Progressive Jackpot
Radio still, for some reason, insists on doing remote broadcasts. We have all been to that client location trying to explain away the crowd that only showed up for the free hotdogs.
When I was working for then Entercom Madison, we found a way to create a huge remote crowd, deliver prospects to the client, and create a fun atmosphere.
Every salesperson was tasked with taking $100 from every remote package sold. That went into a jackpot pool, creating a progressive prize that listeners had the opportunity to win.
We had a six-foot-tall “Super Prize Machine,” a bigger-than-life slot machine. However, it’s not necessary to have a prize machine to execute this just a good, fair, random game of chance.
In our case, when the slot machine hit three station logos, the listener won the prize pool.
The Saturday at the car dealership, when the jackpot had grown to over $3,000, the line to play was 400 deep. Were all those people in the market for a car? No, but we did our job and delivered prospects to the lot.
Just one word of caution. Make sure you adhere to NO PURCHASE NECESSARY so you don’t run afoul of your state’s gaming laws.
Breakfast At Mom’s
Solicit entries from people who would like your morning show broadcast from Mom’s kitchen on the Friday before Mother’s Day.
Bring a local chef from a well-known breakfast restaurant in your market with all the groceries needed to cook breakfast during the morning show broadcast.
Let the winner invite all their friends. You’ll be surprised how many will drop by during the broadcast.
At the end of the show, a cleaning service comes in to clean up the kitchen and announce that they are providing the same service for an entire year.
The sales team can sell sponsorships that give Mom gifts that can be opened throughout the broadcast.
Dinner With Dad
It works basically the same, except it’s an afternoon drive and outdoors with a new grill that you bring and leave behind.
Work with a local meat shop to bring the grilling items and give Dad a significant gift card so he will have something to grill all summer.
Get a logoed pop-up tent to stage the event and leave that as well.
Don’t forget to invite your local television station to attend both events.
Let Barrett Media showcase you best. Email me here, jeff@barrettmedia.com
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
