I’ve heard many blanket statements from clients and those shopping for PR and marketing services in the past 25 years:
- News is dead; blogs are where it’s at.
- Media is dead; social media is all that matters.
- No one is on Facebook anymore; it’s all about TikTok.
- No one needs a website anymore.
One that sticks out more recently, is that radio provides no value. The medium is dead they declare; only podcasts really matter.
After having lunch last week with my colleague and friend Terry Cater, co-owner of Playback Producers, a publicity production company for authors, publicists & podcasters, it seemed a good time to address the truth about radio and podcasts with someone in the trenches.
I’ve heard many a time from clients that radio is dead and podcasts are it. In the same breath, clients ask to be on NPR and a good number believe they are a perfect fit for Glennon Doyle’s podcast We Can Do Hard Things? Unpack this for us, Terry.
Radio is alive and kicking! In fact, 8 in 10 Americans ages 12 and older listen to radio – that’s according to recent data released by Nielson Media Research. Your question comes in a timely fashion – August 20th is National Radio Day. There’s a reason this medium gets an entire day of awareness. Radio has survived the test of time and is often considered a trustworthy source of information. While podcasts seem to be all the rage, there are varying degrees of the quality and listenership of the shows. A podcast can be less established with a modest listenership, less regulated, and harder to find stats (especially when it comes time to figuring out your ROI).
With that said, podcasts are great when targeting a certain audience including fiction readers. Podcasts listeners also tend to be book buyers. In general, for a successful PR campaign, I recommend securing both radio and podcasts interviews to promote your book. Radio interviews will get you conversations with hosts who have a reliable audience and established metrics. Podcast interviews are great if you have a target market. Don’t underestimate the power of radio and be specific when going after podcasts.
Who is your ideal client?
Playback Producers’ ideal client is an author who is open to an honest discussion about the interviews we can score and the PR campaign we can produce for you. While we know everyone would like to be on a top show like NPR All Things Considered or Glennon’s podcast, we want a client who will listen to our candid advice on the number and type of shows we can book. This is because not everyone will get interviewed on those coveted shows. It’s always our goal to get you the most exposure possible, but we want to manage your expectations. Playback’s been doing this for almost 20 years, so we can help steer you in the right and fruitful direction.
Talk to us about timing and budget. Recently, between late July and now – I’ve received a handful of new business queries with books launching in September. I’ve been working on my September releases for many months so far. We need time to pitch, hone the message, pitch again, follow a lead, research different media, etc. Also, media like magazines book far out. How does it work with radio and podcasts?
We like at least a month to 6 weeks to pitch radio and longer for podcasts. Radio shows are typically daily and/or have a standard reoccurring book segment. Therefore, they have more guest slots to fill and a quicker turnaround for scheduling. On the other hand, podcasts are not standardized and have varying taping schedules and often with fewer interview slots. The more advanced notice we can give them about a guest opportunity, the better chances we’ll get scheduled when we want…including around your pub date. Depending on the number of interviews and the scope of your book/project, radio and podcast tours run between $2-5k. With that said, we are open to working within your budget.
What do you need from a client before beginning your work?
Ideally, we liked to have press materials that include a press release, Q&A and talking points. It’s also best to have hard copies of the book printed or at least galleys and/or a digital file, so that we can send advanced copies for hosts/producers to review. In addition, having some sort of online presence like a website or at least one social media handle is ideal. If you don’t have these materials, we will work with you to generate some information that we can use to accurately pitch you and your book.
Anything else you want to add?
If you plan on doing any sort of interviews, it’s always good to be media-trained (Playback can help). Even though you may be an expert communicator on paper, it’s not as easy to talk to a host as you may think. Radio Media Tours (15-20 interviews in 1-2 day) are a great way to get media training-on-the-fly. By the end of this whirlwind experience, you are guaranteed to be more polished to talk about your book. In addition, radio tours position you as an experienced guest. Producers and hosts often want a guest with interview experience. With 15-20 interviews under your belt, you will definitely gain credentials…and even be ready for the next step – TV interviews!
About: Terry Cater is the co-owner of Playback Producers, a publicity and copywriting company. For almost 20 years, Terry’s publicized fiction and non-fiction books in every genre and topic. She’s worked with first time writers to bestsellers helping them climb to the top of book lists. Regular clients include the biggest publishing houses to independent publishers and authors themselves…bringing attention to new book releases and garnering interests in title already on bookshelves. Terry is a seasoned veteran of the broadcast industry having worked as a producer and reporter at almost all off the TV networks including NBC, CBS, Fox and CNN. For more information, visit playbackproducers.com.
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Blanket statements are only helpful in that they start a discussion. If you’ve hired PR or are shopping, please ask ALL the questions. I guarantee your publicist will welcome them. Discuss openly what you’ve heard and listen to your PR’s opinion first. Keep in mind that what worked for your author friend, may not work for you. And what worked for book one may not work for book three.
Got a PR and marketing question? Ask away!