Radio broadcasters have faced a new competitor in recent years with the rise of the podcast, and sadly, many smaller radio stations have gone out of business. But what can your radio station o to make sure it doesn’t lose listeners to podcasters? We’ve listed five ways to help your radio station compete with podcasts in 2022.
1.Connect with your listeners
First and foremost, it’s crucial that your radio station bonds with its listeners. Focus on what your station is about and use that to help you form a connection. Are you broadcasting from a particular town or city? Try and localise your topics to your area to help your listeners feel included. Is your station dedicated to a specific genre of music? Make sure you know your subject inside-out. Remember, people listening to specialist radio channels are often keen pros in the field and nothing turns listeners off more than getting your facts blatantly wrong. Social media is also a good way to connect with your listeners. Create a Facebook or Twitter page and update it regularly to keep your listeners in the loop when you’re not on air.
2.Advertise
Perhaps the most obvious way to help promote your radio station is to advertise it. Consider paid adverts on TV or in published media. What makes it stand out? Why should people listen to it?
If you’re a small community broadcaster on a limited budget, the good news is that advertising doesn’t have to cost the world. Social media is a great, less costly, tool to advertise through and will also help you to engage with your listeners. You might also want to consider putting up posters or handing out flyers to help spread the word of your station. Most libraries and supermarkets have noticeboards where you can put up information to share with the local community.
3.Sponsorship
Sponsorship is an advantage that radio has over the modern podcast. Companies are unlikely to sponsor one podcast out of hundreds of thousands, whereas they’re more likely to back a radio station.
Whether your radio channel is the one doing the sponsoring, or your station has a company backing it, sponsorship is an effective way to get any broadcaster noticed.
4.Engage with your listeners
Using events to interact with the public is a great idea to give you that extra edge over your podcaster competitors. Charity events or challenges are a good way to not only put something back into the community, but to possibly attract more fans.
Live radio has an advantage over podcasts in that it can engage with listeners in real time. Make the most of that by holding phone-ins or live prize competitions and consider making these regular features in order to retain new listeners.
Remember, interacting as a profile for your station on social media is a very effective method to connect with your listeners and make them feel involved.
5.Consult professionals
When improving your radio station, there’s nothing wrong with requesting the support of a professional who not only knows the industry but can help give an outsider’s view and a fresh eye to your work. Companies, such as Red Bee Media, offer expert support services to organisations looking to enhance their content and has transformed many large broadcasters by using their innovation and expertise. Look at the company’s portfolio of clients to help you make an informed decision. Consulting a professional in the field can really polish up your station to be the best it can be.
Conclusion
While podcasts are here to stay and have certainly made an impact on the world of radio broadcasting, there is still a lot that radio stations can do to make sure they can compete in the future.
