Monday Memo: Worst Promo I Hear Most Often?
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
“If you missed Biff & Bev in-the-Morning, you missed…” It’s a donut: produced open and close, with an aircheck clip in the middle.
— I don’t think I have ever heard such a promo that caused me remorse for missing the show being touted. Often the clip makes the personalities sound self-amused.
— The listener can’t act on this message. This morning’s Biff & Bev show is gone, and don’t count on anyone clicking-as-many-times-as-necessary to find it on the station website.
— You send diary keepers a dangerous subliminal message: that they DIDN’T listen. Heck, we want to fool them into thinking they did listen!
Instead:
— Talk about the NEXT show.
— Use “you” and/or “your” as-early-as-possible in copy; and “and your calls!” near the end.
— Offer a benefit statement, something listeners will realize from listening, i.e., what they’ll take-away from hearing tomorrow’s guest, what they can call-in-and-win, anticipated topics.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn