How to Get Your Company on the Radio Without Paying for Advertising

By Dave Purdy, Publicist — Otter PR

I’m going to let you in on a secret: businesses can get free advertising. It just takes some legwork and an indirect approach. Here, I explain how.

Become a vendor or sponsor at a community event

The first way to get free advertising is to become a vendor or major sponsor of an event in your community. Local charity events, craft shows, and festivals are great for these purposes, but virtually any event where you could be a sponsor and have a booth will work. The notable exception is events with a political or controversial character that isn’t in alignment with your brand or target audience.

Radio personalities tend to interview people associated with such events, so that’s why this strategy can be effective. To use it, find out which radio personalities are going to be at the event, and reach out to them a few days beforehand. Introduce yourself, explain your involvement with the event, tell them about your product, and invite them to stop by.

Write a community-centered press release

The next way to get free advertising is to master the art of the press release. A press release is a short document — only a single page long at most — that concisely explains some news your company is involved in. Try to keep your language objective, mirroring the type of text you would read in a newspaper article. For best results, focus on how this news relates to the larger community.

An example would be a press release that raises awareness that an upcoming charity event your business is sponsoring needs volunteers. Many communities will have a charity run to fund cancer research or something similar. Radio stations are looking for this type of news, since it builds a sense of community and has a positive bent. Oftentimes, stations will even send reporters out to cover these happenings.

By helping out with this type of event and distributing press releases about it, you can raise the profile of your organization while simultaneously demonstrating your brand’s character and values. This reflects well on your business and makes the public feel connected to your enterprise.

Give out free samples

Another way to get media coverage is to offer free samples to radio stations that they can give away on air. With every giveaway they do, your organization gets a mention over the airwaves.

To set something like this up, reach out to the promotions manager at the station. Explain that you have some items you’d like to give away to listeners, as well as what they are. Once you’ve received permission to send over your free samples, do this without delay. It’s also a good idea to include some extra items for the staff at the radio station.

Pitch yourself as an interviewee

Finally, research radio shows and identify those that are a good fit with your product or service. Contact the host and let him know you think you'd be a good interviewee for an upcoming show. Build your case around the value you can offer them and their show, but remember they aren’t obligated to let you appear.

Email and social media are just a couple of effective ways to reach radio personalities. Most don’t like phone calls, but there are a few who would rather deal with prospects on the phone. These hosts will appreciate that you took the time to pick up the phone in our electronic world, so don’t forget to get on the telephone if they are one of these people!

Free advertising = public relations

Basically, getting free advertising means doing public relations. While these efforts take time and planning, they can also be more effective than paid advertising because public relations strategies highlight your brand’s virtue, character, and goodwill toward the community. These values burnish your business’s reputation and inspire positive feelings in both new and previous customers.

— Dave Purdy is a publicist at Otter PR. He spent many years in radio broadcasting as a DJ, traffic reporter, news anchor, show host, and producer, and sold radio and digital advertising for a couple of years. Purdy made the transition to public relations in 2018 and specializes in getting great radio and podcast interviews for his clients. His clients have been featured on ABC Radio, Westwood One, Bloomberg Radio, and many more.