By: Wendy Witt
If you’re like most lawyers, just the thought of chatting with Howard Stern on air would send you straight to the bar or at least make you break out in hives. We’ll deal with the ever intimidating Howard and the $50 grand you’d make for 40 minutes on his show a bit later, but, first, let’s work our way into marketing your law biz on the radio while wearing jammies and bunny slippers.
200 Million Reasons Why You Need to be a Media Expert
Rest assured, video did not kill the radio star. In fact, there are 200 million commuters in the United States. And, what are all those commuters doing during their drive to work? They’re listening to the radio!
Did you notice that I bolded the word, work? I did it again. Why? Because all those listeners are driving to work, which means what? They have money!
Unlike folks at home, who are sitting on the couch in their underwear, eating Cheetos and watching Jerry Springer, all those radio listening commuters are employed and have money to spend on your legal services and products.
Radio Stations Will Put Out for Free
Every time the Coca Cola Bottling Company says, “Coke adds life to the feeling you want, a better life, Coca Cola…” on the radio, they’re paying gobs of money for that advertisement. Radio can cost from $200 up to $20,000+ per minute.
Don’t have Coke’s $2 billion advertising budget? Me neither. But what I do have is great news for you and me both. We can get radio advertising for free. Here’s how.
When you’re on the radio and don’t pay for advertising, it’s called “publicity” and publicity is better than advertising in 2 ways:
- First, publicity is free, whereas, advertising is really expensive.
- Second, publicity grants third part credibility. On the other hand, everyone knows advertisements are paid. Therefore, they lack the perception of third-party endorsement.
Think about how you react if you hear a medical practice advertisement on the radio. Compare:
- “Dr. Michelle Bowers is accepting new patients at her Verona office. Call now.” with…
- Dr. Bowers being interviewed on that same 30-minute or one-hour radio show, answering questions and chatting about what she does every day.
Only Bunny Slippers and a Landline are Required
The best feature of radio publicity is that it’s free. Unlike television appearances that require travel, hotels, professional hair and make-up, and time out of the office, radio can be done from home or your office at almost no expense.
The only financial requirements are:
- A landline for interviews, because the sound quality is superior to cell phones.
- A press kit, which consists of a pocket folder and a few papers.
I’d like to say bunny slippers are required, but that’s really up to you. You can dress in whatever makes you most comfortable.
How to Get into the Zone
It’s normal to be nervous about being on the radio because it’s something new. But once you have a few shows under your belt, you’ll be in the zone.
Doing a radio show is like chatting on the phone with a prospective client. You’re just answering questions, and for radio, you’ve likely written all the questions yourself. There are rarely curve balls and if someone asks a question you can’t immediately answer, just say, “What a great question. I don’t know, but you can find the answer to your question by…” or “I don’t know, but I do know….”
There is really only one difference between chatting on the phone with a client and chatting with a radio host: Instead of having one prospective client on the line, there are 100,000 prospective clients on the line. (Or, if you’re crazy and brave enough to go on The Howard Stern Show, there are an estimated 1 million prospective clients “on the line.”)
How to Get Started on Radio
You’ll love this: Radio producers need you and your credentials, stories, and good advice. They need to fill hours of time each and every day and they need interesting guests.
They are happy to plug your book, free list-building report, or website. They totally “get it” and are happy to exchange plugs for your book, legal services, or product for an interesting show.
Here are the exact steps to get on the radio:
- First, develop show ideas (aka “pitches”.) You can’t just go on the radio and say, “I’m Lawyer Joe and I’m great.” That’s advertising and you have to pay to do that. Instead, you say, “I’m Lawyer Jen and I’m on a mission to empower all parents to avoid accidentally disinheriting their children.”
- Second, create a press kit. Your press kit does not need to be fancy or expensive. In fact, it can be just a pocket folder like you buy your kids when they go back to school. It includes your one-sheet, sample questions, recommendations from radio producers, and copies of relevant print articles to document that your show ideas are timely and relevant.
- Third, if you have a book, super. Send it along with your press kit. If not, put that on your goal list, but it is not necessary to have your own book to be on radio.
- Fourth, call show producers and pitch your show idea, briefly tell them why you’re qualified to speak on the subject and ask if they would like to book you as a guest on the show. Then, ask if they’d like you to send your press kit.
- Fifth, when (and only when) you get the okay to send your press kit, send it that same day in a colored – not white, cream, or manila envelope – and mark it “Requested Materials Enclosed.”
- Sixth, follow up politely, but persistently until you’re booked or they tell you to get lost.
- Seventh, always follow up any show with a handwritten thank you note to the producer.
How to Select Radio Shows to Get Big Results
The ideal way to select radio shows is to have a list of the biggest radio shows in your subject matter category (e.g. legal).
Oh, back to Howard Stern, as promised. His producer is Gary Dell’Abate and, if you dare, The Howard Stern Show is on the list. I’m out of town at a Success Principles training, so I don’t have the magic list with me, but as soon as I get back to the office, I’ll look up Gary’s number for you.
About the Author:
Serving as a Law Firm Business Strategist and Attorney Success Coach, Wendy Witt, JD is the founder of Million Dollar Attorney® which offers consulting, mentoring, coaching, VIP Days, retreats, and training for attorneys who want to build a million-dollar law firm that serves and supports the life they LOVE. She can be reached at wendy@milliondollarattorney.com or her website milliondollarattorney.com/.
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Quick TipBy: Trey Ryder
Don’t want to be perceived as a salesperson by a prospect who is looking to hire you?
Don’t insist on an in-person meeting before you divulge any information. The good ol’ “let’s get together so we can discuss your needs” tells your prospect a sales pitch is imminent. The needs approach is used so often that prospects know you learned it in sales school. When you withhold information and insist on a meeting, your prospect recalls the last time he had this experience with his life insurance agent, real estate broker, or someone else who insisted on meeting face to face. As a result, when you make this offer, you arouse your prospect’s suspicion. This causes him to fortify his defenses and look for an excuse to cancel the meeting.
You should be ready and willing to provide information any time you are asked, whether over the phone or in person. You greatly increase your credibility when you are open and up front with information. In fact, you should offer your educational handouts so prospects know you have materials that could help them. When prospects realize that you’re not trying to hide anything — and not trying to control the flow of information — they perceive you to be a level above other lawyers. And your prospect responds favorably because he can tell you are trying to help him.About the Author
Trey Ryder specializes in Education-Based Marketing for lawyers. He has provided marketing services for lawyers for 37 years. Trey offers three free articles: 7 Secrets of Dignified Marketing, Marketing Secrets of Superstar Lawyers, 11 Brochure Mistakes Lawyers Make To receive these articles, send your name and e-mail address to trey@treyryder.com and ask for his free e-mail packet of articles.
That’s it for this week. I’ll have a brand new issue for you this time next week. Also, if you have any questions or comments about the content in this newsletter please email me at sheisler@injurylawyermd.com ~SHH
