Selling E-books With Radio Interviews

What if you could expose your site to tens-of-thousands of potential visitors at no cost whatsoever--and do this every day of the week? Now, not all of these people are going to buy your e-book, but if you have a good squeeze page you can collect huge numbers of double opt-in names to follow-up with your mini-course or newsletter.

You can do this, and savvy authors of books and e-books do this every day. It costs virtually nothing, yet generates far more hits to your site than costly PPC campaigns.

Check Out Bacon's Directory

At your public library get a copy of Bacon's Directory of Broadcast Media. (It's probably at their reference desk.) Look for radio stations with Arbitron ratings of at least 2.0. These ratings go up to above 20.0 for the huge, big boomer stations. Remember, there are over 10,000 radio stations in the U.S., so your potential market is unlimited.

The Information Is Free

You can find the following information inside the directory for each station and program: whether they do call-in author interviews, the e-mail or phone number of the producer and host, the time of the program, and what kinds of topics the producer is interested in.

Making The Call

Call the listed producer a few minutes after their program ends. Introduce yourself and give a quick, snappy, 30-second pitch for why the program host should interview you concerning your e-book. Tell them you are willing to give away a copy of your e-book to 1-2 callers. (They like that kind of thing.)

What To Send The Producer

Radio stations want entertainment for listeners. You provide the information and entertainment, and they provide you with exposure. Offer to send them a PDF file of your e-book along with the following: a biography page with phone and e-mail contact info, a list of possible questions to ask you, your web site URL, and a very brief synopsis of your e-book. Include all of the above items in one single PDF file with the actual e-book at the end.

They will likely want to think it over a bit. If you get the call, they will give you a time and date they will call to establish a phone link. A ten-minute interview could generate thousands of hits to your site.

Speak Clearly

Make sure that during your interview you speak clearly yet succinctly; Don't ramble! Make sure to work your URL into the conversation a few times. It should be easy to remember for the listeners. At the end of the interview the host will ask you to explain how listeners can get your book. You can give your URL at this time too.

Collect Info From Visitors

Clearly state the immediate benefits of your book to the listeners. Mention that visitors to your site can get a free newsletter or a free mini-course at your site. Make sure you've got a squeeze page to collect names and e-mail addresses linked with your auto-responder to send thank you notes and follow up materials.

After you have done a few interviews you can create a short 60-second audio clip so the producers can hear what you sound like. Create a link in your PDF file to your audio sample.

Most e-book writers never consider trying this and that's a shame. Many successful e-book writers have used this technique to generate substantial web traffic to their sites. This method works. Give it a try and see for yourself!

Mike McMillan has written over 40 nonfiction books and e-books. He has been interviewed on over 80 radio stations and TV programs such as ABC World News about self publishing. Info on his "Big Money Writing Little Books" manual is available at: http://www.extreme-self-publishing.com