Shawn, an author I have gotten to know this past year, was beyond excited to land a spot on a well-known podcast recently. He had pitched it himself, and it worked! The host loved his message and invited him to be a guest on the show.
Shawn called me before the interview for a pep talk and a few good tips he could use, and one of the things I reminded him of is the fact that the interview is about his message, not the book. “Be sure and focus on the audience you are speaking to, which is also your target market for the book. It’s perfect for you.”
He agreed. He meant to do just that.
But when the episode was recorded, I got a surprising message from the producer of the podcast:
“Joanne, we pulled the interview. We just can’t use it. Throughout the conversation, he kept saying ‘In my book…’ or ‘I explain that in Chapter Three…’ It felt like one big sales pitch.”
Oh dear. I understood immediately.
Shawn had fallen into a common trap. Because he had spent so much time and energy writing and publishing that book, he thought the interview was about his book. But this is exactly backwards. To the host and the listening/viewing audience, it’s about the value he brings to them. It’s about the message in the book, not the book itself. This is an important distinction.
What the audience heard was: “If you want the good stuff, go buy my book.”
And that’s not a compelling message. That’s a turn-off. Many hosts will pull the show, which is exactly what happened here.
So, what do you do instead?
Deliver value freely. Share useful or insightful information that the audience can apply right now. We call them “take aways.” What can the audience take away after listening to your interview?
Show, don’t sell. You want to speak with clarity, passion, and energy. The book becomes a natural next step.
Mention your book sparingly if at all, and use the title rather than the phrase, “In my book…” A simple, graceful reference is OK, but the host will mention your book in the introduction, conclusion, and on the show notes page. Just remember to keep the spotlight on the audience.
Bottom line:
Your goal is to be such a good guest that the audience thinks: “If I got that much in 10 minutes, imagine what’s in the book.” Then they click on the link to an online bookstore to buy it.
Exactly. That’s what we want, and that’s what you want to do too.
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. The above is one of the 5 media mistakes I shared during my recent webinar for the Nonfiction Authors Association. If you want to learn about the other 4, and how to become your own publicist, then join me for the Book Publicity Master Course which begins this Tuesday. It will be recorded so if you can’t make a session, you still get all the content.
P.P.S. Remember to Give a little bit during interviews. It builds connection and curiosity!
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