Wouldn’t it be great to be a professional athlete? Or an actor? The fame, spotlight and money are alluring. But of course, this is radio. It’s different, right? Not that much. In sports, Hollywood, business and in radio, success is in the 1 percent.
We hear about superstars like Tom Brady and Mike Trout earning tens of millions of dollars a year for playing a game. Tom Hanks earns $30 million, just for one movie. It’s common for pop stars to take in $100 million a year or more.
But don’t assume all pro athletes or actors make a lot of money. But the top 10 percent receive more than 90 percent of all the money paid in these industries. And the top 1 percent takes a disproportionate share of the 10%.
Radio superstars like Howard Stern and Ryan Seacrest earn millions. Others earn millions, and many others earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rewards go to the elite.
Everyone else scrambles to make a living.
I don’t want to depress you. Rather, I want to encourage and inspire you. Because everyone can become a wildly successful radio personality that earns a 6 or even 7 figure salary no matter how out of reach it may seem.
Myths of the 1 Percent
Several radio myths have been advanced that have resulted in potentially great personalities being stuck in a rut, outside of the 1%.
Myth #1: Perfect execution is the path to success. The reality is that great execution is the price of admission. Radio personalities have been coached to follow the format, keep breaks short and make the station sound better. I have no quarrel with those disciplines of performance. But that’s fundamental. Nobody goes to a concert just to hear any old music. Fans expect to hear great music performed by a favorite band. Just executing the format won’t make you elite.
Myth #2: Personalities are born, not made. Popularity is a process. Every single radio personality with basic skills and a desire to succeed can become part of the 1 percent. Most will fall short. The difference is effort. Olympic gold medal winners have skills, but their talent is developed with tens of thousands of hours of hard work and dedication. Thousands of talented, charismatic personalities fail. And thousands of those with average talent become wildly successful. The difference is commitment and attitude.
Myth #3: Content is King. We must talk about the right topics to win listeners. The reality is that I’ve never seen a personality fail because they were talking about the wrong things. It’s because of how they talk about those things. Relevant content is one thing. Relatable communication – real personalities connecting with real listeners – is another. Great content is a good start. But topics must be turned into stories that resonate.
Myth #4: Some breaks are more important than others. Many personalities have great moments once in awhile. There are breaks that absolutely kill it, and you know it. You can feel it. A great break or great day doesn’t put you in the 1 percent. There are 16 more breaks tomorrow. One break that causes reaction doesn’t insure continued success or added tune-in. You have to bring it every day.
How To Get Into The 1 Percent
Here are 3 secrets for becoming an on-air superstar.
Secret #1: Know where you are in the relationship with the audience. Personalities advance through 5 Stages of Growth in the Personality Success Path, from Introduction to Familiarity to Growth to Like to Love.
Secret #2: Find your on-air character voice. This will guide content decisions, storytelling, and brand imaging. Once that character brand is locked in, stay true to it.
Secret #3: Learn the art of telling stories. Storytelling is at the heart of great performances in all media. And radio is no exception. Learning the principles of storytelling is a key to a personality breakthrough.
You can do it. I’ve seen it happen for personalities worldwide. That’s why I started a new online course called Audience Magnet. It’s an intensive video on demand course that teaches radio personalities to become wildly successful personalities.
The course is available now, and there’s a free seminar on demand that explains these 3 secrets in detail and provide a special offer for the course. Get details and watch the Audience Magnet seminar on demand for free here.
Conclusion
With the right training and a focused strategy, radio personalities can get on the path to become an on-air superstar.
Being in the 1% requires hard work. But you’re already working hard, right? It’s time to apply those skills on a path to getting into the 1 percent.
You’re just one breakthrough away.
