A radio media tour (RMT) is defined as a series of interviews offered to radio stations throughout the country during a specific time period. RMTs are typically conducted via telephone with radio reporters, news producers or talk show hosts. The interviews are either live or taped and typically last about 10 minutes.

While RMTs are great for companies and organizations that are trying to convey a complex message to a specific audience and demographic, the success of RMTs depend on a variety of factors.

According to a PRWeek article, these factors primarily include relevance and choosing the right spokesperson. The story should be timely and encompass a broad topic or trend that a broad audience can easily grasp. For example, let’s say your client was looking to raise consumer awareness around a new smartphone device, you could consider pitching an RMT around ways to quickly organize your life and include details about how the device helps consumers and professionals stay organized.

Lining up the right spokesperson is also important to ensure a successful RMT. The spokesperson should be credible, have wide audience appeal and be relatable. Let’s take the same example of the getting organized RMT. Rather than having an executive from the device manufacturer serve as the spokesperson, you might consider finding a well-known organizational expert who can offer useful tips (including your product) on how to quickly get your life organized. Recruiting an expert can be a win-win situation because it gives them a chance to promote their expertise and lends credibility to your story.

When executed properly, RMTs provide a “cost-effective means of additional insight to a company’s story.” In order to implement a successful RMT, consider the following:

Craft a Compelling News Hook. Like any pitch or story, an RMT should have a sharp news hook that resonates with a broad audience. In order to capture the audience’s attention, make sure the topic is timely and is tied to a broad trend or breaking news. According to Richard Strauss, president of Strauss Radio Strategies, pitching issues that are tied to breaking news, health stories, the economy and the environment are popular with radio stations right now.

Localize the Story. When pitching a story to regional radio outlets, it is important to localize the story. Keep in mind, regional radio often targets not just a specific media market, but also a segment of the market. For example, a regional radio show might specifically target soccer moms or business entrepreneurs.

Set your Spokesperson Up for Success. To ensure a successful RMT, it’s critical that your spokesperson – whether it’s a company executive or third-party expert – is well-prepared. This means conducting media training to ensure they’re grounded in the key messages and practice delivering those messages with mock interviews. In addition, you may want to consider developing an FAQ to outline some of the tough questions you anticipate the radio reporter will ask. This is especially important when preparing for a live interview. To learn more about preparing for interviews, visit our post entitled, “The Importance of Preparing before an Interview,” by clicking here.

RMTs can be a great vehicle for reaching a broad audience in a cost-effective way. Unlike on-camera interviews, RMTs do not require costly preparation such as travel, makeup, and extensive equipment. And while the time involved for spokespeople may require approximately three to four hours, it’s time well spent to secure a handful of wide-reaching radio interviews.