Skip Mahaffey

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing with you my personal experiences and observations about using radio as part of your media strategy for your clients, bosses etc. and helping you make your client a better candidate for air time. This week, I thought I would let you hear from my colleagues.

The nuts and bolts of pitching, contacting and getting interviews is all pretty standard fare, so this time I thought I would ask two very simple questions from three of the finest producers in the country:  “What do you look for in a guest on your program?” and “What makes one guest better than another?” You’ll find a common thread in their answers. I also have some of the most helpful hints from one of radio’s most respected producers that will certainly give you some headway when navigating your way on to the radio, TV and beyond.

Question One: What do you look for in a guest on your program?”

Katherine Kelly: (Producer, Sirius/XM’s Oprah Radio): I look for who is currently hot in the news of course – but I also try to look for someone that I would want to hear interviewed.  I try to put myself in the listeners’ seat and ask if I would be interested in what a certain guest would have to say.

Lisa Kosty: (Longtime morning show host, producer Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray, US-99 Chicago): I look for people who are relevant in our culture, not necessarily people I admire. For example I hate Snooki, but EVERYONE is talking about her.  We also find local characters pretty amusing.

Melissa Bunting: Executive Producer “The Breakfast Show with MadDog and Maura,” Virgin Radio, Toronto. (Full disclosure: Melissa was my producer for five years; I consider her one of the best): Are they conversational? Not boring? Engaging? Do they freak out when the microphone is on? If they take questions from listeners, they need to know how to get in and out quickly while giving forth information. Nice voice, good rapport with people. Not negative sounding. Key words: current, relevant, conversational, engaging.

Question Two: “What makes one guest better than the other?”

Katherine: A guest who has something to say isn’t necessarily a guest who will say it.  Someone who will actually answer questions and give more information than you originally asked for is always primo as opposed to those that answer with one word.

Lisa: Often, what makes them better is how they are TODAY, which you can’t predict.  I have had some guests who were WONDERFUL in prior years, and now they just seem bored.  Vice versa is true as well…i.e. Keith Urban… it was hard to get him to open up.  Now that he’s in love and life is great, he’s an open book and he’s FUN.

Melissa: I think also you want feedback from people. If they appear on your show, and you get feedback from people who want to hear from them again, that’s positive. Is the topic relatable to the audience?

Key words: have something to say, fun, want to hear them again, relatable to the audience.

I was discussing the subject of what makes a good guest with Pete Herrick (“Yankee Pete” from the syndicated “Ace and T.J. Show” based in Charlotte). Pete is among the nation’s top five producers and I found his responses so important, I included them all verbatim.

1. Do research on the hosts that are interviewing you.  Read their bios, Google them, know something about them and find a unique trait that relates to your topic so you can engage them while you’re on the air with them.

2. Let the hosts sell your product.  It sounds like a commercial when you mention your show, book, website, etc.  The hosts are professionals, they’ll re-set you as a guest and they’ll do the selling for you.

3.  Communicate clearly with the producer(s) ahead of time. Ask if you can assist them with any teasing.  For example, “in 30 minutes, has this guy actually met bigfoot?”  “At this time tomorrow, we’re going to have the ONE thing that you need to be watching out for with your pre-teen daughter, and you’ll be shocked.”  Help the producer with a hook, even if it’s not the main topic of your interview.

4. Be on a land-line and don’t ever use a speaker-phone.  Sit up (lying down is a regular thing with guests who are up early to do east-coast phone tours).  Have a bottle of water handy in case you need it.

5. Don’t stress if the hosts go off topic. Encourage it.  Listeners are very familiar with the show, that’s why they listen, if they’re being funny or “random”, the listeners are engaged and will stick around.

6.  Know ahead of time if there are words/topics that are off-limits.  Not that you’re planning on cussing up a storm, but “pissed off” or “ass” or “bitch” are fine for some shows, but they’re cause for hitting the dump button on other shows…know the show that you’re guesting on.

7.  Keep your answers to 30 seconds or under. Make them compelling, and consider ending your answers with a question for the host to solicit a reaction or response from them.

I know this doesn’t answer all of your questions but is definitely gives you a clearer picture of what we media-types are looking for in a guest. As a parting thought, I’d like to share with you one outstanding testimonial on my previous assertion that radio should still be an important partner in your marketing plans.

John Weber: (Vice-President, Network Programs and Services, Premiere Radio Networks, New York.) John is the man responsible for booking and organizing hundreds of book and interview tours for radio:

“We do a lot of work with book publicists, and they tell me, across the board, NOTHING sells a book like radio.   When we do a radio tour with an author, attendance goes up at area book signings and there’s almost always a jump in sales on Amazon!  So one should never underestimate the impact of radio, especially major market stations!  Stations in all formats generally participate, so it’s not just news/talk, its morning shows of all flavors…”

Next time, I will give you some insight about a small piece of electronics that changed how we all execute media interviews forever. This is information that NO ONE in media coaching is warning you about. Knowing how to work with this monster will only benefit you and your clients!

Be Brilliant!

