Author name: Tracy Johnson

Convincing listeners to call a radio station is harder than ever, but every show can sound like a party by applying some basic tricks used by great radio personalities. Here are 10 guidelines to get the most from callers, which will attract more listeners!

Think about how you use media in your personal life. You’re multitasking, switching from one streaming channel to another. You watch the DVR while checking a social media feed and conversing with friends via text. Listening in the car is not quite as busy, but it’s getting closer.

Every radio personality gets one of two pieces of advice at some point in their career. The first sounds like this: “Nobody cares what you think. Stay out of the way. Play the music, read the liners, and let the format do the work.”

Personalities naturally fall into patterns over time. When you find a formula that works, repeating it becomes second nature. On one hand, the familiarity adds a subtle sense of comfort for the audience and confidence in your performance. But it can result in a sense of sameness that doesn’t generate as much excitement as it could or should.

Teases are challenging, but when you get into the rhythm, they can be fun. The goal is to capture the listener’s attention and create interest while giving them a hint of what to expect, and without giving away the outcome. An effective tease strategy is complicated, but there are 5 keys to a tease to help you write an effective and creative promo for segments.

Some aircheck sessions are like dental surgery: Painful and dreadful. Outdoor stores like REI should have an entire department selling gear to survive the aircheck. Air personalities and programmers would both stock up! Yet other sessions are like therapy: Insightful and helpful.

Most families keep an emergency kit at home. Flashlights, batteries, water, and a plan everyone understands. Radio stations need the same kind of preparation. Not just for hurricanes and wildfires, but for sudden tragedies, community crises, and fast-moving events that instantly change the tone of a broadcast day.

Personalities find a topic, then ask listeners to call. It’s painfully ordinary, which results in Low-Hanging Fruit content. But there’s a simple solution that works like a magic trick. Pollify the topic for more compelling content.

Medical students are taught the foundational rule of becoming a doctor: do no harm. In radio, the equivalent is to reduce tune-out. This common-sense lesson has profound implications that inform each decision and every talk segment.