By Guest Blogger, Jackie Lapin, Publicist and Author of “The Art of Conscious Creation”
PersonalDevelopmentRadioMediaTour.com

Click Here to listen to Jackie’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

With the vast increase in internet radio, authors now have a much greater opportunity to market their books and services via radio shows.

Whereas broadcast radio hosts frequently don’t read the book in advance, generally only give you five minutes to expound on the topic and provide only one opportunity to mention your website, internet radio is an entirely new and welcome addition.

So when either launching a new book, or trying to revitalize a book that has stalled, a Radio Media Tour (RMT) is a great tool to get things moving. A Radio Media Tour enables an author to stay at home and simply do interviews from his or her desk, couch or back porch! These can be arranged by PR agencies or companies that specialize in Radio Media Tours based on their database of media contacts around the country.

The following are a few tips on how to maximize a Radio Media Tour once you’ve gotten the bookings:

1.    Be prepared and focused, but relaxed! – Create a list of key message points that you want to get across and have it in front of you. This way you’ll avoid that dreaded “Oh, I should have said…” after the interview is over and you won’t be tensing during the interview trying to get in everything you wanted to.

2.    Be alert, awake and at your best even if it is the crack of dawn, a weekend, or a late night show – Get up and have your coffee even if you’re on the West Coast at 4 a.m. talking to a morning drive host in Philadelphia. Make sure that if you’re doing a weekend interview, you don’t forget about it while you’re lounging in the pool or having dinner with friends!

3.    Know something about the interviewer and focus of the show – Check the website so you know that host’s approach and what kind of audience the show attracts. That may well influence the content and direction of what you want to impart. It will make you connect more effectively with the listeners and impress the host that you are aware of what he or she does.

4.    Make sure you know the call-in details – This is very important. Don’t realize five minutes before that you’re the one who is supposed to call in and you can’t remember where you put the number. Put the call-in number on your Outlook Calendar with the appointment so it pops up a few minutes before. Always make the call at least 5-7 minutes in advance. I always also save these emails in a file called “media” within my Outlook system, so I can go back and check if there is a problem. It’s also wise to get a back-up number to call the host such as a cell in case you’re having trouble getting in on a bridge line, or there are other delays. And vice versa, make sure the host or show producer has all of your phone numbers. If the call is being made from the show to you, make sure you provide a landline and not a cell number…and that you are at that number when they call.

5.    Provide press materials, advance questions, introduction and photo – Either you or the RMT booker should provide the host with a radio interview kit—which is different that a traditional media kit in that it provides a short introduction of you that can be read on the air, a list of questions that the host can use as a guide, and a jpg photo that can be featured on the show’s website or in a newsletter. This would be in addition to the traditional bio and book release.

6.    A list of what you want to promote – Since Internet Radio hosts are so willing to provide an opportunity to promote whatever you desire, it’s helpful to the interviewer if you provide a written list of things you want to promote, along with corresponding websites. This can be submitted at the time the interview kit is provided.

7.    Should you provide a book? – If the host asks for it, by all means. But many media are comfortable working from press materials, and it’s not worth expending the cost of another book and its shipping. However, especially on hour-long shows, the better informed the host is and the more enthusiastic, the more likely you are to sell books! So if you have the budget, send it!

8.    Know how long you have for the interview – Going into the interview, get a sense of how long the interview in so that in case you have not gotten your website plug in and you are coming to a close, you can steer the conversation back to that topic, or anything else you want to be sure to mention.

9.    Ask interviewer who is to mention the website and when – It’s always more comfortable when you know what to expect, and it eliminates any tension over how and when you will get this vital information into the interview. Sometimes you’ll be able to get it in once in each 15-minute time block, while others would prefer just once at the end. You might also find some cases when the host prefers to do this for you. So if the host has no objections, do give the website a few times, and say it slowly!

10.    Have an inducement to get listeners to opt-in – Even if you can’t sell someone a book, don’t lose the opportunity of getting them to opt-in to your list. Offer some desirable free item that is available on your website—a newsletter, a daily tip, an e-book, a podcast or some other promotional item that will encourage someone to become part of your “opt-in family.”  Ideally this should be on your home page or your principle book selling page.

