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Talk radio interviews aren't what they used to be.

Back "in the day", hosts would invite guests into the studio for 30 minute or longer interviews. A talk radio guest could just knock off a couple of those interviews and sales would instantly hit 'turbo.'

Marsha Friedman, Founder of Event Management Service Inc , a national publicity firm says, "Sadly, those days are gone. In the current market, without a stellar name, a handful of interviews won't set your sales afire.

The reasons are two-fold.

First, there just aren't as many talk shows with a format for guests as there used to be. Friedman adds, "Next, the time each show allots for guest interviews has been drastically cut." Blame the research. The result of much research found that the shorter the segment, the more the audience will stay involved.

When it Comes to Talk Radio Publicity, Quantity Still Rules.

Think about it. Marsha Friedman says, "There are thousands of radio stations out there!many just 1,000 watts or so and without a big-name host. But wait! Don't make that decision so quickly!"

Think about this point of view. "If a 1000-watt radio station had, say, only 100 listeners, you'd probably think it wasn't worth the trouble, right?" adds Friedman. Think about this. If you were booked to speak at a conference that had 95 people would you do it? Of course you would."

See the contradiction here? So decide not to pass up an interview, whether big or small. You'll be building lots of selling momentum!and something else, too", add Friedman.

Practice in the 'Minors' Before You Step Up to the 'Majors."

Marsha Friedman says, "I have found in my nearly 20 years in talk radio public relations that is takes generally 10-12 talk radio interviews before clients feel totally comfortable being interviewed in the air. It is a much wiser decision to cut your teeth on the small stations so that when you get the opportunity to appear on a huge national show you are comfortable enough to really take advantage of the terrific promotional opportunity. Small talk radio stations let you practice becoming a great guest."

Also, doing lots of interviews gives you a fantastic on-air experience. You'll be able to crystallize your thoughts on your product better!get your presentation down to a few succinct words!sound like a pro instead of a floundering amateur.

Typical errors for first time guests include not giving out their website address or the title of their book, or not mentioning it frequently enough. It's also a mistake to mention these too often and upset the host, who will let you know that the show is not an infomercial.

Marsha Friedman says, "If you have a overly technical subject, try to avoid being too dense. But if you are going out to smaller stations initially, you won't have a national audience hearing your mistakes."

Sure, there can be pitfalls with smaller stations. It is important to get yourself ready because sometimes you will run into unprofessional situations. So make sure that you reconfirm your interview a couple of times before you are due to appear on-air.

But hey, what can prepare you for the 500 watt station in the middle of nowhere that's hosted by a recent college grad. Hosts on the smaller talk radio stations may not do as much research as the big national hosts. So you may have to walk them through the major points of your topic.

Marsha Friedman says, "When it comes to these situations, your approach should be as if you have met the person for the first time and you need to explain what your topic is to this stranger. Don't leave everything up to the host. Always be prepared for the interview. Very bright people listen to some very small radio stations; so don't ever talk down to your audience."

The point: small stations can get your sales going while getting you ready to hit the big time!