People are not going to listen to your station just because it plays free music, you will have to provide something different and unique something they cannot find anywhere else. But internet radio is music, isn’t? NO, radio is not just music. For example take a song, the song have sound and lyric and the lyric have a message, all these is a combination to make a great song. Like this your station should have content too.
Some stations have a morning show, noon show, afternoon show and late night show. All these shows have different content but sharing the same ideal, at the end the purpose is get more listener’s better ratings and sell more commercial for the same station. If it still does not have the ability to have this programming you can make capsules or short interventions. Short interventions allow you to establish a presence and bring content. You can start with a 5 to 10 minute intervention every hour or every two hours or quick 30sec or less intervention every 15 minutes; all depends of how much time you have and how much you have to contribute.
As content is going to be your contribution to all the station programing, the audience must care about what is said. It must matter to them. It must touch their lives. The content or topic must reach them in a real and true way. And the topic can never be boring, or the audience will tune out. Before anything goes on air, ask yourself:
- Is it relevant?
- Does it matter?
- Do you care?
- Do your listeners care?
Also these are few tips that will help you to have a better content:
- Prepare, have a schedule for the show on paper.
- Read everything, the more you know about things the more you can talk about everything.
- Make it matter, ask question to your listeners to make them think about it.
- Have things to say, have a list of facts, topics.
- “Mental Picture” Use details. Describe the things so your audience can “see” what you are talking about.
- Always start your show saying the name of the show and your name.
- Tell the truth. Listeners can tell when you don’t.
- Sound happy. If you are bored, your audience will be too.
- Current Life. If something big or important is happening today, go with it.
- Listen to your station, even when you are not on.
- Use your own life as a show resource. Always answer: “Why is this on air? Why should someone listen to this?”
- If a topic is overdone, drop it.
- If you are live on-air, anything goes! But anything pre-recorded should be perfect.
- If you don’t know something, it’s okay to say so. Audiences see it like you are like them.
- Be yourself all the time.
- Risk. Try new things. When you get out of your comfort zone you could find something new.
- Be funny, but be careful there is a fine line between funny and not funny.
- Have fun
The radio personality or DJ has to be unique, have his own point of view about things, an exclusive point of view, controversial point of view and a funny point of view about things. The purpose of this personality or DJ is to get a emotional reaction of his listeners. While it may be the music or the news that first touches a listener, I believe emotions are what move people, touch their emotions in a good way and they will follow you.