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

For weeks I’ve been giving you (hopefully) helpful tips to make your job a bit easier when it comes to making your clients more ‘media-friendly.’ From pre-pitch to post-interview, my goal was to give you some insight from the perspective of someone who has been responsible for booking and interviewing thousands of authors, experts, CEO’s etc for nearly thirty years. If you’ve spent any amount of time on this forum no doubt you should have an abundant amount of practical knowledge at your fingertips. But after reading and re-reading dozens of articles on this subject, I discovered that I never simply answered the question stated above. For that I am sorry and I will attempt to do so now.

When I am asked what executive is the best example of a great guest, without hesitation my answer is always Matt Silverman. Matt Silverman is the President of the Tampa Bay Rays and he will always be a welcome guest. It certainly helps that Matt is genuinely a nice person who is passionate about his work but he has a level of professionalism and understanding of the purpose of the media that is sadly lacking in others of his stature. In my interviews with Matt, I’ve distilled his skills as a media guest to five general points that any client can develop:

1 – Be Comfortable: Do you remember the scene in “Broadcast News” when Albert Brooks’ character was doing a live TV report and he was so nervous he was drenched in sweat? It was only hysterical because it was happening to someone else. Now, re-create that same scene and put your boss in Brooks’ position. That could be a career-ender for you. Nobody wants to look/sound bad and when you are uncomfortable everybody notices. Some people are naturals in front of the media, others not so much.

The only way I can tell you how to get your client over that hump is practice, practice, practice. Put them in an uncomfortable place in a conference room, stick a camera in front of their face and start asking questions. Then make them watch it! I’m warning you, your client is going to hate every minute of it. Your job is to point out what they did well and manage their weak points. Teach them to talk to a camera lens like they’re talking to a friend. If you need help, call me. I’ve done mock interviews for dozens of clients and through my company (Mahaffey Creative,) I can even conduct live radio interviews that we can critique. These skills are like muscles, they only get stronger when you work out with them.

While we’re on this subject, there is a question you need to ask your client: Do you even want to be there? Being with a guest who is only there because they are obligated to be there is like pulling teeth with tweezers. If your client feels comfortable handing off media duties to someone else that can do a better job, DO IT!

2 – Be Confident: Know why you are there and know why you are the person who needs to deliver the message. This is when you as the PR person become the cheerleader. Bolster their confidence and remind them why they’re there. If they’ve risen to this position, they likely have the credentials to back them up, use them.

3 – Be Prepared: The worst feeling in the world is being asked a question that you have no answer to. You immediately go from articulate spokesperson to babbling idiot. Remember, there are no do-over’s in live media. Make sure your client knows the message you are trying to communicate. Nag them like you’re their mom!

4 – Be Relevant: This circles back to previous blogs where I explained that the media’s purpose of having you on is because you have something important to share with their audience. Make sure your client understands the audience’s point of view and addresses their comments accordingly. Remind them to keep their comments simple. DON’T TALK ABOVE THE AUDIENCES’ HEAD. We affectionately refer to this as ‘dumbing it down.’

5 – Be Entertaining: As strange as it may seem, this is probably the most important factor. You can bobble the four other points but if you are an entertaining guest, no matter what the subject, you stand a much better shot at coming back. One of the most engaging people I ever met was a coroner from St. Louis. Her subject matter (a grisly high-profile murder) was very serious but what made her a great guest was she had an uncanny ability to address her information in an entertaining manner (remember “entertaining” doesn’t necessarily mean “funny”.)

The best part about this point is that if your client is prepared, relevant, confident and comfortable, being entertaining will almost come automatically. Your job is to set their mood going in and remind them “No big deal, it’s only national TV!”

Let’s talk a little about egos. I’ll say it, every person you have to deal with on this level has one and many are out of control. I have dealt with a number of guests who demand that their ego be recognized and feared when they are in my studio.  While a healthy ego can be a good thing, it can kill you if you are trying to become a media darling.

The really smart guests I’ve dealt with understand that while they are geniuses at whatever spins their world, when it comes to being in front of the media, there is always opportunity to learn. Great guests will always ask their interviewers for feedback and seek ways to improve this skill. Great guests will almost always go back and watch their last appearance and find ways to improve.

Bottom line: No matter what you do, the only thing that counts is what happens when the microphones are hot and the cameras are on.  Hopefully, these five simple steps from an extraordinary gentleman will help you help your clients become media superstars. Go Rays.

Be Brilliant!

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

Radio people are an odd lot. I could tell you that we are generally happy creative types who only want to entertain our audience. Believe that and I have some dot com investments I’d like to talk with you about.

What I will tell you is that we have an equal overabundance of ego and insecurity. Those two things should not live in the same head, yet they seem to thrive in ours. Oh, and we also tend to be a bit on the manic side. I tell you this as a way of letting you know that we as a group are fairly unbalanced. Harmless, but unbalanced.

In previous articles, I’ve explained why radio is a good idea when you are putting together your media marketing strategy, how local radio is the stepping stone to network TV appearances and what you should do before making that first inquiry into becoming a guest on a radio show. Today, I’m going to tell you what to do to guarantee you NEVER get an interview on my show!

Send Me A Generic Pitch: Please make sure to put ‘to whom it may concern’ or ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ in the salutation. There is nothing more annoying to any producer than receiving a generic pitch. I know that sounds ridiculously shallow but we are talking about producers. We are ridiculously shallow.

