How to Brand Your Radio Show

 

30x30x30 Blogathon Post #28:  June 28th – Tara Kachaturoff

Tara Kachaturoff is an expert radio and TV show producer/host and brings us into Day 28 of the Blogathon with awesome tips on how to bring your personal brand ‘on the air’! If you need proof, check out her two popular shows: Michigan Entrepreneur TV and Teach Me Law Radio. Tara is probably one of the most focused and organized person I know and she provides a clear and targeted way for you to expand the reach of your personal brand on the radio.

Enjoy Tara’s post!

 

The 30x30x30 Blogathon is happening every day in June! Click here to add to your feed, and you won’t miss a day!

 

How to Brand Your Radio Show 

If you’re thinking of producing a radio show – just for fun or for business purposes – you’ll want to make sure it’s branded in a way that aligns with your vision, values, passion and purpose! While the area of branding is both vast and deep, here are three simple ways to brand your own radio show:

• Show title
• Music
• Intro and outro

 

1.  Show title

Your show title is of critical importance as this is the best way to attract your target listeners.  Use keywords that relate to your topic and which would be compelling to the audience you want to reach. Make sure your title is obvious – not cute. If it’s too esoteric, people will miss the point and move on to something else that relates exactly to what they’re looking for.

The more memorable your title, the easier it will be for others to spread the word – both online and offline. Shorter is better and you can always include a tagline that explains the purpose in more detail. That being said, the title needs to stand strongly on its own.  Avoid making up words or using strange spellings as these make it frustrating or impossible for interested others to find you online.

For example, my weekly television talk show is titled Michigan Entrepreneur.  It communicates a great deal in just two words. It focuses on Michigan and entrepreneurs –that’s it!  It’s short, it’s obvious and it utilizes keywords that convey a great deal both quickly and clearly. I also use the tagline, “Featuring businesses from startup to stellar” since that is exactly what I do.

Similarly, my radio show is branded as Teach Me Law. This title construction was more challenging since I wanted it to be short and obvious and not more than three words in length.  And, it wasn’t going to be any old type of law program.  Specifically, the focus is on guests teaching me about specific things related to law.  Note:  I actually started this show to supplement and speed up my learning process while studying law!  I combined my love of producing a radio show with learning law from experts – a perfect combination!

2.  Music

A second way to brand your radio show is through the selection of music used for your intro, station breaks and outro. Music is a powerful sensory experience that communicates great amounts of information to the listener. If you don’t realize just how influential it is to your brand, listen to a radio broadcast without music – if you can find one. Music energizes and moves things along. It keeps listeners engaged.

The music you select is highly dependent on the topic of your show.  The theme, tempo, tone and other musical qualities will play an important part in supporting and sustaining your show’s brand. And, by sheer repetition, it will embed itself in the minds of your listeners and will be virtually indistinguishable from the show itself.

Notice how many brands you can distinguish by hearing only a few notes of music –without seeing the product, show or person! The music becomes integrated with the brand and ultimately represents the brand.

3.  Show intro and outro

Your show intro and outro represent important opportunities for including your distinct branding. While the intro music is trailing off, you’ll be speaking your first words of introduction as you welcome listeners. It’s critical that you continually remind them of two things throughout the broadcast — who you are and the name of your program.

Keep in mind that listeners are depending solely on their auditory sense and you never know at which point in the broadcast they tuned in.  When you listen to professional broadcasts, notice how often they brand themselves.

Make sure your intro and outro include your personal touch. The show name, your name and other identifying information are crucial as are any legally mandated show or station identifiers. Beyond that, it’s your time to be creative.

I have specifically branded intros and outros for my radio and TV shows. I say the same thing every single time. For example, for the introduction of my radio show Teach Me Law, directly after the intro music, I include a short welcome, my name, the name of my show and a legal disclaimer about the content as notice to listeners to seek their own legal counsel for their specific legal issues.

Throughout the show I continue to identify myself, my guest, the topic and the show name. Again, you never know who is tuning in and when.  You don’t want to leave listeners wondering about what’s going on.  If they’re confused, they’ll tune to another program.  Consistent branding not only makes it easier for you to design and deliver the program, it delivers out a strong and on-brand message to your audience.

Next Steps

Creating, producing and hosting your own program take a lot of focus, determination and resources.

“A program with “on brand” elements will attract great guests and listeners.” Tweet This!

Start with the easiest elements which include your show title, music selection and your intro and outro. By ensuring everything you do is aligned with your overall vision, you’ll be well on your way to sharing your message with the world in a fun, exciting and engaging way.  To your success!

Copyright ©2012 by Tara Kachaturoff.  All rights reserved in all media. This post originally appeared on How to Start a Radio Show. Used with permission. 

 

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