The Do’s and Dont’s of Radio Interviews

Radio has been engaging people for years and despite newer mediums, like social media, radio has survived and thrived and is still one of the best ways to reach an audience.

Unlike television or print, radio gives you the opportunity to engage directly with your audience in a two-way conversation through talk back. If you do this right, it will yield results you cannot buy with advertising.

Is your topic interesting?

The most important question to consider is whether your topic is newsworthy and interesting? Will it engage listeners? The success of an interview is measured on whether your interview will have the producers’ phones ringing. Talk-back survives on audience interaction and response therefore you will need to ensure your topic is relevant to the listener and holds their attention.

The days of sitting down and just listening to the radio are almost extinct.  People are usually working, driving, doing housework, or something else which may be distracting.  So it’s even more important to have an engaging topic and have enough content maintain interest for the duration of the interview.

Getting it right….

With live radio comes a fear of being caught off guard.  “What if I don’t like the question, what if the caller is hostile?”. 

Being prepared will give you the confidence and the tools to handle whatever is thrown your way.

Here are some tips for a successful interview.

DO:

• Research the show and host in advance so you are familiar with the style and structure of the show.
• Have your key messages ready – no more than three.
• Find out if it is a live interview or a pre-record. It will make a big difference to how you answer the questions.
• Be concise with your answers, especially if its live. If its pre-recorded, the interview may be edited into sound bites so make sure your message is not lost in drawn out answers or edited to mean something completely different than you intended.
• Have important information in front of you such as statistics that might be difficult to remember under pressure (but keep it light). Leave website/contact information with the producer for inquiries or to include on their website or social media pages.
• Be aware of how much airtime you have and deliver your message upfront in case you run out of time.
• Ensure your voice and tone is enthusiastic as there are no visual cues to assist you in making the story interesting.
• Prepare a list of questions the journalist or listening audience might ask and work on your answers before the interview.

DO NOT:

• Provide false information – this includes improvising, speculating, or guessing an answer. If you don’t know, say so.
• Go into too much detail- too many facts and figures will bore the audience and there are no visual cues to support your content.
• Respond with a ‘No comment’- Listeners will assume you are hiding something. If you cannot comment, state why.
• Over talk or interrupt the interviewer at any point.
• Repeat facts or opinions which have come to you as second-hand; check the accuracy of your sources.
• Stop the interview if you make a mistake, listeners may not always pick up on the fumble, correct yourself and keep going.
• Assume the host or listeners know what you’re are talking about – don’t use jargon or insider lingo, translate your words into a language the journalist and the audience will understand;
• Get aggressive or negative about a question or topic. Your tone of voice is just as important as the words being spoken.

Most radio stations are part of a syndicate and content is available on the station’s website or social media at a later time so the reach can be mammoth.

Need more help?

Get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss media training options for you or your team.  Contact Cecelia via email cecelia@marketingelements.com.au or via mobile 0411 264 948.