11.    Have notes in front of you if you need them – If your book and topic involves information that doesn’t easily come to you—such as numbers and dates—or a long list of bullet points, have it in front of you, so you don’t have to fumble around and stall while you look for it.

12.    Be upbeat, lively, engaging – This is essential! Don’t be monotone or monosyllabic either! If you want to make sure you’re invited back again, make your first appearance stellar and compelling! What information can you offer their guests that ONLY you can do in this particular way? If you can’t get excited about it, neither will the listener!

13.    Opening the call –Thank the host for the invitation after he/she introduces you and state how happy you are to be there.

14.    Closing the call – Before you say your final thank you, you may want to give one last uplifting message for the audience. As the best-selling author of The Art of Conscious Creation, How You Can Transform the World,  I often close with by speaking directly to the listeners, saying  “My wish for you is that you may consciously create all that you desire!”

Click Here to listen to Jackie’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

By Guest Blogger, Liora Mendeloff, CEO & Founder, InstantMediaKit
www.GetInstantMediaKit.com

Click Here to listen to Liora’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

Did you know that having an online media kit is an essential part of your business as an author? Bottom line, in this digital age, if you’re not set up with an online media kit, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.

In case you haven’t noticed, business isn’t what it used to be. Things are moving much faster today than ever before so speed to market is critical. Giving people access to your marketing materials with the simple click of a button is the name of the game.

Unfortunately, this need for a quick response is a huge challenge for authors who are looking to market themselves in today’s electronic age. Whether you’re promoting yourself through speaking or positioning yourself as an expert in the media, prospective clients and those looking to feature you in the media must have your content available at their fingertips in a matter of minutes or else they’re bound to move on to their next prospect.

Imagine tomorrow morning your phone rings. You’re shocked to discover Oprah’s producer on the other end of the phone. They explain that their featured author for tomorrow’s show has gotten sick, won’t be able to make it, has read your book and asks if you could send over a press kit right away. Would you be ready to get them what they need in order to feature you on their show?  Would you be able to provide a way for them to get what they need that’s right there at their fingertips?

Even if a local radio show host or a prospective client were to reach out to you, are you prepared to direct them to one place online where they can instantly access everything they need to hire you or interview you for their show?

I recently heard a story from a client of mine that demonstrates just how fast-paced the world is today and how producers, publishers, event planners, etc. want what they want when they want it…which is usually right now!

There she was sitting in a restaurant with a colleague having lunch when in walked a big time event promoter who happened to be friends with her colleague. The event promoter sits down to join them and shares his frustration that a speaker he had lined up for his event that weekend just bailed on him and although he’s put out calls to all of his contacts, no one has come through to fill the slot yet. My client, who is an author and speaker, jumps at the chance to share her work with him and watches as he starts to perk up with excitement. He asks her if there’s any way she can get her media kit over to him immediately and fortunately, because she’s up to speed on the new industry standard, she says to him, “I can do better than that.” She pulls out her phone, gets online, goes straight to her online media kit and proceeds to show him everything he needs to know about her in order to make a “buying” decision. Needless to say, he hires her on the spot and the gig is hers!

Clearly, the boy scouts knew what they were talking about when they chose their motto, “always be prepared.” They probably weren’t thinking about marketing when they came up with that slogan, but they sure were on the mark about the secret to successfully getting yourself greater visibility.

The truth is, if my client had left that lunch to head back to her office to do what many people do who aren’t up to speed with the new industry standard, which is to send out her content via email piecemeal, there’s no guarantee that the event producer would have received her marketing materials fast enough. There’s no telling what would have happened between 1:00 and 3:00, the time it would have taken her to send out that email. Who’s to say that the event promoter wouldn’t have received a call back from the perfect person to fill that slot in those two hours?

