Coming Back From Coronavirus

Seattle is finally opening up after one of the nation’s longest lockdowns. After two years of no prizes or in-person interaction, Star 101.5’s Moug and Angie are suddenly flooded with cash, Lizzo concert tickets, Amy Schumer tickets, and more!

Concerts and events are exploding all over North America. Radio has two major audience connection tools back in full spring bloom.

MONEY AND PRIZES

First, the fact is that 98% of your audience will never call or text your radio station to win a prize or money no matter big it is. So why bother?

Because the 2% that try to win are exactly the same folks who fill out diaries and carry meters. So, let’s look at making contests and giveaways entertaining for 100% of your audience.

• Dump the designated caller or text contest. You’ll only be appealing to the 2% because there’s no entertainment value. Interactive games (typically trivia) that listeners can play along with potentially entertain everyone listening.
• Interactive games are highly popular on television and radio. Have callers play games either to qualify or win the prize or cash. Fun games work across all formats. Even News stations like Hubbard’s WTOP D.C. have had success with their “Mystery News Maker Contest.”

LIVE EVENTS

Now that in-person opportunities to connect with listeners are back, consider these guidelines and ideas:

Your phone is your content friend

Freshen show branding with on-street audio and video. Make a special effort to get excited voices saying what they like about your show’s players and benchmarks as they are partying at a festival or coming out of a fun concert.

Remote broadcasts

• One of your talents or teams could broadcast outside the venue of a core artist concert IF they’re capable of doing the same show they do daily in the studio. Many talents get distracted by their surroundings and do a different show or subpar one.
• “Tour Bus Tour” for a big artist concert could be an engaging Facebook/Instagram Live opportunity. Listeners will be fascinated to see inside a favorite artist’s pimped-out tour bus.

• Spring/Summer Tours: Highlight and interact with people in various parts of your metro, especially hot zips. They’re a terrific grassroots campaign that can boost listening and deepen character.
   
• It’s a safer bet to gather and edit audio and video to use on-air and online. Again, broadcasting your show on location is tricky.
   
• Shows with original podcasts independent of on-air content can more easily broadcast live from a popular breakfast restaurant or restaurant/bar in the afternoon.

Keep listeners informed about Coronavirus from reliable news sources. It is not over. People are still getting infected, and some cities around the world, including the US, have put safety measures back in place.

If your station still has no prizes, check out the innovative idea my friend and legend Scott Shannon is doing in New York (below).

Photo by ActionVance on Unsplash