You likely have more than one job at the radio station. You are being pushed in a myriad of directions. We often forget that we are in the creativity business. How do you unleash your imagination? How do you stretch yourself?
We have all heard the stories of how bands will write their biggest song in a matter of minutes. Bono from U2 and other musicians say that every song has been written, the songwriter’s job is to catch it. We have all struggled with promos. Sometimes trying to be too cute. You may have the body of the promo but the opening sucks or the close is unconvincing. We have all been there.
Ok, here are a few ways to get ideas started:
Brainstorm with Co-Workers
This works especially well if you have been in a rut. If your promos are all beginning to sound alike, this can give you different channels on which to travel. It is so easy to start promos in similar ways. We have all done this.
Your promos should be a shiny object that adds sizzle to your station. Promos and liners are narration for the brand in which you are programming. Use the station team to create ideas to come from your voice. I have learned that you tell them that you are stuck. You need them as idea starters. If you don’t tell them this, you could hurt the feelings of a staffer, if you take their idea and go in a completely different direction. Trust me on this, I have had a team member tell me that their feelings were hurt that I didn’t use the idea as presented. I now learned to type out the idea as I read it to them. Tell your crew that they are helping you so much!
Don’t Edit Yourself
When you are writing, just type out everything that you are thinking. Don’t edit in the middle of the creative process. If you are self-editing, you may actually destroy a cool road that you are traveling down. The editing process comes after the creative moments. If you are telling yourself that something is a bad idea, you cannot make the next step. I have written a bunch of stuff that never made the air. I edited on the fly and ruined a perfectly good idea.
Don’t Try to Get Too Cute
I worked with a Promotions Director some time ago and she would submit copy for station non-traditional revenue promos. She loved puns and could jam this lazy use of the English language into every line. I eventually rewrote them all. She never complained, because… She never listened to the station. I like using a double entendre when allowable. I make sure to give strict directions on how the promo should be read when I send it to my station’s imaging voice. If you add something kind of salacious, a flat read will cover up if you are called by a listener or the boss for adding something that could be construed as too edgy.
Change Your Routine
If I really need to write for the station, I often go into the station early on a Saturday morning. I crank up music in my office and type away. If that is not working for you, bring the laptop to a restaurant or a coffee joint. Listen to the conversations around you. Frequently, you will get great jumping off points. I find that lunchtime works really well. I’ll belly up near a group of people that best represents the station’s target demographic. I have used pieces of these conversations in liners and promos. You will get someone complaining about their kids or spouse. You will hear a horror story from the office. This is stuff that makes you sound connected.
I get it. You don’t have a lot of time. If you are like me, you have three screens open at the same time constantly! There is noise and distraction all over the place. It is taught in almost every major religion that you need to be silent to pray or reflect. These quiet moments often are sources of creativity. Getting the worries out of your mind for 20 minutes every day. If you read older literature, you find that the complexity and thoughtfulness of the words is beyond today’s writers. Well, the authors of yore were not barraged with distractions.
The legendary Program Director David G. Hall once said at an event that he took a day out of the station for a fieldtrip every couple of months. David would drive around Los Angeles listing to his station. He used those moments to focus like a listener. With social media and streaming commitments, it is very easy to ignore what is coming out of the speaker. When listening to your station is there an Easter Egg or two? Are there moments of surprises? Frequently, these come from the imaging and promos that you write. Does your station sound adventurous? Is the writing crisp in the news, imaging and commercials? Are the hosts just serving up a predictable helping of clichés?
Make memorable moments for your listeners in every way.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He recently served as program director for WHO/KXNO in Des Moines, IA. Prior to that role he held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
