By Holland Cooke
Consultant
For 100 years, radio programmers have tried to keep listeners listening longer. “Coming up next…”
Another few minutes? Yes! Ask! And do so as-seductively-as-possible, saying “you” and “your.” But there’s very little you can say to keep someone sitting in a parked car after they’ve turned the engine off.
A more realistic opportunity?
Life is fragmented. Audio is everywhere. Listeners move among broadcast radio, podcasts, streams, satellite, YouTube and whatever their phones serve up next. Oh, and off-air promotion – billboards, TV, direct mail – remember them – cost money.
Sales 101: Say it with me: “Your best prospect is…?” An existing customer! Sell ‘em again, in this case inducing an existing listener to listen again later – specifically later-today, and same-time-tomorrow. You can’t win by earning TSL when they’re not listening. So, seem useful-enough that they’ll want to come back again.
- First thing in the morning…
- Before leaving home…
- During the commute…
- At lunch…
- Before the drive home…
- When weather threatens…
- When big news breaks…
- When the game will air…
All-news stations have understood this for decades. The very first one – 1010WINS/New York, to-this-day #1 in morning drive – said, “Give us 22 minutes and we’ll give you the world.” The product was designed for repeat use.
This also changes how we use digital tools
Too many stations treat the app, stream, and social media as separate products. They should be pathways back to useful content. A push alert can invite immediate listening when something important happens. A social clip can preview what the morning show will develop tomorrow. A podcast can serve someone who missed the original conversation while promoting the next live one.
The objective is not to trap listeners. It is to accompany them. Try this…
- Map your target listener’s day. Identify five moments when your station could be helpful, entertaining or reassuring. Then ask yourself…
- Do we offer something worth returning for at each moment?
- Do listeners know we offer it?
- Do we remind them when to return?
And when they do return, do we deliver immediately? Or make them wait through clutter?
Duration still matters. Every unnecessary word still spends attention. So, program at-the-speed-of-life. But focusing only on longer listening per-occasion overlooks how people actually live. You can’t keep someone sitting in a parked car. You can earn more visits.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn