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Halloween morning. One of my first conscious thoughts was, What music will I play on the porch tonight as I’m handing out candy and searching for endless Dad joke opportunities? The morning routine and the noise of the day were getting ready to take over and vaporize that thought. But radio’s social media kept it alive.
My morning routine is as predictable as it gets: I let the dog out, ignite the toaster, and push the power button on the Keurig coffee machine. (I used machine instead of maker on purpose. That device doesn’t make coffee; it produces coffee.) Then, I start an audio experience. Typically, I rotate between a radio station app, an Amazon smart speaker experience, or an analog radio I carry around the house.
You know what’s next: I look at the first app of the day. It’s almost always Twitter/X (or is it X/Twitter?) Habits are hard to break. That’s a good thing. It’s how the world stays in order. If you want to change one of those habits, the order fights back. Twitter used to be a quick window to the world. I could find out quickly what was trending and feel informed and ready to participate in the new day.
Now, it’s about who hates who more. I can find good content if I work at it or if the algorithm is kind. My habitual self looks at Twitter/X quickly each morning over the pod of French Roast coffee before I scan the other sources, start email subscriptions, and meditate. Don’t be impressed. It’s 10 minutes per morning, three out of the seven days.
Halloween On The Radio
The Halloween morning ritual reignited the thought I mentioned in the first paragraph. What music will I play on the porch tonight as I’m handing out candy and searching for endless Dad joke opportunities? Scrolling through Twitter/X, I was triggered by this iHeartRadio post:
Lisa and Jisoo are members of the K-Pop group Blackpink. As you can see from 3.4k likes on the post, they have some fans. However, the second line of the tweet caught my attention. Listen to #Halloween Radio.
Right! iHeart has a Halloween channel. Problem solved. What problem? Every year, my habitual self does the same thing. Play Michael Jackson’s Thriller on an endless loop. It’s a very Nielsen-friendly tactic. I’m playing one of the most popular Halloween-themed songs to an audience that changes every 60 seconds. My audience always gets a great song. Plus, it’s easier to press repeat.
However, I felt revived this Halloween because I was going to place the Echo speaker on the porch and play the iHeart station with a variety of theme songs for a more enjoyable experience.
Halloween On The TV and IG
It didn’t stop there. During my habitual lunch break, a Today Show reel caught my eye. I didn’t know who it was, but I knew this person was impersonating Ron Burgundy from the movie Anchor Man. It was Willie Geist from MSNBC and the Today Show. Today Show Halloween
Halloween Tricks & Treats I Learned This Year
- Don’t Assume Your Audience Knows It. Sounds basic and trivial. However, I’m a career radio insider with a folder full of radio station apps and multi-station apps like iHeart, Audacy, TuneIn, and Sirius/XM. Let’s not forget my Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube Music apps.
We struggled twenty-five years ago to promote a feature or a benchmark because of the radio station competition. Add the noise from the apps I mentioned, plus the social media attention-grabbers, and we’re repeating ourselves to an audience like we’re training a toddler.
Radio’s enduring difference is the power of reach and frequency. In the spirit of election week, do it early and often when promoting something that needs attention.
2. Use What You Have. Organizations like iHeart and NBC have girth and scale. Don’t be intimidated by Goliath, therefore, resulting in inactivity. My Amazon Echo Show wasn’t nearly as big or impressive as the neighbor’s stereo component system.
However, I placed the device between the rock walls on the porch at a distance where the sound would get more reverberation. It sounded much thicker than you would think when you looked at the box.
Remember the effectiveness of a simple but powerful idea. Wait, you have a Halloween channel? Perfect. I learned about it by reading a social media tag. The tag wasn’t strong, but the access to the music I wanted was the strength. iHeartRadio just used what it had to promote a simple but powerful concept.
NBC made videos of their cast members impersonating famous movie characters. Sure, they make world-class videos and TV every day. But the concept is as simple and powerful as your radio station’s Halloween party. There’s a drama kid on your staff who would love to champion the concept of creating theme Reels next year. Use what you have.
3. One Improvement At A Time: If your goal is to be better at promoting Halloween on-air and on your social channels, start planning for Halloween 2025 before Thanksgiving 2024. Why so early? Because Christmas, New Year’s, MLK Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Summer, July 4th, Labor Day, Back to School, and a half-dozen other holidays and opportunities happen before Halloween next year.
All those holidays should fall into the same ritualistic planning and nurturing as Halloween. If this is overwhelming or intimidating, plan to improve one event, promotion, or benchmark at a time. Not all of them. Just one, then another, then another.
For planning purposes, 2025 is here. Get the ideas started and get the audience’s attention with the power of your reach and frequency.
Ron Harrell is a columnist for Barrett Media. He founded Harrell Media Group, specializing in radio and audio brand consultation, fractional management, and talent coaching. He has worked in every role on the Programming and Branding side during his career, becoming management and executive-focused in the post-Telecom Act era. Ron has held leadership roles for media groups such as ABC/Citadel, CBS Radio, Chancellor Media, Cumulus Media, Hope Media Group, Hubbard Broadcasting, and WAY Media.
Interested parties are invited to learn more about his company Harrell Media Group and reach out by email at Ron@HarrellMediaGroup.com.
