It’s easy to think that a media mention or radio/TV interview will boost your business. We imagine that our mention or interview will send us customers dying to buy from us, like the stories about Oprah mentioning a product and sales going through the roof.
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.
One of my best friends from college is a successful career coach in New York. I am very grateful that she shared that her TV interviews hadn’t generated one lead.
She echoed what I have heard Carol say frequently, the real value comes from the social proof (you must be an expert if you were on xx), and the promotion you do on the back end of that mention or interview.
Let’s walk though how you might maximize the value of a radio interview, but you can use it for anything.
Before the interview
You should try to generate some excitement or awareness before your interview happens. You will want to post the upcoming event on social media, and add it to your speaker page if you have one to let people know that you have been booked by xx. (Pro tip: Probably only your mom or partner will watch/listen if you are doing something live, so don’t let your feelings get hurt if this happens.)
The day of the interview
Remind people to tune in. Remind them what you will be talking about, and how they can listen or watch. Identify the time zone it will be in, and also what time that is for Eastern time. People are lazy.
After the interview
Here’s where the bulk of the work is – but this work generates all of the value. You will want to try to do as many of these as possible:
- Get the hyperlink or file download.
- Decide if you want to send people to that site, or if you want to write a blog post and embed the hyperlink or widget into your post. (Pro tip: If you write a blog post and are able to embed a widget like I did here, people do not have to make an extra click and leave your site, which is a good thing.)
- Promote your blog post or link to the host’s site on social media. (Pro tip: If you are using your Facebook business page, pay to boost that post to people who have liked your page and their friends so people actually see it.)
- Promote it in your newsletter.
- Embed the link in your LinkedIn profile.
- Add link to your speaker and/or press page.
- If something was short and quotable, consider using Click to Tweet in your blog post or creating a meme (picture with the text on it) to generate improved social sharing.
Possible extra credit points
If your interview was with a media property people would know, consider adding the logo into your marketing. (Please note: Some media properties don’t allow this or charge for the rights – do your research).
The long tail of promotion
I understand that this seems like a lot of work, but there are potentially big payoffs. Social proof is only becoming more important – what OTHER people say about you is way more valuable than what you say about your expertise, products, or services.
Imagine a prospect coming to your website or social media platforms and seeing where you have been quoted or interviewed. Guest blogging counts too. It makes a big difference in their perception of you. Your prospect will take you more seriously, and hopefully will want to learn more about you.
Interviews and mentions give you a chance to shine. Knowledge nuggets and sound bites are what are shared more frequently on social media. Use them to your advantage!
