Four Tips on Producing Character Promos
Morning air talent are often frustrated by the time it takes to produce show promos. While they are time consuming, promos and other imaging pieces are worth the time invested. Shows that do a more consistent job of imaging the show, through both character and content promos, grow more quickly.
Last week we asked Steve Harmon, Executive Director of The Paul & Young Ron Show, Big 105.9/Miami, Syndicated, what their process is for getting audio clips and keeping them fresh. Here are his tips:
We use promos to reinforce two messages about the show’s brand:
1. The show is fun and funny.
2. The show has fantastic guests.
We try to have 11 character-defining promos running at all times. It is very subjective this thing called funny, so we decided ONE person would make the final call. Paul picked me — ta dahhhh!
There are many characters on the show, and on weekends we may add another promo to showcase one of them. But, in general, we want to drive home the two main characters of Paul and Young Ron.
For our guests, we focus on in-studio guests. (Funny, in the winter there are so many guests willing to come to South Florida and visit the show.)
So How Do You Get These Promos?
1. Have everyone on the show team (on air and off) listen for and jot down ANY moments on the show where something funny was said, or a fun exchange happened between Paul and Ron. Try to keep it to just the stars of the show. Look for easy to understand audio.
2. Have an intern [or whomever is available] create a show log, and write down the topics of the show as it rolls along. Then, anyone can call out a time as they hear a great moment that could work for the promo.
3. Have the host/intern/audio producer grab the sound as they are loading in the podcasts. We have found that loading them within 10 minutes of the end of that podcast hour is efficient. That sound is grabbed by Luke, our audio producer.
4. Send the basic promo ideas and material to the decision maker. I’ll make the final edits and then add drops or music to the piece.
Here are two recent examples from The Paul and Young Ron Show:
Follow Steve Harmon on Twitter @SteveHarmonious and The Paul and Young Ron Show @PaulandYoungRon. Check out the show on Facebook or listen live online here.
