In the corporate world, marketing’s function is to generate sales leads and build awareness of the company’s product or service. Troubling, though, is the fact that these marketing departments do not see any value in using public relations to the company’s advantage. Instead, it is quite common for businesses to go down the costly road of advertising to get their company, product or services the desired exposure. You can save quite a bit of money if you use public relations through appearing as a guest on a talk radio show. Talk radio is an absolute fantastic way for you to get exposure to millions of people nationwide. Whether you are a web based business or a chain with national clientele - talk radio will target your consumers. “Do as many as you can “, says Friedman , Founder of EMSI , a national PR firm. “Talk radio is a goldmine .” So let’s have Friedman educate us as to why being a guest on talk radio is such a public relations goldmine:
1. Demographics and Target Audience. “On AM radio listeners are 55% male and 45% female with many of them college educated or with at least a high school diploma “, says Friedman . ” In addition to strong demographics there are also specialty talk shows that focus on finance, law, politics, health, relationships, lifestyles, consumer advocacy, sports, gardening and more so you can easily identify shows whose listeners are a match for your business .”
2. It is Not a Budget Killer.” Talk radio shows are no longer strictly done in studio. Friedman says, ” Almost all interviews on talk radio are held by phone so you won’t have to jump on a plane in order to be interviewed in-studio. If you are being interviewed by phone you can be anywhere and doing anything as long as you are a stone’s throw from a landline. ”
3. An Effective Sales Tool. Although PR is absolutely not advertising , if you get good coverage, it can be far more effective. ” When interviewed on talk radio you are having a live conversation with a plethora of consumers “, says Friedman . ” By executing your interview on talk radio successfully you have been able to communicate your message to consumers in a way that they will remember it! People who are listening to your interview want to know exactly where they can get your product. The best part is that many times the host will plug you website or phone number to take the stress off of you. What a great endorsement! “
4. A Terrific Endorsement from a 3rd Party. As you can imagine, talk radio shows have loyal followings in order to maintain their terrific ratings. Listeners make sure to listen every time their favorite show or host is on to get all of the latest news and information. Friedman says, ” Talk radio hosts are viewed as old friends by their dedicated listening base As that host is often thought of as an old friend or trusted advisor, when you appear as a guest on their show, so when you appear as a guest on the show, you get a fantastic endorsement almost instantly. Credible by association if you will. “
5. Credibility. This is a crucial ingredient in every marketing campaign - and talk radio supplies it in abundance! Friedman says, “One of my PR firm’s clients told us, ‘! almost every time I am a guest on a talk radio show - the talk radio show guest is not afraid to boast about my accomplishments and how proud they are to have me as a guest on their show! Of course, the more important I am as a guest, the more important the host appears to be. Talk radio is a total goldmine for public relations. ‘ What a great testimonial! “
6. Enough Time to Tell Your Whole Story. If you choose to go with advertising on tv, radio or in print you are faced with specific constraints in terms of budget and time to tell your story. ” Talk radio interviews can be as long as 30 minutes or more, and all of this is time you can be using to tell the listening audience about how terrific your product or service is! ” says Friedman . These reasons to be interviewed on talk radio should illustrate just how valuable this medium can be to the success of your business. If you would like to learn more about gaining national or local media attention for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Friedman would love to help. Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a PR expert Friedman has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without budget busting monthly retainers.
Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook “How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest” visit
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