Radio Station of the Month

The Radio Station of December, 2013 is Toginet

Website - http://www.toginet.com

Contacts: @Scott Frazier, Marketing Navigator
Click "contact" on the Toginet site and in the box marked "Let's Talk" click
"Leave Your Details"

Other contact information:


General Inquiries - @info@TogiNetRadio.com
Becoming a host @BecomeAhost@ToginetRadio.com

Phone: 903-881-5709


The shows cover parenting, relationships, self-help, business, health, New Age and more.



The shows in my ebooks on Toginet are:

Family by Design at http://www.familybydesignadoption.com
with Karla Marie Williams, @Karla@familybydesignadoption.com


Adoption - Journey to Motherhood at http://www.preciousbabydolls.com
with @Mary Beth Wells, @marybeth0206@comcast.net


Military Mom Talk Radio at toginet.com/shows/militarymomtalkradio
with Sandra Beck and Robin Boyd, @Sandra@militarymomtalkradio.com


Motherhood Talk Radio at: http://www.motherhoodtalkradio.com
with Sandra Beck, et al, @Sandra@motherhoodtalkradio.com


Intelligent Investing at http://www.financialmom.com with @Pamela Otten, @Pamela.otten@lpl.com


The Parents Plate Radio Show at toginet.com/shows/theparentsplate with Brenda Nixon, @speaker2parents@juno.com


Sex Talk with Lou at http://toginet.com/shows/sextalkwithlou with @office@Lou Paget.com


Million Dollar Mindset at http://toginet.com/shows/milliondollarmindset with Marla Tabaka @marla@marlatabaka.com


Living Inspired at http://toginet.com/shows/livinginspired with Tricia Goyer, @amy@triciagoyer.com

Be Entertaining

I was recently a guest on an hour-long show and I was tired. I had exercised in the morning, did my own radio show, and had to be "up" for my interview. It was a struggle and I felt terrible about it, although the host assured me it was a good show. She's sweet that way.

As Kimberly Henrie wrote in her article for About.com,

11 Dos and Don'ts for Getting Free Radio Promotion

Remember that radio is entertainment. If you land an interview be prepared to entertain the audience in addition to informing them. Be over-friendly, over-excited, wildly outrageous, flirtatious, funny, morbid, something that the audience won't expect. And do it in a big way. You have to overdo in radio for the emotion to get across the airwaves. A guest who says they will be entertaining, and doesn't deliver is a big disappointment for a show host/producer.

She continues:

Become a frequent caller to your local radio show. Call in with jokes, funny stories, Christmas shopping ideas, road conditions, whatever. As long as you are witty and entertaining, the show's host will probably keep putting you on the air. If you add something to his/her show, he/she will love you for it and be more likely to let you plug your business or occasion.

Did you know that Sean Hannity got his start in radio by constantly calling radio shows and giving his two cents. Turned out the other listeners liked him more than the hosts.

Ten Tips for Being a Good Host and Guest

For the Host: Do your research on the guests and ask for a copy of their book or information on their business. The more you know about the guest the more insightful your questions will be. Prepare questions beforehand. Even if the guest supplies 10 or 15 questions, they are generally not meaty enough.

Listen to your guests’ responses. The answers will often give you more questions to ask. Hosts must be good listeners as well as good talkers. Be certain to contact the guest before the interview. You don’t want to be stuck with a guest forgetting and you holding the bag.

For the Guest: Be passionate about your subject. Most important. There’s nothing worse than a guest who drones on or speaks in a monotone.

Be well-versed about your subject. You were invited on the show because you’re considered an expert on your topic. Don’t disappoint either the host or audience with vague responses. Be well-spoken and friendly. Practice as a radio guest will aid in your ability to let the words flow and help you relax on the air.

So do as many interviews as you can, regardless of the caliber of the show.

Use the host’s name often in your interview. Everyone loves the sound of their name. This will score high points with the host.
Do not over-promote your book or business. Remember, you’re not on the air to promote your product but rather to provide valuable information to listeners. Besides, a good host will be sure to mention the book title, name of your business and your website many times. Send a thank you after the show.Hosts prepare for their shows and appreciate being acknowledged. You cannot imagine how much a simple “thank you” email means to the host.

Why I Love Being a Radio Host

I am in the driver’s seat as a radio host. I can ask any questions I want of the guest, speak to some of the most interesting people on earth and never know when the guest will surprise me with good news, such as placing the audio on her website (that happened) to offering syndication (it should only happen).

Trying to get hosts to send back my questionnaires for my ebooks is much harder than getting guests on my show. When I pitched for guests on Radio Guest List the floodgates opened with hundreds of requests to be on my show. They didn’t even know where the show aired! I was never so busy fielding responses. Imagine if I was Sean Hannity or Geraldo Rivera? When I started Fraternizing with Fran, my producer said he’d like to be my co-host and it’s working out beautifully. Where once I feared silences or lack of questions when there’s a lull he pops up with his questions. The half hour flies by.

I would love to hear from other hosts and what they like about being behind the microphone.

Does A Radio Interview Help Sell Books?

The jury is out on whether a radio interview will help sell your book. I once asked my clients that question and found that those who see the glass as half full had a positive response, like my weight loss client, who reports that with every radio interview she sells her book. The others said it’s hard to tell, taking into account a spike on Amazon and whether listeners may buy the book days later.

Unfortunately, most radio interviews have been disappointing in terms of book sales, a client says, citing five reasons why:

(1) The interviewer does not have a broad enough listening audience.

(2) Few or none of the interviewer’s audience read books.

(3) The interviewer does not mention the book’s source often enough.

