10 Tips to Ace Your Next Radio Interview!

Being invited to participate in a radio interview can be both exciting and scary. As the company spokesperson, radio interviews are an exciting opportunity to have your voice be heard and to help your brand be noticed. As a Public Relations agency, it’s our job to make sure you’re adequately prepared! Take advantage of the opportunity and succeed in your interview by considering these tips.

Help them prepare

When you get invited to participate in a radio interview, it’s probable that the presenter or producer received a recent press release quoting you as the company spokesperson. They likely looked into your brand and your other media activities however, it is definitely advisable to still let them who you are. CF Communications provide all broadcast producers with a short bio of the spokesperson (you!) and also some context about the content or topic that is to be discussed. Some producers accept potential questions which can be asked while others prefer to use their own.

Know your medium

Before your interview, we will send you details of the station or the show as well as the presenter. It’s a good idea to listen to a few episodes to get a feel for their tone and how the conduct interviews.

Know your topic

This is the easy one – you are the expert in your industry! The producer will always provide you with a topic for the interview, so just make sure that you prepare beforehand. If the topic is trending in current affairs, make sure that you know what has been published recently, what your industry bodies or the government’s positions are and what competitors have been saying.

Equipment

If it’s a telephonic interview, it’s better to use a landline, simply because the connection is more stable. Try to find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted and no outside noise can cause disruptions. If you have to use a cellphone, stay in one location and make use of ear phones to cancel out outside noise.

Interviews can start abruptly

Some producers call a few minutes before the interview begins, allowing you to listen for few minutes and get a feel for the program’s tone. But other producers wait for the last possible second, meaning you’re on the air within seconds of picking up the phone. When you pick up the phone, be ready to go live on a second’s notice – or on no notice at all.

Use the presenter’s name

Because of your preparation, you’ll know who the presenter is and you can use his / her name throughout the interview. You’ll sound more professional and it creates a report with the presenter.

Have some water available

It’s a good idea to have a glass of water available in case your throat gets dry.

Avoid jargon

Use simple language that your audience will understand and connect with. Jargon will only complicate your message and isolate listeners.

Bring across your key message

Having a clear and concise message is the key to a successful radio interview as it is more likely to be memorable in the mind of the listener.

It is important to present information in a succinct manner to get your point across. Long-winded answers will confuse your message and your listeners lose interest. This will also make it difficult for the interviewer in maintaining audience engagement with stimulating prompts follow up questions. Ultimately, your message must be delivered clearly, and in a way that resonates with the audience.

Don’t oversell

Although you will have a particular purpose for your interview, it is important to not oversell yourself or your business. The audience is not interested in hearing a sales pitch, and your interviewer will not be interested in facilitating it. Instead of continually plugging your cause, subtly weave your call-to-action into your answers. This will also help to ensure that your answers are deliberate and purposeful.

As a bonus, we’ve added two more tips, but these are key to Public Relations services offered by CF Communications – so no need to worry about this as we’ve got you covered!

Promote the interview

We’ll make sure that your interview is promoted on all the relevant channels and to your relevant audiences, from social media to newsletters! We’ll promote the interview in advance and also interact with the show on Twitter, if possible. After the interview, we will obtain the clip and distribute it to your network, focusing not merely on the publicity but rather the value created for your brand’s clients.

Stay in touch

We’ll make sure to send the presenter and producer a thank you and stay in touch with them for further interview opportunities.

CF Communications strategically conceptualise and manage public relations campaigns to influence, engage, and build relationships with key stakeholders across a host of platforms in order to shape and frame the public perception of your brand. Get in touch to find out more.

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