I think everyone can agree one of the main struggles in radio is engaging the younger crowd. With instant gratification at its max, waiting for your favorite song to play on the radio is a thing of the past. Something their “grandparents” did. That’s right…GRANDPARENTS…not even parents now. How do we bring in listeners who can stream the latest Cardi B in five seconds?
ENGAGEMENT IS KEY! During the morning show hours, they aren’t tuning in to hear the same songs over and over. Let’s be honest…that morning show playlist could use a tune up. What they’re listening for are the jokes, ridiculous stories, games, giveaways! How do you gear that towards the twenty-something person heading into their first real career, making actual money for the first time?
Research, research, research! What’s popular here in the Midwest isn’t necessarily popular on the East coast. This is another major reason local radio is so important; but that’s a completely different soap box to get onto. Back to the topic at hand. Take polls! People LOVE answering polls.
- Who’s your favorite artist?
- What concert is on your bucket list?
- What is considered popular but you can’t stand?
- What restaurant can’t you get enough of?
- Who’s your fave actor/actress?
- What do you usually do on the weekends?
- Where do you go on vacation?
- Where would you WANT to go on vacation? (you can piggyback this onto the above question)
- What do you think is the most popular landmark in our city?
- What series are you currently bingeing these days?
Simply by doing “silly” questionnaires like these can get you loads of information on your listeners likes and dislikes.
“But what if it’s the older crowd doing the answering?” That is a possibility…however, I do think the younger crowd are going to be the ones interested in the polls. Especially when you post them on Tik Tok and Instagram. From what I was told by my teenage nieces and nephews….Facebook is for the older generation. HOWEVER, that’s not a reason to stop using it! In this case, it’s a good idea to utilize other social media platforms to reach the younger crowd.