Don't forget to use your local radio station for public relations
Did you know West Berkshire has a new radio station? Newbury Sound – West Berkshire’s Feel Good Station took over the local airwaves from Kick FM and this bodes well for businesses savvy enough to recognise radio as a great promotional channel.
With a fully staffed news team and generous lengths of news bulletins for what is essentially a commercial music radio station, there is a thirst for local news and those who step up will benefit if they understand how to make the most of a broadcast interview. It will also hopefully add scrutiny to those who should be held accountable!
Earlier today I was interviewed by the station’s news editor, Helen Ainsworth about the recession. More specifically it was to comment as a local business owner in response to a Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce press release that we are on the brink of leaving the recession, based on an economic survey. You can listen to the edited interview, which was broadcast during Drive Time, here:
Now, that snippet of an interview came from over four minutes that was actually recorded, and herein lays the challenge facing anyone being interviewed for the radio – while you might talk for minutes, only a few seconds may be used. This makes it vitally important to stick to your message and of course to know what that message is.
We always advise our clients to know what they want to talk about. We talk about ‘must points’ – simply put the points you want to get across during your interview. Listen to the full interview and you will recognise how I stick to the same positive theme about the recovery, minimising any parts that could be taken out of context to contradict my overall meaning.
Now, to be fair, Helen Ainsworth was lovely and I knew my first question in advance and had enjoyed a few minutes to prepare for the interview ahead of the recording and has generously provided both the bulletin and the full interview to allow me to explain how focused you need to be if delivering a radio interview.
It is easy to neglect radio as a public relations channel when so much focus is naturally drawn towards social media, however, you should support your local radio station, which you can listen to online at Newbury Sound, or on 105.6 and 107.4FM on the radio.
If you plan to target them with a press release, spend some time listening to their bulletins, especially during the peak listening periods of breakfast and drive time, to get an idea of what they are talking about – and how.
Morgan PR also offers a free download: 15 Seconds of Fame - How to Survive the Broadcast Interview which explores further making the most of those opportunities in front of the microphone or camera.