The moral of the story is, be prepared! Being prepared as an author means having your marketing materials organized, up to date and easy to distribute. In today’s world, that means having an online media kit that’s clean and professional, easy to use & media-ready (meaning, easy to download).

So, don’t get left behind. Make 2010 the year that you get up to speed on the new industry standard and make it easy for others to hire you and feature you in the media!

Click Here to listen to Liora’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

By Guest Blogger, Sande Shurin, Author of Star Power! – Defining Your Individual Signature
www.sandeshurin.com

Click Here to listen to Sande’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

Reminds me of being a kid and having your very own Hook.  Your coat hung on a hook in school and you recognized where your hook was and what your coat looked like. Then at home your Hook differentiated you from the rest of your family.

Similarly, my books, Transformational Acting and Star Power! – Defining Your Individual Signature are the literary hooks that add to my distinctiveness.

It introduces my work to actors, other artists and some other very interested people in various cities across the country. They call or e-mail to meet me and sometimes fly in to meet at my acting studios in NY or Woodstock for a weekend intensive. Because the acting technique that I have developed called  “Transformational Acting” and many of the workshops that I lead including “Star Power!” and “Break-Thru” have a transformational base, people of many professions do take them and get amazing value.

My books also have a terrific referral aspect for my business, as actors are curious about what others are reading. Within this conversation, many new actors and other people learn about my work and me.

This Hook continues with publicity that I get from being interviewed. These interviews inspire others to buy more books, enroll into my classes and workshop events, and when they learn that I’m a Director (film and theatre) – they send scripts.

I have used this hook on some of the reality shows where I have been hired to appear as an acting coach, including an appearance on “America’s Next Top Model.”  One, my book gives me more credibility, and , two, I have actually advertised it on a few of the shows.

So it’s like an ongoing circle. The book increases my status. When I book the job and can advertise it, more people know of me. They buy more books, enroll into my acting studios, call for private coaching, participate in workshops and promote my directing career.

The great thing for me about this is that my books are a great part of my contribution and what I call a shift in acting technique and perception.  I love working with the principles of transformation and people.

Click Here to listen to Sande’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

By Guest Blogger, Lynda O’Connor, Publicist
www.oconnorpr.com

Click Here to listen to Lynda’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

So, you’ve written the book and found a publisher. Now what? For many authors, the writing and editing are the easy parts. But getting your book reviewed? Writing press releases? Getting on radio and TV? Hiring a publicist? Not all publishing houses have their own in-house publicity departments, and if they do, their staffs have been slashed. It’s up to you, dear writer, to beat the pavement and get the word out about yourself.

Egadds, how does one do this? What are the steps? Why does an author need public relations? PR will get you in the news. It gets your message to your audience and informs them who you are and what you are writing about. Through interviews in newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and the internet, you can discuss what your book is about and why it is important to read.

There are lots of books on PR and you should go to the bookstore and look. I love John Kremer’s “1001 Ways to Market Your Book”. Lissa Warren’s “The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity”, Steve Weber’s “Plug Your Book”, and Penny Sansevieri’s “Red Hot Internet Publicity” which will all help you. Read, read, read. These books will give you a lot of ideas on how to promote your book.

When you start a book campaign, begin with your hometown. Contact the local radio, TV, newspapers and magazines. Look to www.radiolocator.com and get the websites of the radio stations in your town. Contact the producers of the show and tell them why they should have you on. Write a press release, have a professional photo made of you, write your bio, and scan the cover of your book. You may want to include a testimonial of someone who read your book and liked it. The more prominent the person is who writes the testimonial, the better. Send this press material to the show producers along with a note selling them on you and your book.

Try to find a media directory. Go to the library or call your local public relations association to see if they have one.

Do you need to advertise? Are advertising and PR different? Advertising is great, but expensive, and it doesn’t endorse you as much as public relations. You pay for advertising, but PR involves news, which is more credible. A media outlet will only put your book in their publication or on their broadcast if they believe that a story about it will educate their readers and audience. A well-structured PR campaign can result in the author being exposed to more detailed information than they receive with an ad.

