Ahead of the session at JockFest, Simon Hirst’s producer Scott Myers looks at how switching off from your listeners after your show has ended, is a big no no.
It’s an exhausted analogy, but we hope our show feels like mates chatting in the pub – the listener is our mate too, so they just pull up a stool, put their pint down and join in the banter.
Recently, there’s more pressure on that time with mates. The hours in the day have got magically shorter and we’re all busy… but when that moment comes where you can nip to the local, we’re the merry bunch of drunks who have kept you a seat and will welcome you back to our world of escapism.
The reason it’s so easy to fit back in is because you’ve never really left.
Over the past 18 months on Hirsty’s Daily Dose, we’ve started being a bit more sociable. We no longer lurk in the dark corner booth waiting for you to come to us, we now keep you up to date with what’s going on in the pub in our own Dose style and we do a few things that will remind you of when you were last in.
Let’s be honest, radio shows probably rank fairly low on the average listener Give-A-Shit Scale, we’re the daft mates who don’t have a proper job, but our “24 Hour Radio Show” session aims to bump you up that scale a little bit.
It’s simple recall. One of the first things they drum into you at Breakfast Radio School is to try and be top of mind for tomorrow morning. A 30 second promo saying you should listen tomorrow for the latest celebrity gossip and ‘Battle of the Sexes’ at 8.20 doesn’t cut it now… it’s the audio equivalent of belly button fluff.
If you record your promo, update your show blog on the website and go home at 10:20 to await the next opportunity to speak to your listeners at 6am the next day, you’re an idiot. The modern personality led show should continue the show throughout the day, much like you stay in touch with your mates after you’ve all gone home from the pub.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. are ways to extend your personality through a listener’s day. Relive great moments, stay in their minds, share/post stuff you like, generate talk in their office, stop them being an outcast from your show if they miss it – and most importantly, tell them what time you’re getting a round in tomorrow. But do it in the right way.
It’s also not just about being on their smartphone screen when they next check. Get into their minds by making daily life remind them of the things you were talking about/doing in the pub last week. It’s amazing how much attention Fiat 500 drivers get at all times of the day because of our show…
Once you’ve done that, really infest their minds by making something annoyingly catchy that they can’t get out of their heads. Listeners love that/want to kill you.
The “24 Hour Radio Show” session at Jockfest is going to be Hirsty and I discussing a few of the ideas and results we’ve had from continuing the show after 10am, all with the purpose of making your table the one people always look for at the pub.
Posted on Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 at 10:21 am by RadioToday UK