A couple months ago, I got a five minute spot on a UK radio station to talk about my books. This station was taking anyone and everyone who reached out to them, but even so, it was a marketing opportunity that I took seriously. The hosts sent out a list of five or so simple questions that we’d cover and before my spot, I listened to several others to get a sense of how it’d go. I also prepared my answers ahead of time in my own Google doc and sent the hosts a link to my press kit in case they wanted or needed anything from it.
All of these steps occurred naturally to me and seemed to be common sense. After the interview, the host remarked at how calm, collected, and precise I was. I didn’t seem nervous at all (I was) and stayed on target, whereas some other folks they’d interviewed prattled on and on. I’d heard some of those long-winded authors, too, and I wondered if they’d taken the time to prepare and, if not, then why?
To your face, a courteous radio host probably won’t give you a hard time for meandering in your answers, but they will tell others about it like these guys told me. And trust me, they were very professional and kind! Worse than creating a not-so-stellar impression, you miss the opportunity to make those short interview spots meaningful to an audience if you ramble.
It’s easy to think, “Oh, it’s just a five minute talk. No big deal. I don’t need to prepare!” If you’re an amazing public speaker, then you probably don’t and good for you! But for the rest of us, especially authors who don’t get a lot of interviews, preparing is the best way to make the most of that short conversation, especially when the hosts send you the questions ahead of time.
So, I thought I’d round up some reasons why I find it helpful to prepare for short interview opportunities like this.
Preparing Controls Your Nerves
In general, I don’t sound nervous when I speak, even if I’m actually panicking internally. While some of that is natural, most of it in the case of this short radio interview was because I’d written my answers and had the document up on my screen during the interview. When you have a five minute spot, you have to deliver a clear message with each answer. You don’t have much time to hesitate, start saying one thing, backtrack, then launch into a detailed story. Once the nerves kick in, you’ll want something to ground yourself and that’s what your prewritten notes are for.
Preparing Makes the Most of Short Time
Here’s a truth about that radio spot: most people don’t know or care who I am. They’re not interested in lengthy accounts of my life or inspiration. A five minute radio spot is not a podcast. It’s not the time to go into all of those details. So, to keep myself on track, I had to craft precise responses to each of the questions to serve two purposes: give listeners meaningful information about my books and intrigue them enough to want to look them up.
Preparing Makes You Speak Well and Sound Professional
I can edit out stuttering and hesitating in a podcast, but on a live radio spot, I don’t have that luxury. Writing your answers ahead of time will save you from a litany of “ums,” “uhs,” and other empty phrases we tend to use when we’re thinking out loud. Your well-prepared answers will tell the hosts that you took their time and this opportunity seriously, and listeners will come away thinking, “this show has really interesting guests. I’m going to keep listening to it.” If all listeners hear is, “Well, actually, you know, like, um, you see, my books are this sort of thing where like,” they’re going to tune out or spend their time elsewhere.
So, authors, put some thought into those short spots you may pick up. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on a major platform or an obscure one. You want those bite-sized interviews to present the best version of yourself and your work as possible.
Speaking of my books, here they are!
Forgive Us Our Trespasses is a blackout poetry collection that weaves a visual and poetic tapestry of faith, doubt, joy, and bitterness.
Lest I Know Your Weakness is a twisted love story told in alternating poems, reimagining the relationship between Laura and Carmilla in the 1872 novella “Carmilla” as a darkly hopeful bond.
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lest-i-know-your-weakness-taylor-ramage/1130202500?ean=9780578435992