Call your local newspaper and ask for the Book Editor or the Feature Editor. The Book Editor may review your book because you are a local person and they like local stories. Personally, I prefer to call the Feature Editor because they can do a whole story about you.

Is it scary to be in the news? You may ask, “Who am I to be on TV?” Remember that the media is looking for good stories, and it is up to you to MAKE YOUR STORY GOOD. What is unusual about you and your story? Think about your hobbies, your life. The more off beat it is, the more the media will like it. Also, make your story relevant. Tie it to a current event in the news.

Once you have a commitment to be interviewed, prepare for it. It will be less scary when you know what to do. Watch or listen to the show you will be on. Listen for the tone of the show. Is it funny? If so, be prepared with a few jokes or funny commentary. Get the name of the host, and use it on the air. It will seem that you and the host are friends and it sounds more informal. You can even practice with a friend. Put together a media kit and email it to your reviewer. Have your website ready and refer your site to your host. Put some questions and answers into your packet. If you know what questions the host will ask, you will be more comfortable. The host has to know about you so that their interview will be better. Follow-up with your interviewer to make sure that he has everything that he needs.

After you are in the news, leverage your appearance by reflecting on your performance. Watch and listen to what you said. Was your pace OK? Did you talk too fast or too slow? Were you boring on the air? Did you say the name of your host? Think of how you could have done better and improve next time.

Before your appearance, send out a notice to your friends that you will be on the air or in the papers. Put a notice on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Tell your local community paper that you will be on the air and they may put it in their Calendar of Events.

Make sure to write the host and producer a thank you note and ask them if they can recommend you to other shows.

The next time you pitch the media, tell them where you appeared last. If CBS News had you on in Minneapolis, maybe NBC will want you on in Chicago.

Public relations is hard work, but it works. If you need a public relations professional to coordinate and guide you through the process, you may want to Google book publicists and go through the list. Call some of them and see who you like. This is important because you will be working closely with the person. Make sure they are trustworthy and experienced.

Good luck and be ready to have the time of your life. Having a best-selling book can take you to places you never thought you would be. Have fun with it!

Click Here to listen to Lynda’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio

By Guest Blogger, Mary Hutchings Reed, Fiction Novelist
www.maryhutchingsreed.com

Click Here to listen to Mary’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio Network

One day when I was approaching 40, my husband came home and announced he wanted to fly to Florida for the weekend to look at a sailboat.  We already owned a 25 footer, which was fine for sailing in Lake Michigan and in nearby Wisconsin lakes. Bill, an internist, said he was looking at a boat that would be good for the ocean.  I said Chicago wasn’t on the ocean.  He acknowledged that fact, but added, “I’d hate to die without sailing across the ocean sometime.”

That simple statement changed my life.  The moment he expressed this wish, the question naturally occurred to me:  What was it I wanted to do before I died?

In the fall of 1992, I took an unprecedented three-month sabbatical from my law firm, Winston & Strawn, where I was a partner in the Intellectual Property Department, to sail with Bill in our new 32-foot boat from Norfolk, Virginia to St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., a sometimes harrowing offshore journey of 1600 miles.  It took us 22 days and nights.

When I returned from that trip, practicing law full-tilt didn’t seem all that important anymore.  I was good at it, and I enjoyed it, but what I wanted to do before I died was what I knew I’d always wanted to do, write novels.  What I’d learned on the sailing adventure was that there was more to life than career, that life was short, that you get where you’re going a slow nautical mile at a time, and that it’s much more satisfying to be sailing downwind directly at your target than taking a hundred mile tack at a forty-five degree angle.

So, shortly after returning from St. Thomas (by plane), I resigned the partnership (at 43 years old) and arranged a part-time gig that gave me the time to pursue my passion.  It was now or never.

