Saturday, February 16, 2013

Think Like A Writer

Part of me wants to just link to this Computerworld story and tell you to read it, relate it to radio and go forth, doing killer shows.

However, knowing many readers of my blog are like me and prefer to consume info in bite size, good-tasting pieces, I want to take the next few days to apply the tips directly to you.

"A lot of today's radio is boring, but don't blame consolidation, budget cuts or your General Manager. Instead, learn to communicate the 'write' way."

How can Howard hold a listener's attention for hours at a time with nothing but words?

Want proof?  He has it.

Almost immediately after his first broadcast on January 9, 2006, seven million+ people signed up for paid subscriptions when he left free radio to jump to Sirius Satellite Radio.

Have you wondered how good film and video writers can keep people glued to the screen when the whole Internet beckons?


Over the coming week, thanks to Elgan, I'm going to tell you how to apply skills from the craft of writing to make your broadcasts enjoyable and unforgettable.

But first, let's understand why most radio personalities are so bad.

What's wrong with radio the way so many of us do it today?

What comes out of radio speakers and ear buds usually involves a lot of pretending.

The speaker pretends to be excited.
The audience pretends to be interested.
Everybody is faking it.

Most radio promos, commercials and "breaks" are packed with fake images -- stock verbiage, audio clip art and other inherently false imagery.

The human mind is very good at detecting insincerity and fakeness and is repelled by it.

Most talent fails because they're working on bad assumptions.
  • The listener (one person!) cares about you and what you have to say. (They don't.)
  • The person you're talking with (not to!) is thinking about what you're saying. (They're not.)
  • The individual you hope to engage (never 'an audience'!) can grasp the details of your complex bits on first exposure. ("She" can't, and "he" won't.)

2 comments:

Jack Diamond said...

It's a great reminder that it's ALL about what's in it for a listener.

Sam Alex said...

Someone told me once that listeners give us the ultimate gift, their time. That is the most precious commodity. It’s a good reminder for us not to waste it.