Doing a radio interview, whether live or pre-record, can be a little daunting. Lots of my clients regularly undertake radio interviews and like a few pointers.

Here’s some of the tips I share:

  1. Put yourself in the listener’s shoes. Who’s listening to this station? What will they most want to know?
  2. Do some prep beforehand. Make a few notes to practise from, ensure you’re not gabbling. Have some extra key messages to hand in case the interviewer asks at the end if there’s anything else you’d like add.
  3. Feel free to ask beforehand for a rough guide of what you’ll be asked and discussing. No one likes to be caught out and interviewers would sooner avoid dead time on air while you’re thinking on the spot.
  4. Keep your answers short and snappy. Interviewers don’t like guests who ramble on too long and go off point. The greater the dialogue between interviewer and interviewee, the more engaging it is.
  5. Express yourself. Standing up allows you to gesture easier like you would in a normal conversation. Ok so they can’t see you but the more normal you can respond to questions, the more natural you’ll come across. 
  6. Leave out the jargon and remember to smile – it will lift your voice. 
  7. If you’re in the studio, get close to the microphone or you run the risk of sounding like you’re trapped in a box. 
  8. If the interview’s over the phone, try to use a landline for a stronger and more reliable connection. Make sure there’s no background noise and everyone knows not to disturb you.
  9. Have a glass of water on standby in case your mouth dries up.
  10. And finally, try to enjoy it! This will come across in the tone of your voice straight to the listener’s ears!

A radio interview is a great opportunity for people to hear about your campaign, project or idea first hand. The more you do, the easier they get! Afterwards it’s a good idea to drop the interviewer an email to thank them and remind them you’d be happy to return another time. 

If you’re looking to get an interview in the first place, it can be a useful starting point to put a press release together and send out to your local media. Or hire the expertise of a freelancer who already has an established contacts list and knows how to pitch your story to the press. I help small and medium sized businesses with this so get in touch to find out more.