You are much better off taking the time to get to know the particular show you are trying to get on than to just send something blind. In the beginning it will be tedious, but as you perfect this craft you’ll be surprised at how easy it gets. So, if you never want to be on my show, just call me “Sir.”

Don’t Spell the Name of the Producer Right:  I know several producers who won’t give you the time of day if you can’t even get their name right on your pitch email. They are the gate keepers, irritate them.

Do Not Listen: If you were to listen to the show long enough to get a feel for the personalities, then plan your pitch to appeal to them that would be ridiculously insightful. If you personalize your pitch to one or more members of the program, you’d stand a much better chance of being a welcomed guest of the show. We don’t want that, do we?
Don’t Bother Getting to ‘Know the Show’: If you are unable to listen to the show because it is not in your market, DO NOT go to their website and look around. DO NOT read the bios of the hosts or get to know them. And don’t you dare dig up something you, your service or product would have in common with the show. We LOVE to make it about us (see “overabundance of ego” above) if you go personalizing it to one of us, we’ll be forced to not only have you in the studio, but we might enjoy it and ask you back.

Give Lousy Phone: Remember, when you are talking to a producer on the phone, you are auditioning for them as well. Producers want to hear that you are conversational, upbeat, capable and confident. They want to know that they can turn over their airwaves to you and it won’t be a disaster. To be scatterbrained, full of half answers and unfocused is to be one step closer to no step nearer my studios. Don’t forget to say ‘um’ a lot!

Disconnect: Make sure what you have to say or what you bring to the table has absolutely NO bearing whatsoever on what’s going on in the world and is of absolutely NO relatability or consequence to anyone other than yourself.

Think about THE most important topic of the day: personal finances and the economy. If you want to have a fun drinking game, watch the morning network TV shows and take a shot every time there’s a money or financial expert on the program, telling you how to make your financial world a nicer place to live. You’ll be hammered by 7:30! These experts were smart enough to understand the importance of their particular expertise being relevant to what’s happening in the world and in the news RIGHT NOW!

Don’t Improve. Don’t Even Ask: When I was a producer in Phoenix, I had a comedian on the air I was obligated to interview. The segment didn’t go as well as expected and when it was over and I was giving him the bum’s rush out the door, he had the nerve to ask me how he could have done better. We talked for about thirty minutes exchanging ideas on what both of us could do to improve the experience should the opportunity ever arise again. A year later, I took a chance and brought him back. He destroyed the room and has been one of my all time favorite guests who has been on my program at least two dozen times since.

Hate Dogs: If you don’t like dogs, I don’t like you.

If I make the mistake of allowing you on my show, do me a favor: Show up late, mumble. If you’re on the phone, make it a cell and call from the most echo-y room in your house, give me one word answers and be as dull as you possibly can. That should guarantee that you will NEVER be on the radio again.

Look, I hope you get the joke but can appreciate the message. Yes, there is a lot of ego being addressed here that’s because ego runs rampant in this world. Not just us media-types but you Sir/Madam CEO, executive, expert or author, are ego driven too. Why else would you be improving your skills to be a better media guest? It may not be your driving force, but the ego is there and needing to be fed. Just don’t let it destroy you.

Have fun and be Brilliant!

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

Sorry to say but unless you are really, really, really good, if you are an expert or author looking to be interviewed by the media, there is no one sure-fire way to get a producer or announcer to put you on the air immediately. But after consulting with several top producers across the country and using my own experiences, there’s one thing you must do to get the edge on your competition before you ever contact the media.

Develop a good hook and a great pitch.

Here’s how to do it: First thing you must do before you do anything else is answer this question;

“What do I have to offer?” or better still “Why should this producer give me the time of day?”

Time is the most precious commodity we have and when you make your pitch to be a guest, you are asking this producer for not only their time but for the time of their host and their audience.

“How can my expertise be beneficial to this audience?” This can be a difficult question to answer. You already know the value of what you’ve written or have become an expert in. Question is can you tell the audience why it’s important to them?

A major mistake made by people like you and like me is that we lose sight on the fact that what we have, what we are, is a product. Our ultimate goal should be to sell ‘the product.’ Some product’s value is obvious: think can opener. Other products you may have to get creative with.

So before you ever write a press release, before you make a phone call or send an email, have the answer to that question ready. Know what your product is, establish its value and be ready to passionately speak on its behalf.

Here are two quick examples of establishing value: Lauri Loewenberg (www.lauriloewenberg.com) is the author of several books dealing with dreams. She is a dream interpreter/expert who listens to your dreams and tells you what they mean. Everyone can see a value in that.

On the other side of the coin, my book ‘Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love’ deals with how I grew up in a divorced household in the sixties. Great book if I do say so myself, very poignant, very personal yet told with great sarcasm and humor.  But really, where is the value in hearing about my childhood?

That was a head scratcher. I had to really tilt the box and look at it unemotionally. What could I say to a perfect stranger that would be beneficial or relatable to them? It was a very wise man of the cloth, Rev. Ed Bacon who summed it up for me. When he interviewed me on Oprah Radio, his theme was ‘going from victim to victor.’ He explained that through perseverance, determination and humor, I turned what could have been a miserable childhood into the building blocks of a successful adult life.