(4) Listeners are on the move, driving, having no opportunity to write down anything.

(5) The subject is of no interest to the interviewer’s audience.

Best results, he adds, was when he was asked to mention his website address, and he carefully spelled it letter by letter.

Of course, it helps if the author is well known. I always tell my authors that radio is just one form of promotion. It’s not the end-all. If they sell their books, more power to them. If not, they were on the radio. How many people can say that?

The Most Popular Topics on Radio

As author of Talk Radio Wants You – An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited (McFarland & Co. 2009), 16 ebooks of talk radio shows, and an on-line publicist who gets her clients on radio shows, I can tell you that the most popular talk radio shows cover six categories: Business, New Age, Self-Help, Politics, Entertainment, and Health Both my book and ebooks have more shows in those categories than any others, including animals, environment, relationships, food and travel, house and garden, and science and technology. If you are an expert in any of these areas, there is a good chance you can be a guest on radio. Not only are there more shows with those themes, but the more shows the more competition for guests.

I can also tell you that most hosts prefer emails over telephone, and want guests with personality and expertise. After all, radio hosts are in the business of entertainment. If you are comfortable talking on the radio and can give listeners valuable information you are a shoo-in. While authors have a slight advantage over non-authors in getting interviews, there is no reason why non-authors who are experts are not popular guests. In fact, I recently proposed sending bios of some of my authors to a host of an entertainment show and he wrote back that it would be nice to have authors on for a change. He probably is used to interviewing musicians and artists who haven’t written books.

If you want exposure, radio interviews are free and you can do the interview from home in your pajamas. Why not take advantage of this popular medium? Remember – radio hosts NEED guests.

The Guest from Hell

My first choice for the guest from hell is a no-show. Nothing is worse for a host is to prepare for a show and have the guest absent. I remember when I was doing another show and the guest decided he had better things to do and stood me up. You can imagine what I think of him!

There are other guests from hell. I recall a host telling me a story about a woman with an important job who just froze on the air.
The host said:

It was the worst case of stage fright I’ve ever witnessed, and you have to keep in mind that there was no audience. It was just the two of us chatting live in studio, about a topic that she dealt with daily in her profession. It was the longest hour of my radio career.

Below are some gems from my book under the question of the hosts about their guest from hell.

My ex-wife.

Some chick who’s all high and mighty about herself, won’t play around with our jokes.

One who drones on and puts me in a coma before I have a chance to ask my next question.

Preparing for an Interview

How much should a guest prepare for a radio interview?

Some hosts ask their potential guests to provide a list of questions for the host to ask them. In that case, the guest has an idea where the discussion will go. It’s also okay to request the questions beforehand on what the talking points will be so you’ll be prepared. Other hosts simply wing it and hope the guest will offer enough information to fill up air time. If the guest knows her topic well she will have plenty to say.

It’s a good idea to keep important information nearby so you don’t have to rely on your memory. For example, I have 16 ebooks of talk radio shows and inevitably the host will want to know what’s in them, what the categories are, where I sell them,, and possibly how many shows are in each ebook. So I always keep my list of ebooks handy. Since I’m also editor of Book Promotion Newsletter, some hosts mistakenly think I am a marketing expert and will ask me for tips. I’ve been stumped before so now I jot down some of the best marketing strategies from my book, Book Marketing from A-Z, which contains the best promotional strategies from 325 of my subscribers. Before you even approach a host, be sure to have your photo and bio ready to email since most hosts will want them beforehand.

What Makes a Great Show?

Are you an interesting guest? Does the host ask good questions, and make you feel welcome? What ingredients are needed to insure a smooth show?

As a radio host - I think I speak for most hosts - I like guests who know their subjects inside out and respond to questions with solid answers. The questionnaire for my book, Talk Radio Wants You, asked for the host’s version of the guest from hell. One wrote: Someone who

stammers over their words and goes on and on and on with no relevance to the topic.

Another complained about guests that only answer questions with yes and no.

Also, never talk above the audience.

Be careful not to slide into techno-babble, jargon or acronyms that few know about, proclaims Scott Lorenz, president of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm, whose 33 interview Tips are in my book. Indeed, we recently had a guest who expounded on a scientific theory in response to a question and my co-host finally had to stop him.

Scott also suggests using the host’s name often.

A person’s name is sweet music to them so commit to memory or jot down the name of the host and use it throughout the interview,

To contact Scott, write to @scottlorenz@westwindcos.com. http://www.book-marketing-expert.com

Finally, relax and have fun. After the show send a thank you note (email is fine). I can count on one hand those who do and I remember the grateful guests. A thank you goes a long way.

Radio Station of the Month

The November show of the month is: KFNN, a radio station in Scottsdale, Arizona.


Two shows in my book, Talk Radio Wants You, are on KFNN: Traveling with Francoise, http://www.travelingwithfrancoise.com, and the John Adam Show, http://www.thejohnadamshow.com.

The shows on the station cover money, business, markets, finance, health care, travel, and politics

Advantages of Talk Radio Over TV

The three main advantages of talk radio over TV are:

(1) You can do the interview from home in your pajamas.

(2) Most often the host will tout your book or service many times.

(3) Where else can you speak about yourself and/or your products or work for a half hour or hour?

Mission of This Blog

This blog is devoted to talk radio, both Internet and terrestrial that welcome guests. Most radio blogs cover broadcast media, ratings, music shows, radio law and so forth.

This blog is dedicated to radio hosts and guests, pre-interview research, interview tips, a host’s ideal guest and guest from hell, getting invited back and more. Each month I’ll feature info about a station