Listeners bond with their favorite radio and podcast personalities like a friend or family member. Like any relationship, a first step in their bonding is knowing your name.
Name recall is especially important in Nielsen and Numeris diary markets, and when your new show enters a market already crowded with established, popular shows.
Here are ten tips for speeding up the process of making your show name top-of-mind with the most people possible.
- Brand the show with the names of the people. TV viewers say they watch Fallon, Colbert or Kimmel. Few will mention brand names like The Late Show. The same goes for radio programs using brand names like The Breakfast Club where individual stars often have more social media followers than the show or station.
- Have listeners voice the show IDs. Take a recorder to the next big concert and capture slightly tipsy, excited voices describing your show as they leave the venue.
- Area celebrities voice the IDs. News anchors, mayor, sheriff, business leaders and quirky characters.
- Replace station voiceover with the voice of your show reading certain promos and IDs in character.
- Create a character narrator for your show. Who could portray “Texas country” better for 995 The Wolf in Dallas than actor Barry Corbin, who voiced everything in character.
- Music/entertainment celebrities voice the IDs. Script what you want them to say so they are not generic and specific to the characters on your show.
- Show jingle contest. Listeners send in homemade entries. You use all that you like but award one a substantial grand prize.
- Create a memorable show logo for social media, TV, billboards, banners and swag.
- Run promos on other stations in your group, where appropriate.
- Trade mentions on local podcasts and on your local NPR station during “Morning Edition.”