Our resident voiceover and imaging expert Rich Van Slyke checks in with this week’s Programming To Win column all about liners. What are the best tips for writing quick, snappy, memorable liners and phrases? Van Slyke has ten of them for you to remember the next time you update your imaging.
Rich Van Slyke
By Rich Van Slyke
How is your imaging? Are you creating brand awareness with each sweeper? Are you persuading people to choose your radio station over the others? Would you like to get this done quick and easy? All right then, let’s whip out the branding iron and stick it in the fire, cause we are gonna burn in our brand today baby!
Did you catch Richard Harker’s PTW column 2 weeks ago? If not, you must go read it. It is excellent. Richard points out how important on-air marketing and branding are to radio station. And why! Even with PPM, and also with diaries, the way people listen to radio makes it very important to have well written, well produced imaging. Our goal is simple: Top of Mind Brand Awareness. And, to quote Richard, “it is critical that we market, to make a persuasive case why listeners should choose our radio station over the alternatives.” Good stuff!
Which means you need to write some good liners today, and make sure your voice talent nails the delivery.
But first, write down your brand. And write down your desired perception. Example “Q92, today’s best music.” We are the station for women in their 30s who like a mix of today’s hits and songs from the 80s & 90s. People that listen to us have good jobs, nice clothes, a great spouse, 2 kids, and they love concerts, American Idol, college football, and the beach. They love our radio station because the music makes them feel good.
Here are the Top Ten Tips for writing better liners fast:
- Keep ‘em Short – If the goal is to burn in your brand, you don’t need a lot of words. Pure repetition is effective. Most often, just your positioning statement is best.
- Maintain Consistency – Although it is very effective, the problem with repetition is that we get bored. So we have the desire to change it up. As you begin to mix it up, remember to keep the core brand message consistent. A great liner must not only make you notice, it must always re-enforce your brand. Example: 4 out of 5 rappers admit: our music, is even better than theirs! Classic Rock. 103.9 The Fox.
- Surprise and Repeat – This is a great formula for writing liners fast.
The first few words do not sound like a liner. The second set of words are the branding message. The reason you have the first part is to surprise the listener with something that have not heard, so they will pay attention. Once you have their attention, you deliver the brand.
Surprise and Repeat. Example: We are amazing, just ask your momma!
Kansas City’s Best Dam Rock, 1037 The Dam.
Of course, voice talent delivery is very important. The first line must be delivered with a bit a naughty smile. The second line must be all confidence and attitude. - Visualize the User – A fast way to write liners is to visualize the user, using. If you picture your listeners using your radio station, it will give you great ideas for good liners very quickly. Driving to work, sitting in traffic, at their desk at work, eating lunch, driving home,
- Avoid Radio Speak – News Flash! Nobody uses the word “middays.” Instead use “on the job” or “rockin’ you at work.” Try to think of what your listeners are doing at the time of day you are promoting. It helps to tie your radio station to their activity. Same goes for “afternoon drive” and overnights.
- Search One Liners – When you decide to write funny liners, and you need some ideas fast, get on the net and search “one liners” to find short one line jokes that make great starters for funny liners. You can even search by subject. Let’s say I want to write a “listen at work” liner. I’m going to search “work one liners” right now. Here’s what I got:
85% of the world’s work is done by people who don’t feel very well – Winston Churchill
Due to the constant fluctuation in customer personalities, we cannot be responsible for the mental stability of any one member of our staff.
My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right.
Remember there’s no I in team… (but there is a M and an E, as in ME)
That’s Bill for ya, always sharpening his sleeping skills…
A child of five could understand this! Fetch me a child of five!
A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.
I don’t mind coming to work, but that 8 hour wait to go home is a bitch.
Some of these are no good but for me, the last one is the best. So I’d turn it into a liner:
I don’t mind coming to work, but the 8 hour wait to go home is a bitch.
We make work better with Todays Best Music, Star 101.
And, the second line can stand on it’s own as a good liner. But it was written as a result of a 10 second internet search. Easy!
- Search Bumper Stickers – This is another idea starter that works really fast. Just search “bumper stickers” and you will find hundreds of short lines that will make you smile and give you ideas very quickly. For the funny lines, you might want to include a few words of direction to your voice talent. Ask them to deliver the line with the proper emotion. Not straight.
- Ask your friends/co-workers how they say it – Have you ever heard the liner “shut up and play the music!”? I think it came from a PD asking a buddy what he wants from a radio station. If you asked your wife/husband what she wants from a radio station on the way home from work, what would she/he say?
- Ask a question – This is the perfect way to stimulate thinking. Take your positioning statement and turn it into a question. “All The Hits, Q98” becomes “Which radio station in Columbus, plays All The Hits? Q98!”
- Celebrate what’s great! – We all love radio, yet so often we forget to say it.
Your listeners love it too, and they like to hear it put into words. Because when we say it, they feel it. So celebrate what’s great about your product. In the words your listeners would use, say the following: “This stuff sounds great!” and “This is what we love to hear!” Follow it with your brand and burn it in!
Rich Van Slyke is the voice of WBIG Washington, WCSX Detroit, KISS San Antonio, WGRD Grand Rapids, WRIT Milwaukee, 1037 The DAM in Kansas City, WNWV Cleveland, WZEW Mobile, WKQZ Saginaw, WKZQ Myrtle Beach, WRXW Jackson, KZOZ San Luis Obispo, KZND Anchorage, WIXO Peoria, KCBL Fresno, WSFM Wilmington, KKPL Fort Collins, WRZK Tri-Cities, XFM Nairobi, and the New Production Vault Classic Rock. www.richvanslyke.com Want a free demo? 770.962.4788 richvs@bellsouth.net
