Wednesday, July 13, 2011

LISTS ON THE RADIO ARE BAD



Reading a list on the radio of any kind is bad, especially a "here's the top 10 ways to…"

Lists on TV are different. They have graphics and more time to pull it off. Time is tight on the radio. Without graphics and having someone just "reading" the list gets confusing and boring.

The only thing worse than a list on the radio, is a list with a ton of numbers, stats and percentages. No matter how you deliver it, it will be really hard to follow, confusing and boring. Listeners are only giving you a few of their seconds to decide whether they will stick around. Make every second count.

Plus, listeners can see the same list you are looking at somewhere online. It's not original content. Nothing is special about it.

Instead, focus on the top 5, or better yet, top 3. Don't give the entire list. Give highlights. Turn the spotlight on the listener. You can even start the conversation with the best three on the list, then have listeners call in with their ideas. That's something original that nobody could find anywhere else. You created exclusive content for your show.

Just putting in a little extra thought into the "list break" and not just ripping and reading "the top 10 things….", your bit will be exclusively yours and far more entertaining.

1 comment:

  1. How about rooting for number 10!? Rarely are the number one's surprising, but making a case for number ten could be fun (and original).

    Great blog John!

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