Now we're going to dive into some real specifics for leveraging your interview with the broadcasting mediums of television and radio. Both of which are rarely explored by fiction authors, because they don't know understand how to tap into the power they offer.

Television

    You recall how I mentioned those three key message points. Well, their important in broadcast too, but a study at UCLA revealed that 93% of the message an audience receives from television is from your non-verbal cues and attitude when you're in front of the camera. You're image and perception it creates is as vital as your verbal message. This is not to say that the words you say during your interview aren't important-they are. In essence that 7% is the engine that drives the interview.
    This is why professional trainers suggest you wear age appropriate clothing. Avoid flashy jewelry, Small prints and white which don't look good on camera. Primary colors tend to work best. When you are working with television and radio requires new way of talking and selling. The reductive process of the media is like talking to the wrong end of a megaphone. You need to condense, condense, condense-which is where your three tightly-worded key points will be the most helpful.
    Let's say you're lucky enough to score an appearance on Oprah. Since her show format usually includes several guests each time, as well as comments and questions from the audience, you can expect about four minutes if you're lucky. With Oprah's intro, comments and segues to commercials you'll get about 2 min 45 sec. of actual time to talk. This gives you an understanding of why it's so critical to distill your message down and repeat it often.
    To give you an idea of how the process works, a television show traditionally has gotten a press kit from your publicist. Those materials are received by a segment producer, who's usually a female in her 20s. She takes the material and goes through it. The press kit is the blueprint for the interview, since they don't usually read the book. The press kit should give q and a, the focus for the audience and an introduction of you. The segment producer will then create questions for the talent on cue cards or the little 4x6 blue cards you see them holding. She'll probably go through the book, picking out interesting things. The talent gets this maybe the night before, more often that day. You'll arrive and wait in what's known as the green room, which is usually a vending machine stocked waiting area. The only info they have is your press kit, which is a good thing since you put it together. You'll then be brought in live onto the show. You'll get about two minutes on air, then there will be a cut for a commercial. When they come back from commercial, you'll be re-introduced and talked to for another forty-five seconds, then you're gone.
    Your goal in those precious few seconds should be to get control of the interview. You don't control the questions, but you sure as hell control the answers. You're going to need to control the venue to be able to get your points across in that 2-min—45-sec window of opportunity. If you're busy answering the questions the way they're asked, you're going to waste about two minutes of your time.
    You can control the interview with the following tools:
    1. Know Your Key Message. This is your most important tool. Ask yourself what is your primary core message point? It should be your overarching theme or thought you want to leave behind. Every sample you give, every message, must key back to your main point no matter what. Every question that you get should work back toward that main point in the answer. How can you do this?
    2. The Two Step. Take the question and make it work for you. Directly respond to the question the reporter asks, but instead of stopping there you change the subject. Fred Astaire was a master at this. Whenever he was asked which leading lady he enjoyed dancing with most he'd answer, "Well, gee, I can't answer that, but what I can tell you is what they all had in common..." The chances of returning to the original question are slim, because you've answered it directly even if it wasn't the answer your host was expecting. Tom Alderman, a professional media trainer for television in Southern California calls this the Fred Astaire two step. Some additional two-step phrases you can use are:

• "That's important, but point is..."
• "I'm glad you asked that."
• "The real issue here is..."
• "That's true, but the way I see it is..."
• "That's an interesting question."

    The two step is a phrase that validates what has been asked of you, but take the conversation where you want it to go.
    3. Go Back to Your Writing Roots. We all know that it's the details that give a book life. It's not a car parked next to a tree, it's a run-down station wagon with a blown-out tire by an old twisted oak. Global statements and big promises aren't going to get through to the media's audience. If you say romance is big business, no one is going to get it. It's not going to connect with your audience through the reductive process on an emotional level. Tell them that romance is a billion dollar a year industry and without it bookstores couldn't afford to stock other fiction genres and you'll get their attention. You are creating emotional Velcro by using details. It's like going back to good story telling. Give them the details. Let the specific lead to the general comment you're trying to make, so that when you tell us the general theme there's a FACE to remember.
    4. Repetition. On television, what you see appears to be an interesting conversation. It's not. They're creating a segment for their audience and you're selling. It's your opportunity to lay out your key message. In general the first question is a soft ball, meaning something easy to answer like do you like your work, where do you live etc., unless the talent has an attitude. They want to know that you're going to lead them. In television and radio it is critical to repeat yourself more than you would in normal conversation. This is especially critical in a taped interview. You'll need to repeat your key message points as many times as you can so that some of it remains when they edit the tape. In Clinton's second inaugural address he used the phrase "Bridge to the 21st century" 28 times. His speechwriters wanted to make sure that no matter how television news cut the speech for a sound bite, that message would come across.
    5. The Alignment Technique. When the question you are asked carries with it a genuine concern, you don't dismiss it. The first place you go is to validate the concern. By doing this you are creating an emotionally receptive platform. The audience wants to know that you get it; that you are a concerned, sensitive human being who responds to others. By responding to the emotions of the interviewer's question (but not necessarily answering it directly), you give the audience the sense that you are sympathetic.
    6. Pauses are a Powerful Ally. When in an interview, take appropriate pauses before or after a key thought or word to give it emphasis. That brief lapse in time signals people on a subconscious level to pay attention to what you have said or are going to say.
    7. The Descriptive Scene. Many times you're going to be asked what is your favorite scene in the book or an important scene. Choose a grabbing scene that distills the flavor of the entire book and gives the details viewers can hold onto and remember.
    8. Asking the Questions. It's as important for you to ask questions as answer them. Before you go on camera take time to ask questions of the reporter or host. What is the reporter like? What types of questions do they have? How knowledgeable are they about the subject or industry?
    9. The Sound Bite. A well thought-out sound bite is a reductive phrase that opens up much more than just the words themselves. Johnny Cochran's phrase "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" was a prime example of a sound bite. Not only was he using it to key the audience in on the rush to judgment, but in another context he meant specifically that if the glove didn't fit, neither did the crime. When you hear a well-developed sound bite, it opens up the meaning beyond it the words used. It doesn't have to rhyme like Cochran's sound bite but it does need to be repeated often and lead back to your key messages.
    As I stated before, you need to drawn your audience in by answering a problem, pointing to an opportunity or exploding a myth.
    If you're aiming to get on daytime talk shows such as Oprah, Leeza, Rosie, etc., there are specific topics categories that really catch their attention. The highest rated daytime talk show topics are:

