THE RIGHT WAY TO TEASE

PPM is showing us something we’ve always thought and now we have it confirmed. Teasing is very important. Not generic teasing, but good, specific, hook with a benefit teasing. Gone are the days were you could say “win Taylor Swift tickets all day today.” Now you need to tell me exactly when I can win, and if possible how I’ll win. The art of teasing is to be as specific as possible. Here are some tips:

Always be specific. The more specific the better. Say “you’ll win Taylor Swift tickets at 3:50.” Or “in the next fifteen minutes, I’ve got your Taylor Swift tickets.”

TV has always done a better job of teasing than radio has. You never see ABC saying “Watch Desperate Housewives on Sunday.” They tell you to watch them at “9/8 central.” Radio needs to do a better job of specifically teasing something.

When teasing new music from a brand new artist, it’s pointless to say “Love and Theft coming up.” Nobody knows who they are. It takes a few years and some hits before listeners know who these new acts are. Hook them with something about the band. Say “I’ve got a brand new band that got their name from a Bob Dylan record…Love and Theft is next.”

Laundry lists of songs coming up are a waste of words. I still hear people rattling off three to four different artists that are coming up. It does no good. Pick one. The biggest song or artist, maybe a new act but have something cool to hook people to wait for them. People are too busy to keep track of your list of artists coming up.

Don’t make people wait too long. They are too busy to care. Have the benefit pay off soon (within sixty minutes. Then once paid off, start to tease to the next event).

Don’t say “next hour” when teasing something. “Next hour” is very radioish. Real people don’t talk like that. Instead say “coming up between 4-5.” You’ll sound less like a “DJ” and more like a real person.

Make the tease worth it. If the payoff isn’t worth it, the tease won’t matter to the listener. Your teases should have meaning and a benefit.

Whether you are in a PPM market, or a diary market, it’s all about occasions of listening. Your goal needs to be to get more occasions. Hook listeners to come back throughout the day and tell when exactly when to do it.