Top tips to make your next radio day a success

If you want to reach millions of people across the UK, why not consider a radio day? A radio day is a great way to get your key messages across and make your brand stand out. Here are some of our top tips to make your broadcast campaign a success:

1. Preparation

We’ve all heard the saying ‘preparation is key’, and it’s something we absolutely live by here at Shout! Communications. Before you even think about the radio day itself, you need to brainstorm a topic and newsworthy angle to get your brand noticed. Our media relations team is always happy to help with this stage – just send us your initial thoughts and we can come back to you with ideas we think will work for broadcast. We’ll always ask when you’re planning the media activity and help you avoid any clashes with similar campaigns or big news  diary stories that may hinder your coverage. You may actually be able to ‘news hijack’ a story, so it’s good to do your research. At the same time, you should also be thinking of spokespeople who could best support your key messages.

2. Good spokespeople

Let’s delve a little deeper into the topic of spokespeople. Your spokesperson will be the voice of your campaign and brand, so it’s very important to get it right. They must be engaging and entertaining, while also coming across as an expert on the chosen subject.  If you want them to also do television interviews, it’s important your spokesperson is presentable and even more confident. If that’s something they haven’t done before they may be uncomfortable on camera – it’s a big step up from radio! If you’re choosing between a few potential spokespeople  try to find previous interviews with them to see how they come across. Most importantly, have they been media trained? You’ll be able to tell very quickly if they haven’t… Media training is something we offer here at Shout! so if you’re really set on a certain spokesperson but not sure they’re quite up to it, bring them in and we’ll get them up to speed!

3. Research – Regional data & case studies

Now that you’ve got your story idea and spokesperson sorted, it’s time to do your research or survey. A minimum sample size of 1,000 is necessary for most radio stations, particularly BBC ones, but around 2,000 people is ideal. If you can narrow down your survey sample to ‘only motorists’ or ‘only people who own a pet’, for example, that’s even better. Target your research to your story as much as possible and it will look more credible. Think carefully about the questions you ask in the survey – are they simple and easy to understand? Will they generate a great headline?

Breaking down your statistics into regions is a great way to target regional broadcasters, and it’s also helpful to break it down further into cities if possible. We can commission the research and number crunch the data for you, drafting specific local releases, giving your story a much better chance of being covered regionally.

Next, can you provide any case studies for us? This is a great local hook for broadcasters – so good in fact that they’re almost guaranteed to book an interview with a case study from their area.

4. Be punctual

Once we’ve sold in the story and filled a radio day schedule, it’s time for you to come and hear your story being broadcast to millions of people across the UK. On the day, we’ll welcome you into our spacious radio studio located in Great James Street, Bloomsbury. We rely on you and your spokespeople to be punctual and typically ask for you to arrive around half an hour before the first interview. No one wants to miss an interview or hear an out-of-breath spokesperson! While you may really want that extra 15 minutes in bed, it’s important to be here on time. We’ll make you a nice cup of tea or coffee and you can help yourself to the breakfast provided while we brief your spokespeople. It gives us a chance to answer any of their questions and do a sound check to make sure their audio levels are perfect.

5. Social media

Whilst the interviews may be well underway, your job is not done yet! Social media is the most powerful tool of this day and age, so why miss the chance to utilise it? Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, social platforms give you the opportunity to reach even more people. We’re more than happy for you to tweet or post pictures of your spokespeople in our studio (you can tag us @shoutcomms) to promote your campaign. If it’s a celeb or high-profile athlete, tag them in too and you can even ask them to retweet or share your post for maximum reach. Your online audience can then engage with the brand and find out more about the campaign.

If you’d like to chat to our media relations team about any upcoming radio day opportunities, we’d love to hear from you. Email hello@shoutcommunications.co.uk or call us on 0207 240 7373.

By Kate Fallis