Shel Horowitz's Monthly Frugal Marketing Tip, August, 2005

Last month, I discussed what radio can do for you; next month, I'll cover what to do when you're live on the air. This month, a second look at how to get booked.

I offered some ideas for getting on the radio way back in November, 1998: http://www.frugalmarketing.com/m2-7.shtml

Some others:

* Have a great press room on your website and let reporters find you
* Actually call up producers of *appropriate* shows--but only after you've refined your 15-second pitch (hint: don't ever call just before they go on the air--call when they're just done--and the first question out of your mouth is whether it's a good time for a very brief pitch. If not, ask when you should call back, and follow through!). This is particularly effective in your local area.
* Go the station's website and use the web contact form or e-mail address (you can even do this for national shows, including Oprah)
* If you have money to burn, consider a series of ads in Radio-TV Interview Report, http://rtir.com/?10050 - not cheap, but it reaches thousands of producers
* Volunteer at a college or community radio station, so you can get some easy on-air experience

As you start getting booked, ask the producers (when they book you, not just as you're about to go on-air) if they can burn you a CD of the segment. Then you have a sound clip you can use to show other producers how dynamic and wonderful a guest you are.

Thank you reading this back issue of Shel Horowitz's Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips, published every month since May, 1997; please click here to view the complete archives, grouped by subject. Shel is an internationally known copywriter and marketing consultant, author of Grassroots Marketing Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and several other books, and creator of the Frugal Marketing web site. Please click here to contact Shel.