off the top shelf

Food You Can Hear: How to Promote Your Book on the Radio
Part 2 of 2

In last month’s Table Talk, we presented the basics of how to promote your book on the radio. Radio stations across the country are looking for content, just like newspapers and magazines. Radio interviews can be an excellent way to put a little sizzle on your promotional steak, as radio hosts often work from the exact material you send them. But there are some things you need to know before you head off to radio-land. This article gives more specifics on how to get books on radio stations.

1. Pitch Often, Pitch Well
A pitch is the communication that conveys what you want to discuss. While the pitch should have some relationship to your book, it doesn't have to be taken directly from the book’s content. Good pitches can come from the author/group’s experience and accomplishments or from a relationship to community events, or they can offer insight into a trend. The pitch is basically the idea for your segment. If it is based on a study or trend, be sure to cite facts and figures from the study or include relevant information to prove that the trend really is a trend.

2. Use E-mail Wisely
Select Program Managers or the producers of the specific shows you are targeting. As always, use any personal contacts to help get your message to the correct person. E-mails should be personalized (“Dear Mr. Doe”). The very best e-mail pitches reveal your knowledge of the show and demonstrate how the book fits with topics they are clearly interested in. There are two standards for the subject line: “Pitch—Economic Impact of Local Volunteer Organizations” or “For Review—10 Things Your Mother Never Told You About Tomato Sauce.” Mass e-mail seldom makes it to your contact’s in-box.

3. Reach Out and Call Someone
Very few people truly enjoy placing calls to strangers. But remember that the key to all marketing and publicity is building relationships, so don't be intimidated. Think of your media contacts as friends you've not yet met. Polite, concise, and brief phone calls can make a great difference in forming relationships with the right media contacts. Be certain that you do not call radio contacts when their show is on the air. Ask if they have a few minutes to talk. Give them your name and use theirs. Use your sound bites (see last month’s article) to explain why you’re calling. Most importantly, ask for what you want and be specific. “Will you schedule an interview with me for next week, just before my signing at Fabulous Bookstore?”

4. Act Locally, Think Globally
This was in last month’s article, but it bears repeating. Start in your hometown by listening to the radio stations to learn how and when books like yours are included in their programming. This is a great task for a committee to divide among members, assigning specific stations to each member. If you don't hear anything remotely like your book, or a topic you think would work for your book, try reversing your thinking: how can you create a pitch that fits into the station’s format. Know that some radio stations simply don't fit, but with the right approach, you can get a lot of air time. Stations may even ask you to be a regular guest! Once you have a few interviews under your belt, move outward from your hometown and let producers know you are an experienced radio guest!

5. Get Help
Staging a radio campaign can take a lot of time and resources. With three months’ advance notice, FRP Publicity Services can help plan and implement your next campaign. We’re also offering positions in a shared listing, limited to three books per full-page ad, in the top national guest lead publications, Radio-Television Interview Report. Published three times a month, RTIR reaches more than 4,000 producers, hosts, and program directors across the United States and Canada and generates leads that trickle in for months after the issue date. E-mail Stephanie Williams, FRP Senior Publicist (swilliams@frpbooks.com) for more information.

I hope this article has encouraged you to try a radio campaign for your book. I would like to hear stories of your success and to help you figure out ways to do it better next time, so please let me know of your plans, hopes, and dreams for your book!

what's happening at FRP

FRP Junior League Cookbook Award

The recipient of the 2006 FRP Junior League Cookbook Award was the Junior League of Tampa and their title, EveryDay Feasts. During the League year of June 1, 2004–May 31, 2005, they sold 11,363 units of this one single title. Collectively, this League has five titles currently in print and has sold more than 350,000 cookbooks during their 80-year existence. The winning title debuted in October 2004 with an initial printing of 20,000 and is the second in the Culinary Collection—the first Junior League Cookbook Series ever produced. The League was presented with a check for $5,000 at AJLI's annual conference in Salt Lake City. Click here read more about the award. Congratulations!

FRP Increases Involvement in IACP

FRP’s Senior Publicist Stephanie Williams has received a two-year appointment as chair of the IACP’s (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Marketing Communicators Teleforum Committee.

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