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.

Jill Starishevsky of New York, NY writes:

“I am a prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes in New York City.  I wrote a children’s book called My Body Belongs to Me to teach children that if someone touches them inappropriately, they should tell a parent or teacher right away. 

“In a non-threatening, engaging manner, this guide establishes boundaries and teaches kids that when it comes to their body, there are some parts that are for ‘no one else to see’ and empowers them to tell a parent or teacher if someone touches them inappropriately. 

“Most importantly, this narrative assures young ones that sexual molestation is not their fault, and by speaking out, the child will continue to grow big and strong.  A ‘Suggestions for the Storyteller’ section is also included to help lead a comfortable discussion afterward.

“How can I promote this book in traditional and social media?”

(Read more about how to submit your own question to this blog.)

If you’re trying to get onto local radio stations, but you don’t have money to spend on advertising, offer the station free recorded 30-second  spots filled with valuable how-to information their listeners will enjoy.

Tie it into a month of the year that’s related to your topic, and you just might generate some valuable free exposure for next to nothing.

This is more difficult to do today than it would have been 10 years ago because radio stations, like their brethren in the print media, are seeing ad revenues plummet. But I know some local radio stations still do trade-outs with local vendors, so that might be an alternative to asking them to just hand over free air time.

I was reminded of this tip when Beverly Belury, who has been through my mentor program, wrote this week asking what I thought about an idea that her husband, leadership consultant John Hersey, was considering:

“Motivational speaker Earl Nightingale’s wife lives in our little town and having met her last week reminded John of a dream he had. He loves Earl’s inspiration thoughts that were frequently on radio stations.  They were quick spots that the station used as filler. 

“John would like to do something along the same lines.  John has developed oodles of thoughtful quotes and inspirational thoughts on self leadership over the last 12 or so years and we are thinking about giving them to radio stations to use as they want. 

“We would send out a dozen or so professionally done audio spots a month. First, is there a challenge in what we want to do. Would you recommend 30-, 45- or 60-second spots or even longer? Do you think this is a worthwhile project?”

Her question jogged my memory. I remembered a teleseminar I had conducted several years ago with Dan Collins, media relalations director at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. It was called How to Make Hospital PR an Easy Pill to Swallow.

During the call, Dan explained how he ad gotten thousands of dollars in free publicity for his hospital by doing something similar to what Beverly had asked me about. His strategy was successful, and there’s no reason why it can’t work for you, too, depending on the product, service, cause or issue you’re trying to promote, and the type of station you’re targeting.

Here’s an excerpt from the transcript that explains what Dan did an how he did it:

Dan Collins: I contacted WLIF, which is a leading light station here in Baltimore and I contacted the news director and I said, “Hey, where you aware about this being National Nutrition Week?” I called this particular news director because I happen to know that fitness was a pet thing for her.  In fact, she was seeing a personal trainer that I had recommended and that I’ve worked with here at Mercy and have done some media for. I knew that it was something near and dear to her heart and I said, “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. If you think this is interesting, we can provide you with a dietitian who could come in and give you a series of tips, throughout the whole course of the month, about how to stay fit and what to eat and what not to eat. What would you think about that?” 

She said, “Well, that would be great,” because that way she could run a spot every day.  The person could come in and tape them all at once, do it in one shot.  “If it would be easier, do you want us to write it or do you want to write it?” she asked. ”Oh no, we’ll write it,” I said. 

Obviously, we’ll write the piece, that way we can control the script.  And so we did, and the dietitian recorded the various tips and made sure to plug Mercy in each spot and “if you’d like to find out more, call Mercy Medical Center at 1-800-MD-MERCY. 

They ran these every day for the whole month and it didn’t cost us anything.  If we had booked this as commercial time, it would have cost thousands of dollars, but because it was something that was near and dear to the news director’s heart, I was able to convince them that this would be a fun thing to do. It would be one less thing each day that they would have to worry about filling. So we looked at it from the station’s viewpoint and really got some nice publicity.

Joan: You had one spot aired each day?

Dan: Yes.

Joan: For a month?

Dan: Yes.

Joan:  Hospitals probably don’t even have to do that just during National Nutrition Week.  You can probably find all different kinds of days, weeks and months of the year to tie into.

Dan:  Oh, absolutely. I’ve got the schedule hanging up on my wall. I’m looking at it now.  We’re in August, which is Cataract Awareness Month. It’s also Medical Alert Awareness Month and Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month.  You’ve always got to look ahead and see what’s coming up.  Radio is an underutilized medium. 

The whole world of radio may change, but with this new sort of cable—you hear about cable radio, satellite radio—I don’t know how that’s going to ultimately change everything, but in the land of free radio, many stations have news directors and public service programming that they have to fill. 

Health is always a story, and as we’ve noted, doctors are hard to get a hold of.  You can call up a station and say: “Hey, it’s Healthy Lung Month and I have a pulmonary specialist who can talk to you about it. Did you know, for example, there’s enough nicotine in a single cigar to kill you three times over? And talk about things like that.” Then they’re going to say, “Well, you know, it’s great.”

