Why Smaller Stations Can Be Better
People who are trying to get interviews for the first time invariably want to start out on the "biggest" stations in the biggest cities. You can't blame these folks, because from the outside it does look as if that's the way to make the most things happen for them (since these stations "reach the most people"). But it's not. Making things "happen", meaning sales, web hits, speaking engagements, etc. is not just a function of how many people you reach; it's also a function of how many TIMES you reach them, and how much you SPEND reaching them. Take a look at the market (city) sizes here...
The situation can be compared to the opening of a new restaurant: The amount of food you sell is not just a function of how many people walk or drive by your location; it's also a function of how many TIMES they drive by (staying open for just one day would yield little sales,) and how much you spend to put your restaurant there in the first place. And so the idea of radio interviews is that you want to hit as many people as possible, several times, and do so for the least amount of money as possible. This leads us to smaller stations. Smaller stations/markets have advantages because:
o They are more likely to ask you back for additional interviews; most listeners need to hear something several times before they act... and this is how you make that happen.
o They are more likely to ask you to become a regular, i.e., every Tuesday at 2pm. This sort of makes you a weekly guest, and many listeners will think you actually work at the station.
o They are more likely to have the receptionist give out your phone number to callers. Larger stations just have too much going on, and, their receptionist (many times they are temps) are in constant change.
o They are more likely to put you on their website. Talk about a free plug!
This would never happen at a big station.
o They are more likely to announce your website repeatedly during your interview. This is crucial to getting traffic to your site. Larger stations/shows (on average) will simply resist doing this.
o They will more readily post their opinions of you in the radio discussion groups. Think radio people don't talk to each other?
o You'll stand out more as a pro speaker, since larger stations in larger cities are already saturated with established speakers. You want to be the biggest fish possible... that is, if you want to be hired.
o You'll reach a wider demographic of listeners, since smaller cities have fewer stations, and thus each station has a broader group of people listening to each one.
o Their advertising rates are less; bigger station ad rates are so high you probably would not be able to buy even a single commercial, much less the
20+ you would need every week to sell your offering properly.
o They may offer to continue give-aways of your product (i.e., free on-air
promotion) for several days after your interview. This will NEVER happen on a large station.
o They are far more likely to take a syndicated show from you, should you ever promote one to them. You only stand a chance of starting syndication in smaller markets, anyway.
o And finally, they are FAR easier to book interviews with in the first place, because they get FAR fewer people trying to do book them. So you (or the person/firm you hire for booking) is going to have a much easier and less costly time setting up your interview schedule.
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Bryan Farrish Promotion is an independent promotion company handling radio interviews on talk and music radio stations.
310-998-8305 - interviews@radio-media.com
People who are trying to get interviews for the first time invariably want to start out on the "biggest" stations in the biggest cities. You can't blame these folks, because from the outside it does look as if that's the way to make the most things happen for them (since these stations "reach the most people"). But it's not. Making things "happen", meaning sales, web hits, speaking engagements, etc. is not just a function of how many people you reach; it's also a function of how many TIMES you reach them, and how much you SPEND reaching them. Take a look at the market (city) sizes here...
The situation can be compared to the opening of a new restaurant: The amount of food you sell is not just a function of how many people walk or drive by your location; it's also a function of how many TIMES they drive by (staying open for just one day would yield little sales,) and how much you spend to put your restaurant there in the first place. And so the idea of radio interviews is that you want to hit as many people as possible, several times, and do so for the least amount of money as possible. This leads us to smaller stations. Smaller stations/markets have advantages because:
o They are more likely to ask you back for additional interviews; most listeners need to hear something several times before they act... and this is how you make that happen.
o They are more likely to ask you to become a regular, i.e., every Tuesday at 2pm. This sort of makes you a weekly guest, and many listeners will think you actually work at the station.
o They are more likely to have the receptionist give out your phone number to callers. Larger stations just have too much going on, and, their receptionist (many times they are temps) are in constant change.
o They are more likely to put you on their website. Talk about a free plug!
This would never happen at a big station.
o They are more likely to announce your website repeatedly during your interview. This is crucial to getting traffic to your site. Larger stations/shows (on average) will simply resist doing this.
o They will more readily post their opinions of you in the radio discussion groups. Think radio people don't talk to each other?
o You'll stand out more as a pro speaker, since larger stations in larger cities are already saturated with established speakers. You want to be the biggest fish possible... that is, if you want to be hired.
o You'll reach a wider demographic of listeners, since smaller cities have fewer stations, and thus each station has a broader group of people listening to each one.
o Their advertising rates are less; bigger station ad rates are so high you probably would not be able to buy even a single commercial, much less the
20+ you would need every week to sell your offering properly.
o They may offer to continue give-aways of your product (i.e., free on-air
promotion) for several days after your interview. This will NEVER happen on a large station.
o They are far more likely to take a syndicated show from you, should you ever promote one to them. You only stand a chance of starting syndication in smaller markets, anyway.
o And finally, they are FAR easier to book interviews with in the first place, because they get FAR fewer people trying to do book them. So you (or the person/firm you hire for booking) is going to have a much easier and less costly time setting up your interview schedule.
------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Farrish Promotion is an independent promotion company handling radio interviews on talk and music radio stations.
310-998-8305 - interviews@radio-media.com
