Tag: your

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Are Your Weekend Promos Upside-down?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imAvoid THE most-common mistake I hear in promos for talk stations’ weekend ask-the-expert shows: Opening with the Close.

I coach attorneys/real estate agents/personal finance advisors and other pay-for-play weekend hosts, both on-behalf of client stations, and working directly with these professionals in other markets. Done right, these shows ROI like crazy… but too often they’re well-kept secrets. So, it’s important that weekday promos invite weekend tune-in.

Tip: DON’T begin the promo with the host introducing him/herself and naming the show and when it airs. Instead: Like good commercial copy, the Close (asking for tune-in in this case) comes at the end of the promo.

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Open by stating the listener issues that tuning-in can help inform. Examples:

Attorney: “Have you been injured? Before you accept the insurance company’s offer…”

Real estate agent: “Are you shopping for your first home? Or downsizing?”

Money-talk host: “Is there too much month left at-the-end-of the money?”

Note The Two Magic Words: “you” and “your.”

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Avoid Sounding Like a Medical Examiner

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

We’ve seen autopsies depicted on various cop shows. As the doctor dispassionately probes the deceased, he or she is dictating into an audio recorder: “I’m opening up the chest cavity…”

That’s how some talk hosts sound, narrating their own process, rather than projecting the listener’s stake in topic du jour.

— Instead of: “This gas stove ban is something I want to talk about.”

— Ask: “Should you be fined for installing – or replacing – your gas stove? Let’s talk about it! (phone number)”

— Instead of: “We’ll be talking about the fiscal impact of immigration.”

— Say: “How much money are illegal immigrants taking out of your pocket?  More than you think, according to our guest…”

Said another way: Less “I,” “me.” More “you,” and “your,” The Magic Words.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of the E-book and FREE on-air radio features “Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins;” and “Spot-On: Commercial Copy Points That Earned The Benjamins,” a FREE download; and “Multiply Your Podcast Subscribers, Without Buying Clicks,” available from Talkers Books.  Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke