When I was preparing a media kit for an author who’s written a book for addicts, I discovered the following question (which the author intends to be used in a media interview):

Your book is over 200 pages long; surely the addict will get bored and roll joints with the pages rather than read them?

I decided to use the question in the media kit because:

1. It made me laugh out loud
2. It’s controversial
3. It will definitely grab the audience’s attention

Too many press kits begin with the question: “Why did you write this book?” Boooring! The above question essentially asks why the author wrote the book, but it does so in an intriguing way.

When you write interview questions for a book you’ve written, get creative! Inject a bit of humor or a stiff dose of controversy, and you’ll keep listeners entertained.

Tags: HeBlogsSheBlogs.com, interview questions, Media Interviews, media kits

In yesterday’s post, I offered 7 tips for prepping for TV and radio talk show appearances. Creating top-notch soundbites is one of the most important interview-prep techniques.
News flash!
If you’re an author, the viewers/listeners don’t care about the plot/content of your book. They care about being entertained. They care about learning something they can use.

Slant your soundbites towards a news / controversy / entertainment angle. If you’re a fiction author, deliver soundbites related to your book’s theme. Your soundbites must be:

1. Brief
2. Anecdotal
3. Entertaining (they elicit an emotional reaction in the listener/viewer)
4. Practical (they offer something the viewer/listener can use)

1. Brief. Nervous energy inflicts many of us with diarrhea of the mouth. Keep your responses short and pointed.

2. Anecdotal. Avoid saying, “In my book…” This puts the focus on you and your book’s content. Keep the focus on the listener/viewer and on issues of interest to them.

If the host asks about something specific from your book (which they almost always do), it’s fine to respond with an anecdote from your book. For example, the host of the show I was on remarked, “In your book, The Adoption Decision, you mention that your family is involved in an open adoption. Are you ever fearful that your son will like his birth family better than you and want to go live with them?”

This question wasn’t on the list my publicist submitted to the show, so I responded off-the-cuff. I explained how my son and his birth mom are planning his annual “birthday bash, ice cream dash, mall madness get-together.” My anecdote was current, relevant to the question, and showed (rather than told) of my experience with and comfort level with open adoption. As I told the story, I mentally planned my response to the controversial issue the host introduced with his question: fear of openness in adoption.

3. Entertaining. I added humor to my response, saying, “My son’s 16. Of course he’d rather go live with his birth mom than with my husband and me.” Anyone who parents a teenager can relate to a teen who complains that they’d rather live with someone who’s more fun than Mom and Dad.

4. Practical. I followed up my anecdote by addressing the underlying issue: adoptive parents are often fearful about openness in adoption. To assuage fears, I offered a couple of tips for how adoptive and birth family members can negotiate relationships in open adoption.

My entire response (which was my lengthiest—and completely unrehearsed—soundbite) took less than a minute.

As you plan your soundbites, entertain the viewers through storytelling. People connect emotionally with stories and they’ll remember you better if you tell stories well. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll go out and buy your book.

Tags: HeBlogsSheBlogs.com, interview prep, Media Interviews, radio interviews, soundbites, TV interviews

Last week, I was a guest on a TV talk show. I had the jitters, of course, but once I made it past the first question, I warmed up and the rest of the 10-minute interview went well.

If you’re an author, appearing on a talk show is a fantastic way to garner free publicity for your book(s). Come prepared to give ‘em your best stuff, and you’ll likely get invited back again and again.

Here are 7 tips I use to prep for TV and radio appearances:

1. Re-read your book. You don’t have to re-read every word, but give your book a thorough skimming so the content is fresh in your memory. I can’t tell you how many times a host has asked me about some obscure point from one of my books. Had I not done a recent re-read, I would have spent valuable air time stammering as I desperately scrambled to invent some fantastic response.

2. Practice your soundbites. Your book’s media kit should contain a list of about 10 “softball” questions that you hope and pray the host will ask you during the interview. (In my next post, I’ll explain how to create soundbites around those questions.) Here are some ways you can practice your responses:

• Write a script. Even if you’re a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants person, I highly recommend writing out exactly how you’ll respond to each question from your interview sheet. Put your responses away for at least three days, then edit them, cutting everything but the “meat” of your response.
• Record the questions and your scripted responses onto an audio recorder. As you’re getting dressed, driving to work, or going for a jog, listen to your recorded questions and answers. Listening to your script will help you pinpoint boring parts and will help you commit your responses to memory.
• Record only the questions. After you’ve listened to your recorded answers a few times, test how well you can recall your answers. Stand in front of a mirror and play the recording of each question. Hit “pause” and deliver your response to your mirror image, just as you would on the air. Standing in front of a mirror and talking to myself makes me feel a little nervous, so I tend to make the same awkward facial expressions, vocal tics, and weird hand gestures as I do on the air. But the mirror is also very forgiving; it allows me to develop confidence in the privacy of my bathroom.
• Videotape yourself. The stakes are getting higher! If you’re going on TV, it’s essential to videotape yourself so you can see what you’ll look like on the screen. I always thought I sat up straight until I saw a video of myself. I slouch! And I don’t smile often enough. And I gaze at the ceiling when I’m thinking about how to answer a question. While I’m watching the video of myself, I track the times I say, “um,” “you know,” and other filler phrases. The video shows me, in living color, all the faults I need to correct before going on the air.

3. Try on what you’re going to wear. While you’re videotaping yourself, wear the outfit you’re planning to wear on-air. Evaluate whether your outfit looks flattering and slimming (TV makes you look heavier). Watch the show to see what color their backdrop is, and make sure your outfit doesn’t clash with or blend into the backdrop. Experiment with makeup (wear more than usual), hairstyles, and jewelry (avoid dangly earrings).

4. Ask a friend to role play with you. For me, this is the highest stakes interview prep method, because I get most nervous when speaking in front of friends. So I enlist a trusted friend to do a run-through with me and to critique my responses, my posture, my mannerisms…everything. It’s painful, but helpful.

5. Arrive early to your interview. If you’re doing a remote radio interview, this is easy, because all you have to do is station yourself next to the phone and wait for the producer to call. I live on the west coast and a lot of my radio interviews are on the east coast, so I double- and triple-check time zones to make sure I’m near the phone at the right time (this sometimes means dragging myself out of bed at 5 a.m.).

For TV interviews, make sure you’re at the studio about 20 minutes early, so you’re not rushing in at the last second. I have trouble with jet lag, so I try to build in an extra travel day for TV interviews that are in a different time zone, so my body has time to adjust and I don’t appear as a zombie on air.

6. Don’t bug the producer or host. These folks are busy, particularly right before the show begins. If you have questions about how the interview will be structured, you or your publicist should contact the producer a week or so prior to the interview. The producer or host may prep you immediately prior to the interview, but that usually consists of the host introducing him/herself, giving you a 20-second spiel about the direction they plan the interview to take, and asking you, “Are you ready?”

Your response should be a confident (even if you don’t feel confident) “YES.”

7. Pre-write a thank-you note. Hosts and producers appreciate a hand-written thank-you note, and few of them receive one from show guests. I create customized photo note cards that contain an image of my book cover. Before my interviews, I address an envelope to the station, and I write a note to the host and producer immediately after the interview, while it’s still fresh in my mind. That way, I can thank them specifically for something we discussed on the air.

Readers: Please share the tips that work best for you!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post: 4 Elements of a Superb Radio/TV Soundbite

Tags: HeBlogsSheBlogs.com, interview prep, Media Interviews, radio interviews, TV interviews