Joan:  There are two really good resources out there for finding these special days, weeks and months of the year that you can tie your hospital experts into or your hospital into.  The first and probably the most popular is called the Chase’s Calendar of Events, and it’s about as big as a small phone book. You can find it at Chases.com.

There’s another book that was written by John Kremer called Celebrate Today.  I think you can even search by the month and come up with all kinds of interesting days, weeks and months of the year to tie your press releases and story ideas into.

Dan:  Absolutely.

As for John Hersey, he needs to remember that business topics generally aren’t a big draw for local radio stations. But because he’s a motivational speaker, he might offer inspirational messages for mass audiences, instead. Good luck, John! Be sure to let me know if you’re successful.  

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.

National Public Radio, with its hundreds of shows, offers opportunities galore for people to pitch a story about their product, service, cause or issue.

But here’s an important caveat: Don’t pitch to more than one show at the same time.

That was one of several tips from (Ms.) Alex Cohen, a reporter and local host for “All Things Considered,” at KPCC-FM in Los Angeles, in an article for Bulldog Reporter.

“Don’t send the same pitch to a bunch of reporters in the same general area. If you send me something and I like it, but discover it’s already been pitched and accepted by one of the talk shows on my station, then you’ve wasted my time and put me in an awkward situation with my own colleagues.”

Are you listening, authors? Eager publicists who are pitching your book, particularlyone that ties into a hot breaking news story, might be tempted to pitch multiple NPR outlets concurrently.

“If you pitch a book to both ‘Morning Edition’ and ‘All Things Considered’ at the same time and both shows are interested, one will have to back down.”

Book publicist Lissa Warren, who I interviewed during a teleseminar on how to get booked on National Public Radio, says one of the best ways to find shows that are good candidates for your pitch is to use the search box at the NPR site. NPR will deliver a list of shows, and you can spend your time listening to them to find out which are the best fit.

Make a list of shows you want to pitch, with your preferred shows at the top of the list, and then pitch one at a time. If, within several days, you hear nothing, pitch another show.

If you sell a consumer product or service that would make a great gift for the holidays, this is the perfect time to take advantage of a 25 percent discount to The Gift List, a subscription service that provides pitching tips and contact information for hundreds of media outlets that are planning special gift coverage.  

“This year more than ever, we’ve seen later deadlines at some very large national outlets,” says Amy Bates Stumpf. “And if you haven’t already noticed, the short leads for print outlets, including weekly national publications like People and US Weekly, regional publications, weekly and daily newspapers, are starting to show up online as we talk to editors about their upcoming plans for the holidays.”

Her media lists deliver contacts for national and regional magazines, the top 250 daily newspapers, news wires and syndicates, national television, and national radio, as well as a list for websites and blogs.

Amy says it’s still early for some newspapers and regional publications, which is why you’ll see additions to the list throughout the end of October.  “We’ve also started hearing from our broadcast outlets and will continue to load these as they make the decisions for holiday content.”

She’s offering the discouint for either the Print & Broadcast list or the Web & Blog list because Publicity Hounds might feel like they’ve missed out on the call for early pitches.

Lots of books on PR dole out advice on how to generate publicity, but few encourage the reader to take the next step needed to reach a particular goal.

Power Up with PR—A publicity guide for artists by Jackie Abramian does just that. The 105-page softcover book (ArtNetworkPress, $14.95) is packed with information on how artists can claim their share of publicity in traditional media. 

Except for a short section on blogging, you won’t find anything on how to promote yourself in social media. If you’re after publicity in newspapers, magazines, and on TV and radio, however, this book shows you how to get it.   

On Pages 92 and 93, the author gives examples of four main PR goals, and the four steps necessary to reach each one of them.

Goal #1: Exhibit in local galleries

1: Research local galleries, including studying their websites and visiting their galleries.

2:  Include local galleries on your mailing list.

3: Contact local galleries to enquire about an exhibit.

4: Hold an Open Studio to introduce galleries to your work.
         
        
Goal #2: Get a media review of your exhibit.

1. Write a catchy press release.

2. Decide on a great visual.

3. Send to media and follow up.

4. Ask an art editor to review your exhibit.

    
Goal #3: Publish one of your artworks in a local newspaper or magazine, with a caption that includes title, medium and price.

1. Find local publications with art features.

2. Submit your best visuals with captions.

3. Follow up with the editor to pitch your art.

4. Ask if they would use your artwork for the cover. (This is gutsy, but it might work! You never know when plans for another cover photo have fallen apart.)

          
Goal #4: Reach national media

1. Research appropriate out-of-state galleries to contact.

2. Submit artwork for review to 10 such galleries.

3. Let local and distant media know about your shows.

4. Use the one show you receive to get more shows.

The author then gives artists a “fill in the blanks” page where they can list their annual PR goals and steps needed to meet them.

