Popping up on a podcast can be great publicity for you or your company. It implies you’re a go-to expert with something to say.
The truth can be a little less flattering. Broadcast producers have a lot of time to fill, and aren’t always too fussy who they fill it with. But you can play that to your advantage. Building a relationship with a radio station or podcast producer is win-win. In a newsroom environment, producers want to get hold of reliable people, fast. If yours is the phone number they know will be picked up, they’ll keep ringing it. And you’ll keep getting the free publicity.
During my years at the BBC, both in TV and radio, I was often struck by how anxious guests were before the mic went live. It was perfectly understandable — I was in my comfort zone, and they most certainly were out of theirs.
More recently, as a communications and media consultant, I’ve been helping clients build their confidence during broadcast interviews.
So a few weeks ago, I popped along to BBC Radio Sussex to record an interview with Will Flockton, a Senior Radio Producer. What, I asked, was his advice for nervous radio guests?
His answers are, I hope, very reassuring. Here they are in person …
… and here’s my summary.
Q1: What’s the process? Let’s say a researcher has rung me and asked me to do an interview the following morning on Zoom or on my phone. We agree a time for them to call me during their programme. Am I live the moment the phone rings?
A1: Almost certainly not. I can’t speak for independent radio, which may have even fewer staff, but in a BBC environment you are likely to be called by the producer a couple of minutes before you go on air. This will give them a chance to check your details, and will give you a chance to ask about the interview ahead. You will then be ‘patched through’ to the live studio, where you will hear the presenter introducing your item. Only then will you be ‘live.’
Q2: How do I know the presenter won’t be trying to trip me up?
A2: Because that’s not the presenter’s job. If your role is to be an expert on a topic, the presenter will want to get the best out of you, and will try to guide you to the best answers for the audience. If you are being interviewed because you are ‘accountable’ — for example, defending a position as a local councillor or MP, or a company that’s let a customer down — then the presenter may take a different approach, being more challenging and putting alternative points of view. But the BBC’s rules on this (known as “Fair Dealing”) mean that the interview will be rigorous, it must also be fair.
Q3: Is it okay for me to give the presenter a list of questions I’m prepared to answer?
A3: No. A broadcast interview is a conversation, and conversations need to flow. It is reasonable, though, to ask the producer (or researcher who may have called you the previous day to fix the interview) for a broad area of topics. The Fair Dealing rules apply here too — it wouldn’t be fair to invite you on to talk about a new service, and then spring on you the fact that a caller is on the line who’s been let down by that service. You would have a right to make a formal complaint if this were to happen.
Q4: Is it okay for me to plug my company or service?
A4: This is more of a grey area. Broadcast producers understand that if you are, for example, a solicitor coming on air to talk about a new development in the law, the commercial benefit to you is that a listener may make a note of your name and firm. So it’s fine to mention your firm in one or two answers, and maybe even refer to your website (especially if you are running a campaign.) But don’t do it too often, or it can become offputting. And do bear in mind that the presenter is likely to remind the audience of your name, and where you come from, at the end of the interview too. Treat it like a networking event — you want people to know who you are and what you do, but you do want to be subtle about it!
Q5: Is it better to do a podcast or radio interview from home (over phone or Zoom), or to come into the studio itself?
Q5: Without question, it’s better to come into the studio itself. Firstly, the sound quality will be far better for the listener (and don’t underestimate the importance of this — I’ve had to abandon listening to many podcasts because it’s simply too exhausting to listen to a crackly phone line for minutes on end.) Second, the conversation will be much more natural and free-flowing, benefiting from eye contact and warmth. And finally — by being face-to-face, you’ll be building a much stronger relationship with that station and that producer.
And as we all know in business — it’s all about the relationships.
So if you’re faced with a sudden interview situation and are a bit nervous – give me a call. I won’t charge for a few nerve-calming minutes of advice … I’d much rather build a relationship of trust with you.
Happy Broadcasting!