Making Airwaves
Updated: 11 hours ago
It's not like me to have you read a fun title like "Making Airwaves" and not deliver some exciting updates!
Because of health issues, I had primarily stuck with digital or newspaper-related promotion to get the word out about my story during spring/summer, with a small book tour sprinkled throughout. But it soon became clear that the book wasn't finding as many readers as I had hoped.
I knew I needed to put Asthmanaut in front of lots of eyes and reach a larger audience, especially with the back-to-school season arriving and educators beginning to purchase books to add to their collections. So I decided to push myself a bit and be more outgoing, like Jacob from my story. And that meant fully embracing the role of a promoting author and doing things I thought I'd never do in a million years:
MAJOR MEDIA APPEARANCES.
Consider my comfort zone shattered.
It was time to go for broke and put up a brave face, or should I say, a brave voice, as I committed to a guest appearance on Seven Mountains Media's The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau, a STATEWIDE public affairs radio program!
Laura and I agreed to do the interview on the phone as a pre-recorded segment. I live in a deeply rural area with terrible cell phone reception at the best of times, so to get enough bars for an uninterrupted chat, I had to travel to one of the highest points in my neighborhood, which, funny enough, happens to be a remote cemetery! (Happy October, readers!) But don't worry, it was during the day and relaxingly quiet.
It was fun talking with Laura, and to do so from the comfort of my car made the whole thing feel more like a personal conversation. I discussed my history of struggling with asthma and journey to publication, and Laura got to talk about her own experiences encountering illness, which helped fill a nearly 30-minute interview. Much of it was cut for time before being released a few weeks later.
I can barely grasp the sheer scale of exposure this opportunity gave me, as my voice was transmitted at various times on all Seven Mountains Media radio stations across Pennsylvania! And that's a lot of stations! Every time I think about it, I start to feel a little dizzy (and a tad embarrassed), so I'll try not to dwell on it. But at least the message of my book and how it helps kids got to enter literally thousands of ears. Not a bad start.
You can listen to the podcast version of this interview that was released online below, starting at 14:13.
So how do you top this? Two letters: TV.
I traveled a long way to my local Fox station ...
... and sat down on a comfy couch for a pre-recorded interview on Fox 8 News Now, a lifestyle show! I came in a little nervous, as I had never done TV before. But host KC O'Day was so welcoming and kind, easing the nerves I felt. I was in safe hands as she guided the interview with skill, asked the best questions, and genuinely cared about what I had to say.
KC even invited me back on the show if I had any major news to share, which is heartbreaking for me now because I know I can never return. A week before writing this post, it was announced that the TV station was sold, and FOX 8 News Now was suddenly cancelled as a result! I honestly couldn't believe it and felt terrible for KC. All the good things she did for the community through her program can't be fully measured, so I hope she quickly finds another platform just as rewarding and impactful as Fox 8 News Now!
My TV interview was shown on air on Fox 8 WWCP across my region on August 31st, then released online a few days later in two parts on the Fox 8 website. Now, because the show's been cancelled, I have no idea how long these vids will stay up, so please check them out before they're gone!
Feel free to share your opinions with me on how I performed. I made a promise not to watch the interview in fear of embarrassment. But I later did, and found that if I ignored the fact my eyes had strayed down the barrel of the camera a few times (how did I have such good aim in a dark room?), I ultimately did an ok job.
Around this time, the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers website, which is government-supported, dropped its Client Success Story about me! This post, which covers my mission as an asthma educator and how I received my $2,000 grant, was a huge boost on the digital front and added a lot of credibility and awareness to my platform. You can read it here: https://www.pasbdc.org/jake-lockett/
I felt pretty unstoppable after these strong marketing attempts, so I began planning my next major media appearance, which was ... you'll have to wait and see!
Watch out for my Asthma Peak Month post, where I'll also talk about how I recently partnered with a big lung charity ... from another country!
You can see me next at the Schlow Centre Region Library in State College, PA, for a "Meet the Authors" super event on Sunday, October 11th, from 2 pm- 4 pm. Come stop by and do a craft you can take home!
Stay stellar!
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