As broadcasters, we are often tasked with how to create new revenue streams for our radio stations and companies.
Radio, like TV and digital, is grinding along this year, in part due to soft macroeconomic trends and a splintering media landscape. That means it’s time to get creative about how to keep growing revenues and getting attention for our various brands.
There have been dozens of folks who have shared creative promotional ideas on Barrett News Media. I’ve written previously about our Back the Blue Tour, where once every two months, we do a live remote broadcast from an area police department to highlight some of the great men and women serving area law enforcement, learning about various departments, and putting names to the men and women in blue, who risk it all every day for the safety of their communities.
But this column is more about how to bring attention, and possibly earned media, to your events, which then, in turn, can lead to increased attention and likely revenue.
One of our other benchmark events with KCMO is “Politics and a Pint.” It’s an evening with myself and a selected candidate or elected officeholder for casual conversation, banter, food, drink, and Q&A. It’s a relaxed environment to get to know those seeking or in office in a much more intimate setting.
These events have grown from 25 to 50 people when we began to, depending on the guests, upwards of 200.
I was always of the opinion that we needed to protect the event, drive listeners to the venue, and not publicize anything that may have come out of it.
My opinion on that has gradually changed. As the events continued to fill up and social media played a more significant role in our marketing and digital strategy, we were selling ourselves short.
All this work and effort by our staff and our guests, which in turn was excellent content, and to not use that to our benefit beyond the event itself seems short-sighted in 2024. So we began posting and sharing more social media clips from these events, generating behind-the-scenes content on Facebook and Instagram stories, making those who couldn’t make it feel like they were a part of it, and ensuring they would want to be there next time. Or also, make them tune into the show or podcast the following day to hear what they may have missed out on.
We’re building a club, you’re invited, and you don’t want to miss out.
Then, after our most recent Politics and a Pint event, The Kansas City Star wrote about comments made by our guest, Jay Ashcroft, who happens to be running for Governor.
Our staff went back and looked, and the comment they used was not shared on social media, meaning they had a reporter, or someone, undercover at our event, and then wrote about it in the newspaper the following day.
And there’s more free publicity for the radio station and the show.
But the driver of everything has been the increased exposure we have brought to our events, which leads to more exposure for our clients who are partnering on said events or gives our sales staff a great tool to use as they pitch these events to clients.
Let’s never forget we are in the marketing business. As everyone’s lives get busier, with shorter attention spans and more entertainment avenues and options, it’s in our best interests to overpromote ourselves. No one else is going to do it for us. And nor should they. That’s our job.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
