Creative Impressions Press » Interviews

Interviews

Sharyn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:23:09 +0000

I have probably done more than 200 live interview while on KEST the San Francisco Alternative Radio Station over the two years I had “Choices for a Healthier Lifestyle.” Then once my sixth book was released I started doing at least one interview a week, sometimes as many as four.

It occurred to me there were no guidelines. No one suggested using a land line or having a glass of room temperature water. So I started making a list and created a guideline anyone can follow. It will help you make sure you are covering all the details.

Interview Details
Here are the details for our teleseminar:

Date: January 4th
Time: 10:00 am PST 11 am MT 1 pm EST

Call in: 1 (309) 946-5100 *199571
(You must include the leading star key)

Please Send the Sign up form to your database one week prior to interview

http://www.creativeimpressionscorp.com/Teleseminar.html

Here’s some helpful guidelines:
1. Send 15-18 questions to me 3-5 days prior to interview
2. Post your interview on Skype and Facebook
3. Sign up for Skype- make sure host has your Skype address
4. Keep answers to 30 seconds to 2 min max
Answer one question at a time, avoid giving multiple answers to one question
(some times it’s hard to stay on the question when you want to cover all the bases)
5. Be sure to use a land line – not VOIP as weather patterns interupt the quality of calls
6. Be sure to watch your Skype during your interview
7. Turn off all other phones
8. Turn off call waiting (*70 on AT&T)
9. Have a room temperature glass of water (with lemon is best)

Preparing for an Interview

Sharyn — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:20:09 +0000

The first thing you want to do is write out your show topic: what’s your hook? What will make your audience write down the date and time of your interview and tell everyone they know to tune in?
Set up a toll free number. These are easy enough to get with all of the Voice Over Internet Providers (VOIP) and they are transferrable, as in being able to do a call forward to a service provider who will do the fulfillment for you.
Make sure your website is up to date and it includes your One Sheet, contact information, an audio clip so they can hear how entertaining your are and testimonials from your speaking engagements or other talk show hosts.
Be sure your merchant account is set up and ready to take orders from the results of the show. I train the fulfillment house on how to process the orders from my website so they can process all of the orders. Then I don’t have to run to the mailing service to process the orders. They typically charge three dollars per transaction and the cost is past on to the buyer as part of the shipping and handling.
This is a critical step: hire an answering service. If you’re speaking or being interviewed when a producer takes the time to call you and you’re not available at that very moment, they will just move down the list to the next author. When you have an answering service they can book you through web based calendars and you’ll never miss out on another interview.
Although this is not as critical as it has been in the past, list your credentials, degrees, experience and what makes you an expert. It can provide great talking points for the talk show host.
Most radio stations will only let you do an interview if you have a land line. Our cell phone reception is much better than it has been in the past, so you might find stations that no longer require this.
Most radio stations will offer you a recording within seven days of airing your interview. Be sure to put these recordings on you site under your Media tab. The more you have the more credibility you will have when lining up additional interviews.
Always inform your current database to call into the radio show with questions. When a producer notices a spike in call-ins, when you’re on the air, they will ask you to come back again and again.
A Press Kit in a physical format is no longer mandatory. In fact the only time I ever receive a request for a kit is when I am bidding for a platform position or keynote engagement. However, your electronic version should be available on line.
You will want to make sure it stands out: use prominent colors that match your book cover, include pictures, graphics and .jpg files from publicity you have received.
If you have to mail a kit for an interview, be sure to hand address the mailing envelope and include “Requested Material Enclosed” on the label, a copy of the front cover of your book and copies of articles about your book or speaking engagements.
Include your 10 to 15 Questions and Answers with the length of time scheduled for each one and be sure to create controversy that will support your viewpoint. Make sure they are also available on your website/blog.
Also include letters of recommendation (you can get them from previous radio interviews) and newspaper clippings.

Interviews

Sharyn — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:28:52 +0000

I love interviewing authors. I have authors prepare their own questions and help guide them to an answer which will guide the listeners to go to their website and buy their book.

There are many ways of answering the same question. “What do you want your readers to take away from reading your book?” could have several answers, but knowing the listening audience will help guide you to the right answer.

If the audience is part of the Law of Attraction group, an answer would be “We all know what we focus on is what we attract, I have found several methods to help my readers learn to focus on their ideal outcomes and avoid focusing on things like the bills they owe, difficult jobs or relationships or whatever else keeps them from realizing their ideal life.” would then plant the seed the audience needs to follow through and look at buy your book.

Remember when interviewing authors, talk with them as though you’re good friends. It makes it easier for the audience to become engaged with you. The more engaged they are the more likely they’ll follow your blog, website and future writing.

I use FreeConference to record the interviews and SonyStudio’s to edit the recording. I have permission from Patrick O’Hearn to use his music for an intro and exit music which makes it more professional.

Then I post the interview with a picture of the author I interviewed and a link back to their website.

Later, I’ll use the material for the membership site. It’s so amazing how easy it is to create collateral material.

Just remember to have fun with the interview!

Interviews

Sharyn — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:47:04 +0000

I love interviews! Both being interviewed and interviewing others. It is a great way to get to know people and I learn so much from other authors. It is one of the best ways to learn what others are doing that might impact how I do things.

I have been interviewed more than 200 times on TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and at speaking engagements. I usually try to capture the event in audio, video, .jpgs or worse case scenario a link to someone’s website. The reason it’s worse case is if their site goes down or they drop the page, you won’t be able to recover it.

One way you can retain control of the interview is to take a screen capture and paste it into a Word.doc then print it to a .jpg or with Quicktime upgrade you can right click on audio files and download them to your own computer. That will at least give you control of the files.

There are a few steps to do prior to an interview and if you post these tips to the ones you are interviewing, it will save you from having any major problems crop up during the interview.

Here’s some helpful guidelines:
1. Send 15-18 questions to me 3-5 days prior to interview
2. Post your interview on Skype and Facebook
3. Sign up for Skype- make sure host has your Skype address
4. Keep answers to 30 seconds to 2 min max
Answer one question at a time, avoid giving multiple answers to one question
(some times it’s hard to stay on the question when you want to cover all the bases)
5. Be sure to use a land line – not VOIP as weather patterns interupt the quality of calls
6. Be sure to watch your Skype during your interview
7. Turn off all other phones
8. Turn off call waiting (*70 on AT&T)
9. Have a room temperature glass of water (with lemon is best)