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 radio, success is in the 1%. This is the elite level, which every personality should strive for.
Superstars like Shoehai Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Hankst earn tens of millions a year for playing a game or pretending to be someone else. Hanks earns up to $50 million for one movie. Pop stars routinely take in $100 million a year or more. They’re the 1%. Don’t assume all pro athletes or actors make a lot of money. The top performers receive a disproportionate amount of the money paid in these industries.
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 who earns a six—or even seven-figure salary, no matter how out of reach it may seem.
Myths of the 1 Percent
Several radio myths have advanced, resulting in potentially great personalities stuck in a rut outside the 1%.
Myth #1: Perfect execution is the path to success. The reality is that 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 do not quarrel with those disciplines, but that’s table stakes. It just gets you into the game. Nobody pays hundreds of dollars for a concert to hear well-constructed music. Fans expect to hear their favorite songs performed by their favorite band in a special way. Just executing the format won’t make you elite.
Myth #2: Personalities are born, not made. Popularity is a process. Every radio personality with basic skills and a desire to succeed can become part of the 1 percent, but most will fall short. The difference is effort. Olympic athletes have skills, but gold medal winners put in tens of thousands of hours of hard work and dedication. The 1% is committed to a goal. It’s a mindset.
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 great personalities turn it into entertainment that resonates.
Myth #4: Some segments are more important than others. Many personalities have great moments once in a while. A great segment or even a great day doesn’t put you in the 1 percent. There are 16 more breaks tomorrow. You have to bring it every day. Every hour. Each quarter-hour.
How To Get Into The 1 Percent
Here are three secrets to becoming an on-air superstar.
Secret #1: Know where you are in relationship to 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 learning the principles of storytelling is a key to a personality breakthrough.
You can do it. I’ve seen it happen for personalities worldwide.
Conclusion
With the right training and a focused strategy, radio personalities can become on-air superstars.
Being in the 1% requires hard work. But you’re already working hard, right? It’s time to apply those skills to get into the 1 percent.
You’re just one breakthrough away.
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