Broadcasting on the Internet: Doing the Show

Doing a show in BlogTalkRadio is surprisingly easy. After you sign in, click MyBlogTalkRadio (at the top of the page).


In the left column, click My Switchboard. The switchboard is your major tool for hosting the show.
Call into the Host Number listed on the Switchboard and enter the host PIN number.

When the voice of the English lady counts you down, you'll hear an ad bumper that says "BlogTalkRadio", then you speak.

Putting a Caller On the Air
To put a caller on the air, click the On Air icon for that telephone number.

To end the call, click the Hang Up icon for that telephone number.

And that's enough to get you talking to your readers!

Broadcasting on the Internet: Before the Show

Before you start your BlogTalkRadio show, you should do a couple important things.

Publicize your show. If you have a blog or website, you should publicize your show there. Also, if you have an e-mail list, send your subscribers a notice that you're available to talk to them at a specified time. Be sure to include the URL for the show, or they won't know how to find you.

To find the URL, follow these steps:

1. Log into BlogTalkRadio.

2. At the top of the page click My Blog Talk Radio.

3. Click My Show Page.

4. Copy and paste your URL into your blog, e-mail, and whatever else you're using. Be sure to include the date and time.

Let your guest/interviewer know how to dial in.

If you're having someone interview you, or if you're interviewing someone else, they need to have the call-in number. For the purposes of the show, your guest is another caller. When the show goes live there are five lines you can use. The guest or interviewer should be the first line.

The call-in number for the show is listed on your show page.

Lists of Questions

Whether you are the interviewer, or you're having someone interview you, a list of questions can be a life saver. Remember, you're doing a program-length commercial, not 60 Minutes. Ideally, there should be no surprises. Any improvised questions should be logical follow-ons to questions already asked.

Next time: Doing the show.

Broadcasting on the Internet, A Word About Going on The Air

As I previously said, I started out on radio. I'm comfortable with it. I've done speeches in front of groups and I regularly lead conference calls at work. I'm a bit of a ham, so doing radio isn't intimidating to you.

Before you go on the air, you'll probably want to take some steps to put yourself at ease. The point of the discussion is to personally touch your readers, just as you would at a book signing. Here's some tips:

Remember, radio is a personal medium. Even if you have a large group listening, don't think of it as a large group. Think about speaking to one person. You aren't speaking to a large group, you're speaking to a bunch of individuals in different locations.

The listeners are already favorably disposed toward you. If I take the time to tune in to someone on the Internet, it's because I think it might be interesting or I like the person's work and know I'll be entertained or informed. In other words, when you do this, you're starting with a captive audience.

Get someone to interview you. When you use BlogTalkRadio, it's just you and one other person talking on the phone to each other. If you talk to a caller, then your conversation shifts to the caller. You've had phone conversations with people before, and that's all this is.

Don't worry about noise. We have a dog. When someone rings the doorbell, the dog seems to be worried that we didn't hear it, and feels the need to amplify the announcement that someone's here. At length. If the dog barks, you can hear it on the other side of the phone. Life happens, you aren't in a radio studio, so people will accept a barking dog or screaming kid. They'll probably even identify with it.

Get a headset. Most interviews are going to last half an hour or longer. That seems like a long time, but it goes quickly, once you get absorbed in the discussion. However, it's a long time for your neck if the handset is stuffed between your shoulder and your cheek. Many landlines have headset jacks. If yours doesn't you can buy one that does at Wal-Mart for less than $20. Try it first before you use it for the interview.

Relax and have fun. Sure, have fun, you say, Mr. I-Used-To-Be-On-The-Radio. To go back to a previous point, you're talking to your readers. It's just that instead of getting in a car and driving to your book signing, they're sitting in the comfort of their house. They're relaxed. They're interested. And you're talking one-to-one with them. You just get to do it in your pajamas, if you want.

Next time: Doing the show.

Broadcasting on the Internet for Free, Part III

You understand what BlogTalkRadio can do for you. You've registered and decided how to run your show. Now it's time to schedule your show.

After you've logged in, click the My BlogTalkRadio link.

Click Add/Edit an Episode.

Enter all the displayed information. You must enter most of the fields, including the tags or keywords. Those words help people find your show. For instance, if you wrote a book about the history of the Seminole tribe during the Great Depression, could should use the keywords to help people find your show (Seminole history, Great Depression, Florida history, etc.).

If you want to play an audio clip at the start of your program, upload a file using the Startup Audio field. And if you're featuring someone's book, enter the Amazon identification number, which displays their book on your page. The rest of the fields are relatively self-explanatory.

Note: You cannot schedule more than one show in a day.

When you're done, click Submit.

Next time: Considerations before going on the air.

Broadcasting on the Internet for Free, Part II

Registering
When you get to Blogtalkradio.com, click the Register link at the top of the page. The registration area appears at the top. It's a pretty easy form, as registrations go. Check the options for hosting your own show and agreeing to the user agreement.

To reduce spam accounts, BlogTalkRadio sends an e-mail message to the account you used for registration. When you receive the e-mail, follow the instructions. When you follow the link, enter the information required and your account is created! (Note: You must include a profile page description.)

What do I put in my show?
As soon as the registration process is complete, you can host a show. However, before you do, you should think about what you want to do.

What is your show going to be about?

Do you want to have a guest? (Having a guest is easy. You give them the number and they call in and you talk, as if you're having a phone conversation. The difference is, anyone who goes to the page where your show is can listen.)

What will you talk about with your guest?

Do you want to take callers?

If you already have a readership, you can probably get away with taking calls from readers and answering their questions. If not, you might want to have guests. This format could work especially well for you if you write non-fiction. If your website has traffic, you can publicize the show and create a link to it, and you'll have a built-in listenership. And it costs you and your listeners nothing.

About Your List of Questions
If you decide to have a guest, you should send them a list of questions ahead of time. That gives your guest--who may be a little uncomfortable with the whole idea--a chance to prepare and figure out what to say.

You aren't limited to your questions. If you're interviewing someone and a follow-up occurs to you that you hadn't thought of, feel free to ask it. Remember, at its base, this is a marketing tool. You're marking your work or expertise, and if you have a guest, you're marketing them as well. If they look good, you look good.

Once you've figured out what you want to do, you need to schedule the show. We'll show you how to do that next time.

Broadcasting on the Internet for Free, Part I

When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to do radio because my voice would go out every time we passed under a bridge or went through a tunnel. Unfortunately, the reality of the radio industry--minimum wage with no benefits for a full-time job--didn't jibe well with my desire to eat something better than ramen noodles.


Now, nearly a quarter century later, I can do radio any time I want from the comfort of anyplace that has a phone and a high-speed Internet hook-up. You can, too, and it's a great way to market your book.

BlogTalkRadio is a free, internet-based means to broadcast to listeners via the Internet. All you need to do is create an account, schedule a show, then do it all via the phone. It's so easy, even my mom could do it (a very smart lady, but not someone prone to spend lots of time exploring cyberspace).

In the next few entries, we'll take a look at how to use BlogTalkRadio, starting from how to register, to how to set up a show, to how to conduct the show. Then, when it's all over, we'll talk about how it fits in your arsenal of online marketing tools.

Next time: Getting Started.