Last week we talked about hope, that quiet little strategy so many smart people bring into interviews without realizing it. Hoping you’ll be asked the right question. Hoping the host will guide you into your best material. Hoping the big takeaway will appear if you stay in it long enough. It doesn’t work, and if you missed it, you can read about it here.
This week I want to go one level deeper, because hoping isn’t the only thing that makes brilliant people sound weak on air.
There’s another mistake. It’s so common, and so preventable, and once you see it, you’ll hear it everywhere. Here’s a quick story:
For years I helped produce a podcast with a host who is excellent at what he does. Eight years of listening to guests, booking guests, tracking what works, tracking what loses people, and watching in real time what makes an audience lean in or quietly drift away.
And he has a tell.
There’s a phrase that changes the energy in his body. You can almost feel it through the mic.
The guest is talking, the conversation is moving, and then the guest says it.
“In my book…”
The moment those three words appear, he tightens. Not because he’s mean. Not because he doesn’t respect authors. Not because he thinks books are unimportant. He tightens because this phrase sends a message.
It’s the subtle pivot where the guest unintentionally tells the audience, “I’m not going to give you the real answer here. The real answer is in the book.”
And the listeners feel it immediately. But here’s the thing. They want the insight now, in real time, in plain language, with enough clarity that it actually lands.
Yes, we want them to buy the book. Of course we do. That’s why we’re doing the interview in the first place, but unless it’s a show specifically about books and authors, the fastest way to lose both the host and the listener is to make the interview feel like a gate.
And the irony is, most guests do not mean to do this. They think they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re trying to create structure. They’re trying to be professional. They’re trying to make sure people know there’s a book behind the message.
But “in my book” can accidentally signal something else. It can signal that the best part is not happening right now. It can signal that the insight is over there, somewhere, behind a purchase.
It can even signal, without you meaning it to, that you’re holding back.
And when a smart person holds back on air, they can sound strangely weak.
Not because they lack authority, but because they’ve shifted from leading to referencing, and the audience can feel the difference.
The truth is, the book is not the problem. The book is the proof, the asset, the very reason you’re on the show in the first place.
But the interview is the moment and it is where trust forms. It’s where someone decides, I like how this person thinks. I feel steadier listening to them. This is someone I’d follow.
And that decision does not get made when you keep gesturing toward what you would say. It gets made when you say it.
Here’s the hidden reason smart people sound weak on air. They act like the value is somewhere else, not right now, not in this moment.
Media Darling Moment: The interview is not a trailer for your book. It’s the proof. Give them the insight now, then let the book be the obvious next step.
So if you catch yourself saying “in my book” as a default, here’s the shift. Give the listener the insight now, in plain language, in a sentence that can travel and land.
Bottom line: Remember, the book will be mentioned in the introduction and in the conclusion. If you’re doing a podcast or other online interview, it will be on the show page with all the other links you provided.
Because no one is tuning in hoping you’ll refer them somewhere else. They’re tuning into you. Give it to them.
P.S. The moment is the message. Give it away now!
#SavvySundayNews
#PublicityTips
#BookMarketing
#Bookpublicity
If you’d like to receive juicy publicity secrets directly on a regular basis, join the Savvy Sunday Community at the bottom of this page.