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, Chief Executive Officer of EMSI , a national public relations firm says, "Sadly, those days are gone. Unless an author is a truly big name nowadays, the chances of hitting pay-dirt with just a couple of big radio interviews are history."

The reasons are two-fold.

The first element is that the number of talk radio shows with a guest format has dwindled over the years. 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 1,000's of stations available that seem to be small and a waste of your valuable public relations time. But that certainly doesn't mean you should thumb your nose at them."

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. "But what if you could go to an auditorium and talk to 100 people about your book, would you go? Absolutely!"

See the contradiction here? So decide not to pass up an interview, whether big or small. This is a fabulous way of creating a solid consumer base and awareness", adds Friedman

A rookie baseball player doesn't throw his first pitch against the New York Yankees, does he? Of course not!and the same applies to radio.

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. What is meant by practice is that you will be able to gather your thoughts, your pitch and interview style and sound like a pro in no time.

There are many mistakes made by "rookie" talk radio guests such as not mentioning your product or website enough, or being too salesy. 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."

Of course there could be problems using the 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.

And, nothing can save you from the 500 watt or 1,000 watt radio station in Peoria that's hosted by a kid right out of broadcast school, so be ready for what an unprofessional host will throw at you. Hosts on the smaller talk radio stations may not do as much research as the big national hosts. So always be prepared to educate the host on every single aspect 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 bottom-line here is that small-station interviews not only can generate sales, they can prepare you for the big time.

Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook "How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest" visit http://www.emsincorporated.com.