John Silliman Dodge
By John Silliman Dodge
If you’re an air personality, promotions and events are a huge opportunity for you to make new fans and to solidify relationships with old fans and clients. They’re a huge responsibility too because you ARE the radio station when you appear in public. The entire brand is on your shoulders and it’s up to you to fulfill expectations and put on a great show.
There is a system to staging a successful promotion—how to prepare ahead of time, what to wear, what to take with you, how to work the crowd, how to work the client, how to manage problems when/if they arise, and how to make a good exit.
How to prepare ahead of time. Make a checklist and be sure everyone has a filled-in copy. Include the following:
– What is this—a programming promotion, a live concert, a client event?
– Why is the station doing this? What is the purpose of this promotion?
– When is it—the date and exact start and stop times.
– Where is it—the location with clear driving directions from the station.
– Who goes from the station (talent, promotion, sales, etc)? Who is the primary contact on site?Who is the backup? Get names and numbers.
– What is being done to make the station look BIG? Success is much greater if the station has a real presence and the talent looks like stars. Are there banners, stuff to give away, entertainment support for the talent?
– Add any special instructions or requirements: Remember to take the giveaway guitar, pack the PA system, etc.
– All persons should meet before the event begins. This can be 15 minutes before showtime or in the conference room the day before, but it has to happen.
What to wear. This depends on the format, the audience and the venue. If you man a booth, you can be a little more casual. If it’s a concert, put on more flash because you want to be seen from the last row. Better to dress up than to dress down. And whatever you wear, make it clean—laundry-wise as well as PG-13. Wear cool station gear if you have it.
What to take with you. You need a “Go Box” for all the stuff that you normally take to remotes or events. Before you leave the station, make sure it contains the following:
– Your checklist
– Duct tape (you can’t be in the music business without it)
– Stickers, buttons, whatever schwag you normally distribute or special goods you need for this particular event. Take more than you need
– Business cards
– A charged-up cell phone loaded with all important contact names
– Pens, a big Sharpie and a legal pad
– Gas, map, credit card and cash
– Digital camera
– Your DAT/minidisk/flash recorder
How to act. Arrive early and stay late. Be on your best professional behavior. We do promotions to get votes, to cement important relationships, to increase the love. You are a rock and roll politician and your job is to shake hands and kiss babies. No drugs, no alcohol, nothing that yo’ momma wouldn’t be proud of.
What to say, what not to say. Because you often work alone in the studio, sometimes coming face-to-face with the crowd can make you lose balance. Keep a note card with a few bullets on it to refer to just in case you get an unexpected case of stage fright. And remember that you represent the station. If you have any issues about policy or format or anything at all, an event or promotion is not the place to air them. In public we put on a positive front. Same goes for bad-mouthing the competition. We do our fighting behind the scenes.
How to work the crowd. Don’t stay in one spot and wait for people to come to you, move through the crowd and greet as many people as possible. Touch them, smile, thank them for listening to the station and tell them we couldn’t do what we do without their support. Don’t let any one fan monopolize your time, and if you do encounter a listener with a negative attitude, don’t let that person make you lose focus. Just politely move on.
Good beginnings. Have some sort of icebreaker that makes it easy and natural for talent to engage listeners when they first arrive. This can be a prize wheel, a door prize drawing or a fun contest that the talent can direct visitors to when they enter.
How to work the client. As soon as you arrive, immediately locate your contact. If he is also the client, spend an extra minute and put some star power on him. Let him know just how much you and the station appreciate his support. Bring him a little extra something—tickets, CD’s, whatever. It’s so easy to go that extra step and the impression you make can be invaluable.
Take pictures and get sound. Bring a digital camera and take pictures of the talent with fans and fan’s kids. Get email addresses and send copies to people. It’s easy, cheap, and the fans never forget it. Take a DAT or similar recorder to tape sound you might want to use the next day.
How to make your exit. Find the contact and thank them again for the opportunity to work with them. Do your part and participate in the load-out. Run the check list in reverse, making sure you have everything you came with minus the stuff you gave away. Be sure to make a mental note of the highlights of the promotion so you can share them with the PD when you get back to the station.
Remember, when you appear at a station event, you are the radio station. You are the GM, the PD, the Marketing Director and the Star all rolled into one.
Be sure to act the part!
John Silliman Dodge has a 25-year career that spans and integrates music, media, and management. He has been a Program Director for stations and networks from coast to coast. Today, John is a talent coach, consulting and conducting performance workshops on the art and science of creative radio communications. He is also the Program Director for All Classical KBPS-FM in Portland. Contact John at 425-681-9935, by mail at john@sillimandodge.com, or visit www.sillimandodge.com