Relieved of the full responsibilities of partnership, I could take writing workshops, read, take “writerly” walks, and, most importantly, write.  I set myself the schedule of writing every morning from 8 to about 10, then going down to my law office (ten minutes away). I write fast—a couple pages in the allotted time, but I also learned to edit and rewrite constantly, whenever a few spare moments appeared during the day, and sometimes even on the treadmill.  After workshopping and professional editing, I found an agent for Courting Kathleen Hannigan, who thought it well done but way too long, at 450 pages, for a first novel.  She worked with me to pare it down to 325 double-spaced pages.

My agent died unexpectedly (at a young 70) within several weeks after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; I put publication of CKH on hold while I wrote new novels, a few pages a day, cranking out first drafts in 6-12 months.  People called me prolific, but basically, it’s a page a day and at the end of the year you’ve got 365 pages—40 too long!

I’ve written seven novels, a memoir, a bunch of short stories and essays and a full length musical.  After many rave rejections by agents, my work is now with April Eberhardt of Kimberly Cameron & Associates.  Most importantly, though, every day that I write I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve done what I was supposed to do on this earth for my own soul.  We have no claim on tomorrow.  Whether or not I make any top ten list or win any national acclaim, whether or not I’ll ever replace the lost income or loss in professional stature, I’ve done the thing I wanted to do “before I die.”  Know what?  I still want to keep doing it!
replace the lost income or loss in professional stature, I’ve done the thing I wanted to do “before I die.”  Know what?  I still want to keep doing it!

Read more at http://www.maryhutchingsreed.com

Click Here to listen to Mary’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio Network

By Guest Blogger, Patricia Weber
http://www.patricia-weber.com

Click Here to here Patricia’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio Network


Can you identify with any of these?

1. I get queasy just thinking about being at a networking event.

2. My stomach is tied in knots and I end up just hanging around with people I know.

3. I get excited about networking, but once I’m at an event, it’s hard for me to talk with people.

4. I attend networking events but never seem to meet the right people.

5. I don’t find networking events that profitable for my business.

6. I don’t have time to go to many events and I never meet the right people when I go.

7. I think networking is mostly for [fill in the blank with the profession you believe networking helps the most.]

8. I’m mixed with looking forward to networking, yet not sure what to say or how to connect.

9. I dread networking events and I am the first to leave.

No four letter words around networking in the list. These are some of the top business networking limiting beliefs many people, particularly introverts and shy people, hold around this effective and easy business sustaining marketing activity. As an author, you’ve poured out your ideas from your head and heart onto paper and you now have a book. Unless your current networking has already landed you interview on a broad-reaching television talk show, you want to get out there! Even with an interview on radio or television, your business networking needs to continue.

If networking gives you any of the above feelings or thoughts, step one to overcoming your reluctance is to – redefine your beliefs, and then step by step slip on one that helps you.

Where to begin so that you can network with confidence and clarity?

First, own up to your key beliefs, or the one, that accompanies you in your thoughts, and then affects your feelings about networking. There’s little point in getting in your car, driving through traffic and then circling around for a parking space, if you are feeling a dread about the event. Admit you feel queasy, don’t meet the right people or just find then intimidating.

An effective second step, ask yourself just how well this is serving – your intended audience? Surprised? Maybe you would have thought to ask, how well is this belief serving you? Well, that is also a route to take. The fact that you authored a book for people to be inspired, to overcome a situation or to set the facts straight means that you are not the only stakeholder in this situation that your reluctance is hurting. Now think about it. How does your feeling queasy, holding back on going to events or being intimidated helping you reach the people who you want to serve? I think we know the answer.

Once you can get past step one and two, you can create some other beliefs that you would be willing to begin to play with and take with you to your very next event. You are just one networking event away from – the radio show you want, the publisher you need, the speaking engagement that will put you right in front of your intended readers, the meeting planner who wants to buy 100 copies.

Forget the usefulness of any four-letter word. What’s the one belief you can own up to? Now start turning it around. You have books to get into people’s hands.

Patricia Weber is America’s #1 Business Coach For Introverts and Shy, debunking negative introvert myths, so introverts can stand up, be recognized for who they are as they are and without any disguise.

Click Here to here Patricia’s interview with Jennifer at 9:00 am EST on the WomensRadio Network