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Talk radio interviews aren't what they used to be.

In the 'golden days,' the hosts of major-market talk radio shows used to bring guests into the studio for long chats. A guest would be able to do a handful of interviews and see their sales go through the roof!

Marsha Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of EMSI , a national publicity firm says, "Sadly, those days are gone. In the current market, without a stellar name, a handful of interviews won't set your sales afire.

The main question is: why? There are two reasons for this.

First, there just aren't as many talk shows with a format for guests as there used to be. Friedman adds, "Next, the time each show allots for guest interviews has been drastically cut." What is to blame for this? The researchers. Researchers found that listeners are more likely to stay tuned if there are three 10-minute guests on a show instead of just one 30 minute guest.

When it Comes to Talk Radio Publicity, Quantity Still Rules.

Think about it. Marsha Friedman says, "There are thousands of radio stations out there!many just 1,000 watts or so and without a big-name host. But wait! Don't make that decision so quickly!"

Look at it this way. "If a 1000-watt radio station had, say, only 100 listeners, you'd probably think it wasn't worth the trouble, right?" adds Friedman. Think about this. If you were booked to speak at a conference that had 95 people would you do it? Absolutely!"

See the contradiction here? "I would suggest that you go on every talk radio show that you can, no matter what the size is! You'll be building lots of selling momentum!and something else, too", add Friedman.

Practice in the 'Minors' Before You Step Up to the 'Majors."

Marsha Friedman says, "I have found in my nearly 20 years in talk radio public relations that is takes generally 10-12 talk radio interviews before clients feel totally comfortable being interviewed in the air. It is a much wiser decision to cut your teeth on the small stations so that when you get the opportunity to appear on a huge national show you are comfortable enough to really take advantage of the terrific promotional opportunity. The small stations give you a fantastic practice field when it comes to radio pr."

Having a large number of interviews under your belt will definitely give you experience. You'll be able to crystallize your thoughts on your product better!get your presentation down to a few succinct words!sound like a pro instead of a floundering amateur.

There are many mistakes made by "rookie" talk radio guests such as not mentioning your product or website enough, or being too salesy. It is a huge mistake to undersell and/or oversell!so avoid that at all costs!

Technical clients have a tendency to slide into techno-babble, and even good guests inevitably walk out of their first few interviews knowing they could have done better. When first-time guests make these mistake (and they will), it is best if huge audiences don't hear their error."

Of course there could be problems using the smaller stations. It is important to get yourself ready because sometimes you will run into unprofessional situations. So make sure that you reconfirm your interview a couple of times before you are due to appear on-air.

And, nothing can save you from the 500 watt or 1,000 watt radio station in Peoria that's hosted by a kid right out of broadcast school, so be ready for what an unprofessional host will throw at you. Hosts on the smaller talk radio stations may not do as much research as the big national hosts. So you may have to walk them through the major points of your topic.

Marsha Friedman says, "When it comes to these situations, your approach should be as if you have met the person for the first time and you need to explain what your topic is to this stranger. Don't leave everything up to the host. Always be prepared for the interview. But remember; don't talk down to the audience of a small radio station. You may be offending some very intelligent people without even knowing. Win over your audience, no matter what the size of the station!"

The bottom-line here is that small-station interviews not only can generate sales, they can prepare you for the big time.