based businesses, investments, insurance, money management and real estate.

Entertainment
30 shows ($12). Covers art, fashion, movies, music and comedy.

Politics
25 shows ($12). Covers conservative, liberal and Libertarian politics; current events; the Constitution; and pop culture.

Self-Help
27 shows ($12). Covers overs personal and professional goals, growth and empowerment, emotional freedom techniques, motivation, creativity, living one’s calling, making for a better world, transforming your life, and self-realization.

Health
20 shows ($12). Covers healthy living and lifestyles, fitness, health as a business advantage, natural healing, alternative medicine, medical travel, issues, education and treatment, and overcoming adversities.

New Age
35 shows ($15). Covers astrology, metaphysics, Tarot, Angels, psychic development, paranormal, parapsychology, holistic health, healing, mysticism, occult, mediums and more.

Customers will receive five free updates when Silverman gets information on five new shows in that niche.

To buy the book, pay by PayPal to franalive@optonline.net. Or send a check payable to Francine Silverman to P.O. Box 1333, Riverdale, New York, NY 10471. She’ll email you your book when she receives your check.

I asked Francine for three sample listings, and here’s what she gave me.

Bob Hardcastle’s Money Talk

Name of Host: Bob Hardcastle

Theme: Financial

Where Aired: KFNS 590, St. Louis, Missouri

Guest Profile: Banking & Finance, Investment, Real estate, Commodities professionals

Email: delta@moneytalk.org

Website: http://www.moneytalk.org

Phone: 636-532-0484

Best Method of Contact: Phone

The Art Rocks!

Talk Show Name of Host: Philly Joe Swendoza & Co-Host Alexandra Rosa (Executive Producer)

Where Aired: WS Radio

Theme: “Where art, fashion and Lifestyles collide”

Guest Profile: Someone in our related genre, rock stars, celebrities, people who want to showcase their product or service on our show as it takes the form of an Infomercial.

Email: alexandra@artrocks247.com

Website: http://www.artrocks247.com and http://www.wsradio.com/artrocks

Phone: 619-890-254

Best Method of Contact: Email

Mission Unstoppable Radio

Name of Host: Unstoppable Frankie Picasso

Theme: Inspiring stories to help folks be Unstoppable

Where Aired: Blog Talk Radio

Guest Profile: Authors (preferred) who have been unstopppable in their lives, attaining their goals, overcoming tragedy or who help others, i.e., business, crime, music, religion, spouse abuse; all categories are open.

Email: coachpicasso@rogers.com

Website: http://www.instituteforquantumliving.com and http://www.unstoppableplanet.com

Phone: 519-267-2493

Best Method of Contact: Send books to 839 Avenue Rd, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S4 Intiial contact. Email is best.

Filed Under: How to Interview, Pitching the Media, Publicity Resources, Radio Publicity Tagged With: blog talk radio, radio contact information, talk radio shows