    How You Can Take Advantage of This Information. Become a social or media comment waiting to happen. Sure you are a romance writer, but as a romance writer don't you spend your life creating successful, monogamous relationships for characters who have similar problems and insecurities as people in real life? What kinds of self-help advice can you offer? What analysis can you give on why marriages fail? How to tell when your relationship is in trouble or what things make an old flame attractive again?

Radio

    Before I jump into a discussion of radio, let me say that I owe a debt in this section to a superior media trainer in Los Angeles named Joel Roberts. He is a former talk radio co-host on KABC Los Angeles, for the number one show in the number one market in this country. He now trains authors, corporate executives and others how to handle the media. Just to give you an idea of how great this guy is, he trained a 60-year-old author of a book on her near-death experience to survive the Howard Stern show. The material in this section is what I primarily learned from him.
    Have you ever wished you had a captive audience to tell about your writing? Poof! Your wish is granted and it's called radio. It's rarely used by fiction writers, because unlike non-fiction writers with a specific topic, they don't know how to pitch themselves or their books. But radio offers tons of opportunities for authors.
    At any time there are 2000 to 3000 radio producers looking for guests to talk about every conceivable subject. Most radio stations will have at least one talk show during the week; many have several each day. One thing best-selling authors who work with professional pr people have in common is their willingness to do radio shows. Many radio shows, like newspaper columns, are syndicated and reach as many as 350 cities across the country with a single interview.
    But I have good news and I have bad news. Bad news first. Radio jockeys prefer to interview guests by phone because with the flick of a finger they can cut you off and end the interview if you don't seem to be what they are looking for or you can't get their producer's phone to ring. You also won't get the opportunity to discuss your book in depth and quite often hosts will try to provoke you or make fun of you.
    The good news is that as a well-trained author with a few tricks up your sleeve and some practice, you can reach literally millions of people in just a few hours and beat the shock jocks at their own game.
    To prepare for combat Radio, first you need to know the rules. Each radio show has its own personality and style. Put together, these items make up the culture of the show. It is critical before you pitch a radio producer that you know what the culture of the show is. We discussed what makes up a show's culture in the first section Getting Your Message. Take a moment to review that before you read on.
    What if you're visiting your sister in Topeka and don't have a clue what the radio show is like so you can figure out the culture? Call them. Ask to be put on hold during the show so you can listen. If you live in the area tune in. Much of what you need to discover about the culture of a show can be found by listening to it yourself.
    In general one thing holds true especially for radio media. They are less like purveyors of truth and more like show business. That's why they go for the hook. Authors as authors don't interest talk radio at all. You have to have a hook and be the solution to a problem.
    According to Joel Roberts, radio is a "yeah, but" business. That means that radio specializes in controversy. The hosts of a talk show get brownie points when they make the switchboard overload with calls from listeners. If you can help them achieve this, then you're well on your way to being a successful repeat guest in talk radio.
    The top three strategies to interest radio producers are the same we discussed in the Getting Your Message section (identify a problem, point to an opportunity or explode a myth). You can find these producers by looking up the station in the Bacon's Radio Directory or Burelle's at your local library.
    Radio is a "yeah, but" business—the hosts of a talk show get brownie points when they make the switchboard overload with calls from listeners. If you can help them achieve this, then you're well on your way. "Most people don't know that in radio if you bring the women listeners in, the men will follow," Roberts says. "At KFI in Los Angeles, the number one radio station in the number one market in the country, producers and hosts receive bonuses based strictly on the female demographics their shows create, not the male."
    Now for the fight. Remember how I said one of the down sides to radio was the shock jocks, like Howard Stern, who will attempt to relate any subject to your anatomy? The following strategies are basics that can help:

• Know the Culture—know what's coming and be prepared to handle it. Since you know Howard wants to know if you modeled for the cover or practiced the sex scenes in your book, make sure you have an answer for him.
• Verbal Karate—give back as good as you get. It goes something like this. If the host says, "Aren't romances just sex books?" you don't have to defend yourself, or retaliate. Simply reply, "Well, don't you like sex?" By doing so you have transferred the hit back to the host. If they answer no then they look like anti-sexual, anti-romantic and in the minority of the population, if they say yes, what more can they attack you with? While this works well for people who can handle confrontation or have Italian roots (like me), you may not want to take this route if you're not thick-skinned.
• Verbal Akito—take the power they launch at you and add to it to divert the hit away from you. Joel had a client who was fat. More than that, she was trying to use the radio to discuss her health clubs for fat women. The host called her a liar and a fraud because she herself was fat. "Why should I listen to anything you have to say about health? Look at you! You're fat!" She replied (after her media training), "You're right. I am fat. But the criticism your giving me is the same women my SIZE receive daily. Ladies, aren't you tired of being berated? Don't you wish you had a safe space where you could feel comfortable to work out? That's why I've developed these health clubs..." She then went on to tell her five minutes worth without further jeering by the host. In the case of romance writers consider the following as an example of how to use this strategy. If the host asserts that romance is demeaning to women, you respond by saying. "Then why are they buying it to the tune of one billion dollars a year? Are you saying you know better for women than they do? Are you licensed to make judgments for women that you believe they can't make for themselves? Are you telling me we have a billion dollars worth of masochists out there and they are all signing up for humiliation?"
• Play the Skeptic—whatever they don't believe, you don't believe more. If the host says, "I can't believe that women read romances for more than the sex!" You reply, "You don't believe it! I don't believe it! It was the first thing I turned to when I picked up my first romance, but then I flipped to the first page and got hooked by the great characters and story, the plot...." And you continue from there.
• Play the Witness—rather than acting as an expert give your views as someone from the front lines and insist that you don't have the expertise you're just sharing what you've seen or know. This is where the reader testimonial is invaluable. The host may say, "You're not a relationship expert!" You say, "You're right. I'm not. But there was this letter I received from a lady who said she had just about given up on a 14-year marriage, she said she read her husband one of the confrontation scenes in the book where the woman tells the hero what she wants from a relationship and her husband was shocked. She said that was the turning point for them..."

    Which would you dress up for—a phone interview or a studio interview? Most people are surprised when Joel tells them to dress for the phone. "It's much more important to dress up for your phone interview than your studio interview. When you're at home you have to cue yourself to what makes you feel fantastic and gives you confidence. It comes through in the voice," he stated. Other things you can do include standing up and smiling when you talk. These actions will also effect your speech. It also helps to get to know your interviewer first. "Chat with someone off the air a few minutes before the interview so you're not hitting the ground cold," he suggests.
    What is the single biggest mistake most radio interviewees make? "They talk too much," Joel said. "Some of my toughest clients are members of the national speakers association. You can't confuse talk radio with a podium speech. This is not a forum where a monologue works. Once you're on the air, a really good interview guest will interview the interviewer. It needs to be back and forth. A lot of people think they have to be polished instead of human. If you have to error, do it on the human side," he added.
    As with all media, the best preparation you can get is from a reliable professional. "Don't cut your teeth on the air, especially in a big market," Roberts advises. "If you want to cut your teeth in LA, you may end up with no teeth. Try a smaller market like San Antonio first." Roberts said authors with additional questions can contact him at 310-286-0631. What should you be looking for in a trainer? "Get someone with experience as a host," he suggests. "Too many media trainers have only worked the training side of things and don't have the real world experience to back them up."
    Why should you explore radio as a means to build word of mouth? Sum it up in one word—controversy. It's what drives talk radio. Just the mention of romance novels can summon up an opinion from the mousiest individual. Imagine what it could do across the air waves.
    To ace your next interview there are five things you can do:

1. Be genuine, but show them your best self. This means being relaxed and being human.
2. Develop three or fewer key messages and repeat them often. Remember what medium you're working with. If it's television think of the body language you're projection and the perception you're creating. With radio remember to key into how you're speaking, because all the audience has to create an impression of you is your voice and they way you talk. For newspaper and magazine (which is usually done on the phone) get geared up and have your message points handy so you won't get stuck. Stand up and walk around if you need to during the interview to give yourself confidence.
3. Remember that perception is reality. Even if you are a good person, if you come across cold, unfriendly, or quiet, that is what will be remembered. Practice, practice, practice. If you can spend some dollars on professional media training it could very well be the best money you ever invest in your career.
4. Be prepared for any objections and anticipate their questions. Don't let yourself be thrown by questions like, "Do you practice your sex scenes with your spouse?" or "Why don't you write real books?" Spend some time in advance coming up with all the questions you can think a snotty media person may ask and writing up answers for them.
5. Be a good interviewee, by creating a conversation. Ask questions, too.

Copyright © 1999, Theresa Meyers.
All rights reserved.
You may reprint this chapter in whole or in part
provided credit is given to the author.

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