I became an expert at surviving dysfunction.

Is that as marketable as being a dream expert? Probably not but it’s what I know.

Once you’ve found the value of your product, it’s time to put it in a package. Packaging is crucial if you plan on taking your product to the media!

I was listening to an interview by a very successful publisher who said the most difficult process and crucial move in all of publishing is coming up with the right title and cover for a book.

Consider the title: In a few words you must sum up the entirety of what’s inside. Turn the book over and you have about half a page to present a compelling reason for someone to take your book (or expertise) home. Same goes with your pitch and your hook.

As a radio host, I am asking you, begging you, please get to the point. In one sentence, tell me what you got, why I care and why I should share it with my audience. Don’t give me a three-page dissertation on what compelled you to write this masterpiece and don’t give me a stack of accolades from people I don’t know. DON’T WASTE MY TIME.

More and more research is telling us that you have precious few seconds to capture my attention and peak my interest. But most of us are guilty of giving up the history of the wristwatch when asked the time. When you send that pitch, you’ve got about three lines to get me or I’m gone.

Another thing about pitches: Don’t give me clever, give me concrete. Keep it simple.

Don’t say: ‘Heed these words to avoid the pitfalls and the journey down the unwise path into the depths of lawlessness.”

Say: “Here are 5 ways to stay out of jail this weekend.”

Here’s a real pitch I received recently:

“Dream expert Lauri Loewenberg has the five most common recurring nightmares and what you can do to make them stop immediately.”

From my standpoint as a producer and a radio host, this is near perfect.

Let’s tear it apart:

“Dream expert Lauri Loewenberg” immediately I know who she is and what she is;

“the five most common recurring nightmares…” here’s the pitch, okay something everybody has experienced;

“What you can do to make them stop immediately.” Instant gratification and an immediate solution. Empowering YOU to fix the problem. Bring ‘em in boys, we hooked em.

When it comes to actually writing your pitch, you should be the one to express the value of your product. Consulting with experts, family and friends is a smart move but ultimately YOU are the face and the embodiment of the product so the words should come from you. You can have someone else write your pitches for you, but make sure it suits you. Because if the suit doesn’t fit, you won’t look very good on TV!

Take the time and really think it out. Define the product. Give it a title and a cover. Make it brief, make it obvious, make it compelling with an expectation of a beneficial pay-off. Then give me a call.

Be Brilliant!

(Next time: How to Make Sure You NEVER Get on the Radio)

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

(If you know that quote came from, you rock!)

The other day, I was conducting a phone interview on the air with a young lady about things job seekers could do to help them stand out in the eyes and minds of potential employers. The information she provided was timely and her list of accomplishments and qualifications to provide this information was impressive. In the span of the twenty minute interview, she dispensed extremely valuable hints that could have helped dozens of people in their job search.

Sadly, no one is going to remember anything she said. What they are going to remember is that she sounded like sh*t.

No, she wasn’t sick and no it wasn’t poor delivery, it was the actual sound of her call that was horrible. The quality of her audio was hollow, scratchy, “echo-ey” and at times, impossible to understand.

The problem is that she insisted on using her speakerphone on the desk in her office.

I do take partial blame for this unfortunate incident. Under other circumstances, I would have asked that she reconsider using the receiver. But when you are doing a live radio program and you have no producer or support staff, interviews come fast and furious and you go with what’s in front of you.

I understand her position and the convenience of the speakerphone. Sitting there for a long period of time with a phone stuck to your face is a sweaty drag and some people like to have their hands free when they’re speaking. What you need to understand is that the quality of your client’s words in an interview is wasted if the quality of the audio isn’t the best it can possibly be.

I could give you this long drawn out explanation about acoustics and how sound bouncing off walls and glass and objects in the room picked up by a condenser mic in the base of a desk phone is not conducive to premium audio quality, but that really isn’t important. Let’s just say, it’s not your best alternative.

Personally, I have always felt that speakerphones sound cold and impersonal. It could be a great conversation, your client could be bubbly and vivacious but speakerphones give off an air of “I have other things to do while I talk to you.” As you know, we now live in a society where “I” am THE most important person in the world and if your client doesn’t get that then “I” won’t listen to them. Again, that’s just my P.O.V.

The good news is that there is a simple solution. The better news is that it can be bought for as little as ten dollars. Do yourself, your client and all of us a favor and have your client invest in a headset. There are literally hundreds to choose from and it will take a little work to pick the best one for you, but believe me when I tell you it is time well spent.

Go to a Best Buy or similar store, find someone with half a clue and explain to them your situation. They’ll ask you some simple questions and point you in a direction. Then it just comes down to personal preference. It really is that simple.

I know there are going to be times when you’ll be involved in an interview with two or more people in the same room. I suggest going ‘old school’ and just have them pick up extensions of the same phone line. Better still, ask yourself “Do we really need to have on all six experts or can we deliver our information with two or three?” Just try to make the speakerphone the last resort.

