by Tracy Johnson
It’s time for New Year Resolutions again. To make lasting adjustments, it’s important to establish specific goals with a timeline. Doing it at the beginning of a year is a natural time to refresh, adapt and make changes that will lead to success.
So here are some ideas for radio shows in the new year.
These won’t guarantee a #1 show, but will put you in a position to make this the best year ever. Don’t worry about trying to implement every idea. Pick a couple and make a commitment. It will have a dramatic impact in advancing along the Personality Success Path.
Effective show prep is the single greatest difference maker for radio personalities. Most shows get bogged down in details and show prep becomes a lower priority. They then scan a prep service and plan the show on the fly.
That’s not a recipe for success.
Resolve to create a structure for show prep that allows you to work ahead. Commit to planning at least two days in advance. Adjust as needed in daily planning sessions.
There’s a terrific Weekly Show Prep Planner available for members of my Personality Magnet Show Prep Service.
Getting into a new prep habit makes the prep process more productive and relaxed. It’s also more fun.
And it helps with another New Year Resolutions suggestion:
Horizontal teasing is one of the most overlooked methods of promotion. It rarely happens radio shows, but if most of the next show is laid out in advance, it’s easy to promote that content!
Increasing Daily Cume is a reliable key to ratings growth. Getting just one more day of listening can drive share growth.
Promoting tomorrow sounds great, adds anticipation and increases forward momentum. Some shows make this a daily benchmark at the end of a show, with quick hooks for the next day.
And, it is great material for a recorded morning show promo than the tired “If you missed today’s show, here’s what you missed” promo.
Brush up on teasing skills here.
Now is a good time to dig into ratings software and track performance over the past year (or two). Which quarter hours perform better than the rest? Which are the weakest?
Armed with information, identify the best content, and become famous for it. Perhaps it’s a daily feature. Or an appointment tune-in moment for a contest or game.
Or maybe nothing stands out. This is the time to find the One Thing to make you #1.
Then, figure out how to squeeze more value from it with a recycling strategy. Consider:
Find out more about recycling with my eBook Get the Most From Your Best
The number of static radio websites is sad. Make a commitment that this is the year the site comes alive with fresh content.
Replace that tired bio of each personality with highlights from this morning’s show (make it shareable) and previews for tomorrow.
Get rid of cut and paste stories from pop culture. Nobody’s coming to a radio website for that. Instead, find unique ways to engage and entertain with content that promotes your brand.
And use video! It’s easy and inexpensive to set up a quality video studio.
Updating a site is like working out: Do it consistently to produce great results. You can’t just update it once a month and expect traffic to grow..
Bonus: Managing the website even increases ratings if you follow the tips in this ratings hack.
Most successful people never stop learning. One of the best ways to keep up with trends in personality radio is to learn from those who are great at it. Here are several ways to grow in the new year:
Not sure where to start? Subscribe to Insiders Radio Network. It’s the best source for updated, ongoing ideas and training for career growth.
Some New Year Resolutions are a little more involved. Like this one.
In marketing, advertisers track Return on Investment (ROI). In radio, it’s a little trickier. Ratings are not a good measure of progress.
Here’s a simple plan:
Archiving and reviewing content is a great way to chronicle history and celebrate progress!
Finally, make this the year of YOU. Many personalities are on the beach, hoping for a break to get back into the industry they love. Others are stuck in a station, show, or market they want to escape.
And more are settling for working a shift rather than performing a show.
Make this the year you move ahead. Get That Gig!
Here’s how to start:
Update. Start with new materials to market your personality brand, including a fresh, exciting aircheck and resume’. Corey Dylan has already done this. Check out her amazing new resume’ that looks as great as she sounds!
List. My free Radio Talent Pool service is designed for personalities and programmers to market their brand to the industry. Broadcasters use it as a primary, key resource to discover talent.
Get Help. Get personal, private coaching services from TJMG. We’ll help prepare, edit and coach you through the process of getting a gig you. For details, go here. Use the discount coupon code NewYear for a 50% discount.
Radio personalities must constantly evolve. It should be continuous, but the beginning of a year is a great excuse to make new plans and establish goals.
What are your New Year Resolutions?
Harvest Your Life Seminar on Demand
Turn Daily Life Into Daily Content Seminar on Demand
Personality Magnet Show Prep Service
The Sneaky Power of the Horizontal Tease
Radio Ratings: Higher Shares Are Driven By Daily Cume
Get the Most From Your Best ebook
Personality Power Hack: Eliminating Personal Pronouns
Hack The Ratings System With This Amazing Ratings Stealer
Get That Gig Seminar on Demand
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