The Art of Promotion: 10 Tips to Really Shine in Your Next Interview

Free artist advice from Madison Records!

A career in music encompasses much more than just playing and recording songs. One of the things you’ll find yourself doing is getting out to local TV and radio stations and talking with journalists to promote your latest album or show. When you get asked to be a part of an on-air interview or get a chance to talk with someone who’s writing an article or a blog, do your homework and be prepared so you get the best exposure possible.

Before the Interview

· Ask for questions ahead of time. It might not be a verbatim transcript of how the interview will go, but having a few questions from your interviewer will help you prepare.

· Send them a short bio or link to your website. Just like you need to prepare ahead of time, so does the interviewer. Knowing a little about you will not only help them introduce you to their audience, but can help them as they write questions and shape the direction of the interview.

· Be ready with good answers. Try not to answer questions with a yes or no or a short sentence that goes nowhere. When they ask something like what inspired you to have a career in music, they’re looking for something more than, “I like singing.” Enhance your answers with information about you and your background, likes and dislikes, and influences and inspiration.

· Prepare a few anecdotes or stories ahead of time. Just like how you would prepare for a job interview, it’s a good idea to have a few stories in your line-up to help bring some color to the interview and allow your audience to get to know you better. Maybe you have an interesting story about getting noticed as a young musician, or seomthing interesting that inspired your latest song.

Be Your Best On-Air

· Rehearse before you go. Whether you get a friend to do a mock interview or you’re just talking to yourself in front of a mirror, it will help you sound more polished if you’ve practiced what you’re going to say a few times. It’s not like memorizing lines to a play, because in the interview you’ll have to be on your toes for follow up questions, but rehearsing can help you get over some of the nerves of being in the spotlight.

· Arrive a few minutes early. It will help to get a chance to speak with your interviewer before you’re on the air, and go over what you want to make sure gets mentioned. For radio interviews, call in a few minutes before your scheduled time. You might only get to speak to the producer and not the on-air personality, but you’ll still have a chance to get to know them and get a feel for the tone of the show.

· Speak clearly and enthusiastically. This is where practice can help. Make sure to enunciate your words and be an active participant in the interview process.

Don’t Forget the Follow Through

· Ask to see a draft. For written publications and online blogs, you can ask to see a draft before the article is published. Some publications have guidelines against that, but most will at least let you double check your quotes.