I’ve done a lot of listening over the past month, and as I’ve scanned the nation sampling content, there’s one item I want to address that often gets overlooked – executing on-air giveaways.
If you’ve worked in the sports radio business for a bit, chances are that you’ve raced thru a read which promoted a cash giveaway or tickets to a game, concert or local event. Unless the giveaway is part of in-segment content association, it becomes something you spend less time thinking about until it appears on the log. When it does, you’re just looking to get it done in order to keep the sales team and your program director satisfied.
But to the person listening who puts food on the table by grinding at a job unrelated to sports, the chance to win a prize represents hope. It’s an opportunity to try and earn a reward to share an experience with friends, family or loved ones. They’re excited to text or call and participate in your process. If lucky enough to win, the prize becomes an unbreakable link between the listener, show, and radio station.
Brand’s gain access to items that everyday people hold in high regard, but to many inside of a studio, they don’t register. Turn on a sports station in any city in America today, and you’ll likely hear a prize given away as if it’s just another sponsor read or item for the promotions department to fulfill. Lost enthusiasm for announcing giveaways stems from taking for granted how fortunate we are to have unmatched access around the world of sports. I hear hosts sometimes deliver giveaways that sound like the :30 or :60 read is preventing them from being able to answer texts or use the bathroom.
But man is that a missed opportunity.
Many in programming circles view commercial breaks as a road block preventing the show from maintaining listener interest. It’s why little things such as offering listener rewards matter. We can all agree that rewarding our fans makes sense and is worth doing right?
The reason it matters beyond strengthening listener loyalty is because ratings credit for stations depends on grabbing 5 minutes of listening in a quarter hour window. I hear shows that start their hour of content at :06-:07 and then break at :13-:14. If a listener vacates the station when the break hits, and doesn’t return until :10 after, and they leave at :13-:14 when you signal your next break, that means you’ve grabbed 3-4 minutes of listening. Guess what that amounts to? Nothing. You get no credit. It’s as if the listener tuned in to your radio station.
One extra minute of listening can be the difference between your show gaining or missing out on ratings credit. Would you rather trust yourself to hold them over for an extra minute by offering a reward or rely on a produced commercial with no listener benefit?
In a perfect world, we’d execute 10-12 minutes of content in a quarter hour, and hit our break times without fail, but it doesn’t always work like that in radio. If your PD or Marketing Director gives your show a prize to reward your fans that can help you steal one extra minute of listening, is it not fair to expect you to sound interested and deliver the giveaway with passion and enthusiasm?
One of radio’s biggest issues is internal perception. We hate the grind of booking interviews so we tell ourselves they don’t matter to the listener. If the ratings aren’t strong, we convince ourselves the advertiser won’t buy the brand, thus creating an excuse to not hit budget. It’s no different with on-air giveaways. Tickets to a game on a Tuesday night that we wouldn’t go to ourselves are considered ‘not good enough’ so we treat the read like it’s unimportant.
This isn’t to say that every prize is gold. PD’s and Promotions Directors have to work together to make sure lemons aren’t being pushed to the air, but if they determine a prize is good enough for the listener to win, and it’s scheduled to be promoted on the airwaves, a good talent should be able to turn on the mic, and sell it. Don’t make the mistake of assuming the audience doesn’t value the prize just because you don’t.
You may not agree with everything your radio station gives away on the air. I’m sure there are many wide receivers in the NFL who’d prefer to jump for a ball to score a TD than serve as a decoy and block downfield, but they do what their coaches ask because they know it helps the team. What’s important to remember is the purpose behind the task. It’s not about emptying the prize closet or keeping the promotions director busy. It’s about providing a thank you to yours fans for investing their time with your brand on a regular basis, and trying to leverage that passion and loyalty to increase your numbers.
If you’re fortunate enough to have access to prizes that the everyday fan doesn’t, treat it like it matters. It helps you and the radio station. In fact, the next reward you provide could be the single biggest difference between winning or losing your next ratings book.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