More and more, I tell clients to use Skype to conduct interviews. Skype is a great alternative because it’s free (Skype to Skype), easy to learn, easy to add other callers and its digital quality, much better than standard phone lines. But for the love of God Almighty, don’t use the microphone built in to your laptop, they’re ten times worse than the mic built in to your desk phone. Buy the headset. Like standard phone headsets, there are hundreds to choose from for your computer. Find an experienced ‘gamer’ and ask them about headsets and they’ll give you WAY too much valuable information.

Finally, when you’re getting ready to do a phone interview, take a quick look at your surroundings. Double check to make sure that there isn’t anything around you that could possibly become an audio distraction. Things as simple as tile floors can create a ton of extra noise. I know to most of you that’s a ‘duh’ statement but you’d be amazed at the number of interviews I’ve done over the past thirty years where people have failed to take that consideration.

Oh wait, I have one last helpful hint: Teach your client not to exhale directly onto the microphone. That is not a pretty sound.

I know your client is brilliant and I know that every person within the sound of their voice would benefit wildly from the wisdom. Let’s just do whatever we can to make sure those within the sound of their voice can actually understand the sound of their voice.

I’d love to hear your feedback.

Good luck and Be Brilliant!

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by calling 813-388-1035 or email: skip@skipshow.com

Over the past year or so, I’ve mentioned in repeated blogs how doing a little homework before pitching media outlets can greatly improve your clients chances of getting on the air. In going back and re-reading many of these diatribes, I realized I never really explored nor explained exactly what I mean by “doing your homework” or how to go about accomplishing said same (a nasty life-long habit that irritates both my mother and my wife). So I thought today would be as good as any to drop the sarcasm and actually give you some beneficial information. (What a concept.)

I’m a big believer that nothing illustrates a point better than a good story, so here goes: A few years ago, I was contacted by a group of law enforcement officers in North Carolina who were trying to raise support and awareness for the Police Unity Tour, a project I’ve been involved with for many years (an annual two-hundred and fifty mile bicycle ride to honor law enforcement members killed in the line of duty). Since I am a designated “media source” for the PUT, they came to me looking for suggestions on how to best  promote some fund raising activities in the area with the media.

After doing some quick research, I forwarded them a list of some of the more popular TV and radio programs in the area and gave them a quick tutorial on how to pitch these programs. Given that these were law enforcement officers who engage in investigation on a daily basis, I assumed they would have done some more in depth check-up before they decided which program they would pitch. Silly me.

On the surface, the radio program they chose made sense, a top-rated local in-your-face rock jock with a very dedicated audience. Had they done a little more homework they would have discovered that this particular jock regularly trashed law enforcement and hated cyclists so much, he actually put out a challenge to his audience (primarily males 10-24) to run cyclists off the road whenever possible. When this jock got hold of their press release, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to tee off on these people.

Needless to say, the interview did NOT go well.

Had they taken the time to dig a little deeper, they would have found a local TV reporter who not only came from a law enforcement family, but she had recently spearheaded a local MS100 bike ride. Granted she was from the number three-rated TV station but she also had ties to a popular adult contemporary radio station (primarily females 30-54) and she had a weekly public affairs program that highlighted local charitable events in the area.

I guess the simple walk away from this is what may be the best in town may not be the best for you. (I like that, almost makes me sound like an intellectual.) Let me let you in on a little secret, a majority of the time the people interviewing you or your client are either: a) clueless as to why you are there or b) could not possibly care less about what you have to say. Nine times out of ten, they are interviewing you because someone in promotions, sales, management or a producer told them this was a good idea, booked and prepped the interview then just shoved the information in their face that morning.

There is nothing more obvious or painful to me than listening to or watching an interview conducted by someone with the passion of a dead carp (my apologies if I offended any carp, living or dead). They usually start off with a half-assed introduction followed by a riveting piece of journalism like “Tell us about your latest project.”

[FYI: I’ve been guilty of this many times over three decades of doing interviews. I usually joke with people that you know when an interview isn’t going well if I ask “So, do you have any pets?” Keep that in mind if we ever chat on the air.]

The worst part of finding yourself in this situation is you know it’s doing nobody any good. There are two ways you can handle this: suffer through, live and learn or avoid the situation at all costs.

I suggest the latter.

Essentially this boils down to one thought: find out which media types are passionate about what subjects and target your pitch to those specific people’s passion. Interviews where the interviewer is engaged in the topic create very compelling conversation. That’s what we’re after kids. Find their hot button and push it.

Fortunately, media types are easy to do research on (this primarily because we are all to some degree pathetic egomaniacs who desperately want everyone to love us and are willing to go to some length to demonstrate that point). Unless they’ve been under a rock, in a coma or living in part of Missouri, every media dork out there should be plugged in to at least FaceBook. Start there. Give a media dork a forum and a keyboard and in ten minutes you’ll know everything about them (a variation of a very funny but politically incorrect joke my dad used to tell).

Being a fan of “The Rule of Five’s” here are “Five Ways to Accomplish Your Homework Assignment”

• Know What You Want before you Start. A no-brainer. If you want your client to be on the number one show regardless of outcome, pick your target and go after them.
• Website. Please, need I say more? Every media outlet is now just a pimp for their own website. Look not only into the station or program site, but see if specific personalities have a personal site as well. Click like mother until you find their Personal Bios. We LOVE to talk about ourselves. More and more, the only place we get to actually tout ourselves and our accomplishments is on our personal bio pages. Also, check their ‘best of’ podcasts. This is what they consider their best work. This gives you great insight on their frame of mind.
• Listen. It can be painful I know but if you listen to any program for any period of time, you’ll get an idea of who is passionate about what. Make notes and file them away for when you need them. Understand what role each person plays on the program and how that role can benefit you (a subject for a completely different blog I’ll save for another time).
• Follow and Friend. Whatever social media they’re on, read up. This too can be painful because you will realize all too quickly that a majority of what we media geeks Tweet is pointless and stupid BUT once again, gives you insight to how we think.
• Ask Around. We are a relatively small and tight knit group. If you have a pitch and are trying to find a match, chances are pretty good one of us can give you the 4-1-1 on the others.

If you really feel strongly about taking your pitch to a specific person or outlet, don’t be afraid to tilt the box (remember when that phrase was cool and edgy?) and tweak your presentation to fit that situation. [If you need help on how to do this, talk to Lizz Harmon (lizz@harmontampa.com) she’s a pro at this.]

The best part about all of these homework habits is that you really don’t even have to leave your desk to accomplish them.

So, there you go. Once again I have exceeded my 1,000 word limit by a substantial number but then again, I have always prided myself on being an over-achiever. Good luck with your assignments, call me if you need any help. Class dismissed.

Be Brilliant.

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation: skip@skipshow.com

All right, I just can’t stand it anymore.

I was hoping the Rush Limbaugh scandal would just go away and we could all go back to important things like complaining about gas prices and wondering where the heck Steven Tyler gets his wardrobe. But like that festering forehead zit the day before a big presentation, this just will NOT go away and I am now compelled to add my two cents to the conversation.

As the oft quoted philosopher Richard Nixon (someone I would really love to have seen on Dancing With the Stars) once said: “Let me make this perfectly clear” what Rush said was wrong. What started off as a “humorous,” pointed railing turned into a personal attack, period. Everyone had the right to be angry and demand an apology. And that’s exactly what they did and exactly what they got.

Didn’t satisfy your personal sense of outrage, did it? If you were hoping that this will be what finally puts an end to Rush Limbaugh, I have some very disappointing news for you:

It ain’t happening.

[Isn’t this the same guy who skated through a drug scandal? Was his rehab covered by his insurance? “Irony, table for one.”]

Let me hip you to something: the outrage, the ongoing conversation, the endless media focus, is nothing but Manna to Rush. In truth, he doesn’t want it to end. Not yet. Rush has gone from cash cow to milkman. Keep talking about me, milk those babies dry!

A great radio man I worked for many years ago always said: Publicity is publicity. Good or bad, just make sure they spell your name right. If you were to put a monetary value on the amount of TV coverage Rush has received in the past ten days, it would easily reach the tens of millions of dollars. Tens of millions he did NOT have to shell out for.

The other day on his program, Rush stated (paraphrasing here) “the business end is fine, everything’s good,” which is an interesting assertion considering at last count, over forty advertisers have either pulled or threatened to pull advertising from his program. That is a LOT of money. But in truth, for Rush everything IS fine. Don’t worry Ditto-heads, Rush is still collecting his paycheck and will continue to until he decides it’s time to hang up the headphones.

But, I digress. This is supposed to be about an apology.

I don’t know Rush Limbaugh. I did meet him once. He struck me like every other radio dork I know, an insecure egomaniac who wants nothing more than for you to be addicted to his program. Rush wants your loyalty. He wants to get paid millions of dollars to sit on his ass and talk for a couple of hours a day. Other than that, he wants a good cigar and a nice round of golf.

I respect Rush. I respect Howard Stern for that matter. This isn’t a like/dislike thing. I respect anyone who has achieved this degree of success in radio. Unlike them, I don’t have a daily audience numbering in the tens of millions, a swanky pad in Manhattan and a gigundus home in Palm Beach. I don’t/can’t do radio the way he does radio and I will never achieve the level of runaway success he has experienced.

But…

Rush Buddy, I’m right there with you. Apologies and damage control are a pain in the ass and seemingly do nothing but appease people that you don’t want to (but must) deal with in order to keep the peace and more importantly, KEEP THE MONEY COMING.

I know this situation because I’ve actually been in this situation with the same company. For the record, what I said wasn’t nearly as bad as what he said. The apology came (mine and his) when upper management said: “You really pissed off an advertiser* and if you don’t say you’re sorry, we could lose a ton of money. So, you WILL apologize.” Even if there is a genuine feeling of remorse for the most part, apologies like this are made to appease advertisers as an effort to slow or stop the loss of money to the parent company. This gives the company a chance to go back and say “hey, the guy apologized. What more do you want?”

*Most broadcasters don’t care if they piss off you the listener, but they do care if they piss off You the Advertiser. FYI.

The weird thing here is that these types of controversies are a double-edged sword. The free publicity is always welcome but when you have to spend days, possibly weeks doing damage control it takes the radio dorks focus away from me…right now. It’s been beaten into our heads that yesterday’s news is no longer important. While Rush loves being the lead story on Fox and Friends and the above-the-crease headline of the New York Times, having to deal with last week’s story prevents you from entertaining your audience and milking the love and adoration from your followers right now.

To quote another philospher George W. Bush (whom I have NO desire to see on Dancing With the Stars) “Make no mistake about it” Rush, Glenn Beck, Howard Stern, all of them are entertainers. These are characters created to be controversial. Every once in awhile they’ll cross a line and need to be reeled back in. What’s more important, these guys are cash cows. Rush Limbaugh is paid millions because people pay tens of millions to keep him on the air. For every advertiser who bails, I’m certain that there are at least five waiting in the wings to advertize on a show that reaches tens of millions of people.

I know it doesn’t make sense but we’re talking about broadcasters, it’s not supposed to. It’s not about right or wrong, it’s all about the money kids.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to figure out just what the hell Steven Tyler is wearing.

Be Brilliant.

Skip-

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love. Skip is available for consultation by email: skip@skipshow.com

The joke is as old as Moses but I first heard it when I was a kid at church. My pastor (the right Reverend Robert D. Lewis) was getting ready to step up to the pulpit to deliver his Christmas message when his lovely wife Leona handed him a slip of paper. As he began his sermon, he managed to sneak a peek. What was written was a simple, lovely message: “KISS”.

This beautiful sentiment put a smile on his face and lit a flame in his heart that manifested itself in a Christmas oratory worthy of a Spielberg screenplay. On the way home, Rev. Lewis was befuddled by his wife’s harsh tone and her angry attitude. As he put the car into park he turned to her and finally asked what the cause of her irritation was.

“Didn’t you read the note I gave you?”

“Yes, I thought it was lovely. It really…”

“Don’t you get it?” as she jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

“What?”

“K.I.S.S. – ‘Keep It Short, Stupid’ I have a turkey in the oven!”

The moral of the story: knowing when to keep it brief is always in your best interest.

In my previous articles I have spoken at length about the vanishing attention span of the typical American.  If you make your living giving out digestible bites of information, then you need to learn the importance of the short, simple answer.

We are all in the information business. Delivering your clients message, your company’s message or your personal story to the media effectively is what MY little slice of the info pie is all about. You want your message to resonate, cut through all the clutter and ring clearly. If you want to be affective, eliminate the unnecessary. This is extremely important if you find yourself in a damage control situation.

Let’s get the protests out of the way right now. Yes, you are THE authority in your field and you are chock-o-block (a phrase I still don’t understand) full of important information. That’s great. But when giving out information, especially to the media, small doses are easier to absorb.

Look at it this way: sipping is the best way to enjoy an amazing glass of wine. Slugging it out of the bottle in gigantic gulps is a little much and not a pleasant experience. I can’t tell you the number of interview pitches I received where the PR people gave me WAY too much info. When you do that, one of two things happen: the recipient gets overwhelmed trying to decipher the message they just toss it in the trash or; you give up all the info and there’s NO reason for me to interview you or your client.

Also, by keeping your answers short, sweet and to the point, you give the media less ammunition to use against you. Most of you will never ever find yourself in the type of situation where your words will come back to bite you in the arse but there’s nothing wrong with a little self-preservation editing.

When being interviewed about anything, there should be an internal warning light that goes off whenever you stray off topic, get into what may become problematic situation or just isn’t necessary. You know the type of person I’m talking about, you ask them the time and they give you the history of the wristwatch. More often than not people get in trouble when they don’t heed that warning light or say something off the cuff in front of a camera. If you want an extreme example of what NOT to do, just take a re-look at Jerry Sandusky’s recent TV debacles. Take your pick, either the Costas interview or the New York Times interview.

Costas asked direct, specific questions. These questions would have been satisfactorily answered with short simple answers. But Sandusky didn’t do that, did he? It’s my theory that people in general have a natural tendency to ‘explain themselves’ (blame your mom). While watching the interview Sandusky did with the New York Times, I found myself screaming ‘My God man…shut up’. Instead of doing the smart thing, simply answering the question, he decided to ‘expand’ on his answers. I will wager my child’s college tuition that those ‘expansions’ will be turning up in court.

In no way whatsoever am I passing some sort of guilty/not guilty verdict on Sandusky, I’m only using him as an unfortunate example of how not to answer questions when a camera is in your face.

[This is important: Always, ALWAYS assume a microphone or camera is on when it’s anywhere in the vicinity of your face.  It’s as simple as asking “Are we live? Are we recording?” if the person on the other side has any amount of professionalism, they’ll answer honestly.]

The more important point about brevity is that if you master this art, you are much more likely to have your comments remembered, re-tweeted, re-posted and all those groovy things otherwise known as having ‘stickiness’. (BTW: there’s a great article about this by Los Angeles radio producer Jason Insalaco on www.talkers.com)

The people you are talking to, not the media but beyond the media; the audience does not have the want, need or desire to listen to your three-minute responses, no matter how insightful. You’ve got them for ten seconds, forty-five if you’re really good. Media types like me aren’t looking for the big picture, we’re looking for the ‘hook’ that will get the audience to read or listen or watch the rest of the story on our website. That’s where you’ll be able to get your entire message out to the masses and hopefully get them to use your product, buy your book or follow your Tweets.

The best way to master this art (other than hiring me as your media coach) is to rehearse, watch and learn.

• Know your material inside out. Go over it again and again.
• Know who you’re talking to and adjust the message accordingly. Are these industry professionals or laymen? Do I have ten minutes or one? What does the interviewer want from this interview?
• If you don’t know the answer, don’t fake it. Truth ‘em.
• Find people who you think communicate effectively and use them to develop your own delivery.
• Watch and listen to your previous interviews. Be critical. Even though it’s exactly what they are, don’t let your sound bites sound like sound bites.

The last point is the trickiest. But if you know what to listen for, you’ll pick it up quickly. Watch the Presidential debates. Listen for what sounds like a genuine observation/answer/response vs. what sounds like a rehearsed sound bite. You’ll be amazed.

We all want the same thing. We want to leave an impression on the audience that will compel them to seek out our bigger message. Give them the right amount of the proper bait and you’ll succeed.

Be Brilliant!

Skip Mahaffey

skip@skipshow.com

Skip Mahaffey in an award-winning broadcaster, Media Coach/Consultant and Author of Adventures With My Father: Childhood Recollections of Divorce, Dysfunction and the Summer of Love.

The past few weeks have been totally exasperating, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you all are trying to drive me crazy. Pardon the sarcasm but c’mon, help a brother out. I am a faithful reader of the Daily Dog and at least half a dozen other similar publications and for some reason that only you and God know you have an aversion to being contacted for interviews.

I understand you are protective of your client’s privacy and need to filter their contacts. But if your job is to get publicity for your clients, to get them press in the media why do you make it impossible for me (the media) to reach you or your client in a timely manner?

If you are raising your eyebrows and uttering a defensive ‘what the hell is he talking about? I ALWAYS include my contact information!’ I’m not talking to you, take my thanks and carry on with the great work. But as for the rest of you…

I host and produce a daily two-hour radio talk show in Tampa, Florida. I try to stay away from heavy political bickering and try to focus on a range of topics that will inform, entertain etc. It’s more GMA/Daily Show and less Fox/MSNBC. Every day I am charged with creating an entirely different show from the day before and relevant content is what drives all media in 2011. If you want your client to get in the game, they need to be able to be interview-ready at all times. I’m not asking that you or your client be parked next to a phone waiting for the media to call, but can we at least get a phone number or an email that will get a response in a timely manner?

On at least three occasions in the past week, I have found an article or a blog that I wanted to feature in my program. When I say ‘feature’ I’m talking at least a twenty minute interview. When I open the link to you or your clients’ page, if I’m lucky I’ll be able to ‘leave a comment.’ Sure sometimes there will be contact information for me to reach you or your client for an interview, but that is the exception, not the rule. Registering information as a journalist is a swell idea but you have to understand we live in an ‘on demand’ world and most of the time we need what we need RIGHT NOW!

Here’s a lovely example: Back in July, there was the culmination of a local story here in Florida that made worldwide headlines (I’ll let you figure it out!) I contacted a prominent authority for a few comments, even just a statement from their rep. What I received (three weeks later) was a possibility of a 5-minute phone call the second week of December.

That’s timely.

Look, I understand I’m not Glenn Beck or Rush or even Entertainment Tonight. I’m just a little talk show in Central Florida but keep in mind that radio hosts and producers talk and network with each other every day. When one of us discovers a great interview, the first thing we do is make a note to share it with our colleagues.

[Side Note: Always be careful before you dismiss something like a little talk show in Central Florida. My show not only broadcasts on two AM signals in Tampa but is re-broadcast on a station in Little Rock that blankets the entire state and a significant portion of at least six other states and has seen a 4000% growth of internet listenership in three months. I also host a Sunday show that is broadcast on sixty stations across the Country. You never know who you’re talking to.]

For almost twenty years, I have been part of Bitboard, a daily prep service for morning radio whose membership includes hundreds of the top radio shows across the country as well as parts of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We have developed boards with hundreds of experts covering hundreds of topics and we use them every day. But I can guarantee you your client will not be on that board if the only way we can communicate with them is by ‘leaving a comment’ at the bottom of their blog page.

[Another Side Note: According to Dan Lewis, author of Business Website Secrets 101: Secrets Revealed, the most common reason company websites fail is due to lack of basic contact information. A crime I was once quite guilty of committing!]

Competition is fierce over here. If you have read any of my previous articles, you already know that the media is always looking for that next potential Dr. Oz or (God help us) Kardashian. We cannot help you make your client shine if we don’t know where you are or how to get in contact with you.

Please understand that there is a great deal of sarcasm here and by no means do I want you to think that the media is made up of a bunch of idiot snobs (even though that’s a pretty accurate description). I’m just asking you to tilt the box and look at it from over here.

As lame as it sounds: help us help you.

(Wouldn’t it be hysterical if I just signed this ‘anonymous’?)

Be Brilliant!

Skip Mahaffey

Mahaffey Creative LLC

Skip@SkipShow.com