I’ve listened to a lot of radio across the country over the past month and the one thing that sticks with me is how poor the individual show promos are. I’m not talking about the big station produced promos that image the station or talk about the big event. Those are mostly strong. But the majority of show promos I hear do nothing to make me listen to that show. Here’s an example of the promo I hear over and over and over again:
“[Sports Show]”(by voice over person)…
Host introduces guest by name…
20ish second clip from the guest…
The voice over telling you when the show is”
What is so bad about that kind of promo? It assumes the listener knows what the show is and the promo does nothing to highlight the show.
Nothing.
It highlights a guest who was presumably on the show, it usually doesn’t give me the context of the guest–why he/she is important and what they say is rarely shocking or earth shattering. The tag rarely plays off the cut. If you are really committed to a guest promo, the tag should say something like “The best guests in Tennessee Sports are on “[Show Name], weekdays from 2-7pm on [Station Name]”
I’ve heard this in small markets, medium markets, large markets, major markets and on national radio (including satellite). If I’m not normally a listener to your show, that promo needs to grab me. You think a movie trailer would be so poorly produced? A promo for a hit TV show? Tonight’s local news? I can almost guarantee that their promos are better than the sports radio show promos.
Why is this the case? It’s not one radio station or one radio company that suffers from this. It’s across the board in the sports radio business.
I think sports radio’s failure in this area comes down to three issues:
1. No staffer is dedicated to promoting the individual sports radio shows. TV stations have “Promo Producers” and movie trailers have almost as large of a staff as the movie itself. Typically it’s left to the show producer or associate producer. They already have post-production responsibilities, social media, podcasts, blog posts and a million other responsibilities.
2. Station imaging/production directors rarely have the time to help or produce a show promo. So they provide pieces or a “shell” for the show producers to use.
3. Frankly the biggest problem is that these show promos are not a priority to the radio station. If they were, the level of promos you would hear would be better and they would have to be approved by the PD or EP before making it to air.
How do you fix the show promo problem?
1. PDs need to demand better show promos and, as noted above, need to approve all show promos until the staff gets the hang of it.
2. Focus on the show, the talent!! What’s something someone said? Is there an example of both of your hosts discussing a hot topic? Put together something compelling, strong, and funny that would make me want to listen to the show.
3. Make sure it’s not an inside joke. Something that can be understood by someone listening in the car or doing something else where they aren’t 100% focused on the promo. Do something to catch their attention.
4. Don’t be afraid to have your hosts voice a few evergreens that talk about the show, why it’s great, and why you should listen. Sometimes simpler is better. Looking ahead to the next show is way better than looking back on yesterday’s show. Even if it was great. It’s over. It’s gone.
In conclusion, your show promos likely suck. The good news is that the problem is fixable. Give your show promos a new focus and a new sound and you can proudly finally promote the shows the way they deserve to be promoted.
Matt Fishman is a former columnist for BSM. The current PD of ESPN Cleveland has a lengthy resume in sports radio programming. His career stops include SiriusXM, 670 The Score in Chicago, and 610 Sports in Kansas City. You can follow him on Twitter @FatMishman20 or you can email him at FishmanSolutions@gmail.com.
