Master Your Media Interviews
By Joey Garcia
An author interview on mainstream radio or TV may only last two to three minutes. That might not seem like enough time for an author to establish their expertise, reveal the heart of their book, and convince the audience to purchase it. And yet, many of us make important buying decisions after catching a 30-second commercial. So, for authors who have mastered the art of the soundbite, 120 minutes is more than enough. It’s perfect.
What’s a Sound Bite?
A sound bite is a six to eight second comment that is vivid, specific, and memorable. A sound bite grabs attention and makes a point. Although sound bites delivered by pros (actors, politicians, company spokespeople) sound spontaneous, the juiciest ones are crafted, polished, and memorized long before a scheduled interview. Learning to craft media-worthy sound bites isn’t easy but mastering this skill can turn you into an author who media outlets are eager to interview.
Mastering Sound Bites Creates Opportunity
Back in 2014, I created and practiced several soundbites to promote my book, When Your Heart Breaks, It’s Opening to Love. Not only did I garner great feedback and book sales, but two television stations asked if I would like to become their permanent, on-air relationship expert. I’ve now been with Fox40 TV in Sacramento for seven years. As a regular on-air personality, some of my segments are more conversational. However, I still drop a tasty sound bite on occasion.
Sound Bites versus Talking Points
If you have ever taken a public speaking class or been trained by a communication coach, you probably learned how to compile talking points. Talking points are facts, statistics, and action items linked to your topic. While talking points are ideal for a speech, they can sound patronizing and dry when given by an author during a media interview.
I’ll be teaching a masterclass at the 2022 San Francisco Writers Conference: Build an Author Platform that Attracts the Media & Sells Books: Practical Strategies from a Media Insider, Sunday, February 20, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. that will be a deep dive into developing an author platform, network, and following. We will also cover how to prepare for media interviews by transforming talking points into soundbites that build your platform. Until then, if you have a Twitter account, use it to begin thinking in soundbites. Try these exercises:
- Type out a single tweet that establishes you as a subject matter expert.
- Write a sizzling description of your book in 140 characters.
- Describe your book’s main theme in 140 characters.
Make each tweet vivid, memorable, and specific. You can draft your soundbites in a Word doc or tweet each to the Twitterverse. Either way, practice makes progress.
Joey Garcia coaches authors-to-be on effective platform building strategies. Her clients have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian magazine, Ms. Magazine, CNN, and The Tamron Hall Show, among others. Joey is the author of When Your Heart Breaks, It’s Opening to Love, and she’s the on-air Relationship Expert for Fox40-TV. She has been featured in HuffPost, USA Today, Deutsche Welle, KVIE public television, Global Woman TV Sweden, Australia’s Ticker News and on the Dear Prudence podcast. Her essays, poetry, and short stories have been published in Hippocampus magazine, Calyx, the Brevity blog and received awards, including from Mslexia, The Caribbean Writer, and Writer’s Digest. In 2018, Joey established the first literary fellowship in Belize, her birthplace. www.joeygarcia.com
