…you really need to be talking about something other than your book. Especially when you watch the big shows where they interview authors about traveling as a single mom, or the latest fashion trend with an author, who wrote a book about the same subject. That means the interview isn’t about the book, but about the subject itself, and the book just happens to be mentioned.
An author’s guide to getting on the news
That obviously works well for nonfiction books, but what about fiction? Well if like me, you’ve written a novel centered around the Amazon jungle, and you’ve traveled there you could certainly speak to single women traveling across the world. And then bring up your book.
Or maybe there’s a theme in your book, personal journey, or a cause that you’re passionate about that relates back to your book.
But I will also tell you that I have gotten plenty of interviews just talking about my fiction books. But then I might also be a little lucky, but I’m gonna share with you how I’ve gotten on the news and other programs.
I also don’t want you to think being on the news is going to sell a lot of books. My purpose of getting on the news is getting my name out there so when people see me they recognize me they trust me and they buy my book eventually or they eventually buy my self publishing classes or something of mine. This is the long game.
Another reason to get interviewed is it lends you credibility as an author, or for myself it also lends credibility to the work I do with other authors. You can share that interview on your social media. Make sure to put it on on your website.
Get Started
Step one is get to know your local news people and follow them on social media. Like their posts, make intelligent comments on their posts. Also know who their audience is. If their audience isn’t someone who is going to be interested in what you do then they’re probably not going to be a good fit.
I happen to follow the owner of New Mexico entertainment magazine. Just the other day she was looking for people to interview for her television program and she was looking for people with events or things coming up. I commented on her post that I had a writer’s planner that had just come out and also an anthology. She invited me right away to be interviewed. Think about local magazines or local shows that interview authors and definitely follow those magazines just in case.
You should also submit your information to your local news media if they have morning shows where people sit at the couch, they might love to interview you about your books. Don’t forget, they are always looking for people to interview because they always have a show to put on especially during the holidays or other slow news days.
Make sure to not just write some standard pitch to get on a News program and send it out to everybody. you want to personalize the information you’re sending to each individual person and news station.
A few months ago, I submitted my information to one of the news channels through their website not actually thinking I would get called. Because I was only talking about my books. As it happens, I got called the next day Tuesday morning at 8 AM because someone had dropped out at the last minute on Wednesday morning and they needed someone to interview. of course I said yes. So that’s another thing to be aware of. News moves fast. Watch your phone watch your voicemail watch your email and make sure to say yes.
And when you get that interview, make sure to prepare. Think about the questions they might ask you and prepare your answers to be succinct. For example, tell me about your latest novel? Many of these interviews will be very short – somewhere around three minutes or less.
You’ll have very little time to get into any specifics. tell people where to find more information about you. Hopefully you send them to your website. If not send them to your social media page and get them to sign up for your email list.
In Review:
Craft, a news story or pitch, make sure to personalize it, make sure to have your website or something ready to send them to when you have an interview, and start reaching out to the news media today.
In the show notes, I’ve inserted a link to my latest interview on the news as an example. I’m also inserting a link to the book 21 day PR action guide. This is by International PR specialist Michelle Tenant Nicholson. So if you need a workbook to work through ideas and a more detailed PR campaign, that’s a great option.
I’d love to hear about any successes, reach out and let me know how things go.
Show Notes:
~Link to the 21 Day PR Action Guide on Amazon:
~Link to my latest interview on the news
~Link to my upcoming classes
Classes include the Self-Publishing Class, The Amazon Ads Class, and Marketing Your Book Class