The book also features stories about other artists’ media successes, charts to help track of media contacts, examples of press releases that will help you write your own, information on how to compile a targeted media list, and more than 300 national media contacts.

Jackie and her husband own Haley Farm Art Gallery in Kittery, Me. As a PR and marketing consultant, she conducts seminars for artists and entrepreneurs. She has created successful media strategies for national and global organizations, as well as for individual artists.

In the resources section, Abramian mentioned my free email course on how to write press releases, as well as my free publicity newsletter, The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week.  (Also see How Artists Can Sell More Artwork through Online and Offline Publicity.)

Ever since the news of Michael Jackson’s death, my brain won’t  stop humming his songs.

The news—and his music—are everywhere.  I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan, and I’m devouring the musical tributes on cable. But enough is enough already.

My sister says the same thing is happening to her. Some nights, it’s so bad she can’t fall asleep. In my own brain, the annoying “ABC” keeps trying to drown out “Rock with You,” my favorite Michael Jackson song.

I know we’re not alone. So how about turning it into a publicity opportunity?

This is a perfect time for psychologists, sleep experts, music teachers and even musicians and band members to offer some tips on how get certain songs out of our heads.

Pitch the story to morning drive-time deejays. It would make a fun call-in topic. I remember listening to several shows like this in which callers were encouraged to name the WORST song they’ve ever heard—you know, the one that just won’t stop playing inside their heads. These shows are hysterical. See How to Get onto Drive-Time Radio Shows.

What’s the worst song you’ve ever heard, the one that makes you crazy?

When a producer calls you and needs you to fill in for a guest who has canceled, move a mountain if you must, and say yes.

That’s what I did when Jon Missall of VoiceAmerica Business Network called yesterday afternoon and asked if I’d serve as a fill-in on the PRInsider show this morning with Maureen Kedes. Someone canceled, and they needed confirmation, within 30 minutes, that I could appear along with a guest of my choosing.

Of course, I said yes.

I invited Michelle Tennant of Wasabi Publicity, who has a string of A+ media hits to her credit, along with a really fun style. We’ll be a great team. And I know we’re on the same track because she was in The Publicity Hound Mentor Program for several years.

We’ll talk about a half dozen or so of the most important things Publicity Hounds must do to generate online and offline publicity. Michelle will share recent successes she has had getting her clients—including authors, nonprofits and small business owners— onto NBC in Dallas, AOL Canada, Good Morning America, the Colorado Business Journal, Dr. Phil and in other online and offline media.

The show will be at noon Eastern Time and you can listen here. I hope you join us.

If you write books, or you want to write one, don’t even think about catching the attention of a major publisher unless you have what’s called platform.

The bigger your platform, the greater your influence and following. It’s that simple. 

You can build your platform dozens of ways online and offline. One way is by having your own radio show. I can’t begin to count the number of Internet radio hosts who have invited me to be a guest on their shows. I always say yes because I never know who might be listening.

Traditional radio has big pay-offs, too. I’ve gathered hundreds and perhaps thousands of email addresses from people who have heard me on radio shows. A local business talk show here in Milwaukee invited me as a guest, and a listener who heard me called and asked if I’d create a PR campaign for him. I’m not a publicist but referred him to one of my friends, who ended up with a $15,000 contract.

Even if you’re not an author, having your own radio show can be downright impressive to potential clients and meeting planners who hire speakers. 

Radio show a path to stardom

Over the years, this proven marketing strategy has worked for such diverse personalities as Oprah, Dr. Ruth, Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Phil, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Dr. Laura and many others. In fact, one of the best ways to get media attention is to become a member of the media yourself.

To discover how to get started hosting your own show, join my friend Steve Harrison of Radio-TV Interview Report (RTIR) for a free 90-minute telephone seminar at your choice of two times on Thursday, March 26, on “How to Get Started Hosting Your Own Radio Show For Fame, Fortune and Fun!”

On the call, you’ll hear Steve interview radio veteran Martin Wales, who’s hosted a number of different shows on both traditional and Internet radio. You will learn:

• The pros and cons hosting on traditional radio station vs. Internet radio
     
• Common mistakes to avoid either way you go.
     
• How one Internet radio host parlayed her show into a trip to the White House and meeting with the president in the Oval Office.
     
• Why you don’t even need to leave home to host your own show.
     
• How to make money with your show even if you have few listeners to start.
     
• Why recent technological advances mean you should really consider having your own show—even if your subject is extremely specialized.
     
•  Martin’s ‘Leapfrog Strategy’ wherein you start on a small station then continually move up to increasingly larger audiences.
     
• How to get freebies and press passes to special events by having your own show.
     
• Strategies for quickly generating sponsorship revenue for new shows.
      
• Got a business you’re promoting?  How one mortgage broker saw his business skyrocket after he started hosting his own show.

And if you need a guest…

If you end up with your own show, don’t forget about me. I’d love to be a guest and share my best publicity tips with your audience.

I typically do shows on how to promote your expertise online and offlne, blogging, social networking, and how to write press releases.