Radiothon Mistake #3
Not Focusing On The Listener's Interests
(updated for 2012)
Do
you remember when you were a kid, and you saw something you really wanted?
Maybe it was a toy, a video game, or some other object that
you just had to have? So you asked your parents for the money to buy
it.
Your mother or father would ask you WHY you wanted it. Your
answer? "Because I want it" or "Because Billy has one"
or the ever popular "Because everyone has one.”
Unless you had really permissive parents, you probably didn't get handed
the money to buy what you wanted. Why? Because you're reasons were rather
selfish.
But what if you had responded to your parents in a slightly
different way?
Suppose you said something like "I want that toy because it will
keep me occupied for long periods of time, help me develop good motor
skills, and give you some peace and quiet from me for a few hours each
day."
Chances are your parents would have smiled or even laughed at your
inventiveness ... and then given you the money to buy what you wanted.
Why? Because you appealed to THEIR interests, not yours. All
parents want kids with good motor skills ... and many parents want peace
and quiet from their kids for a little while each day.
How this works during the Radiothon
You're doing the same thing you did as a kid, except you are using
a different delivery method. You're turning on the microphone and asking
for money so we can buy things.
And very often, you could say WRUW wants the money for pretty
selfish reasons.
We say: "We want to buy more CD's of music we
don't have."
The listener responds: "So
what? Why should I care what you want? I'd like more CD's of what I
don't have, too. I'll spend the money on myself."
We
say: "We want to buy more equipment, like CD players."
The listener responds: "So
what? Why should I care about that? I'd like a new CD player myself."
We say: "We want to have our summer concert and
we can't do it without listener support."
The listener responds: "So
what? I don't even go to that concert, so why should I support it?"
Get it?
The listeners don't care what WE want. They only care
about what THEY want. They always want to know, "What's In It For
Me?"
What the Listener Wants
Listeners what a lot of things from WRUW, including:
• They want to hear us play music they can’t
hear on other stations.
• They want to hear new recordings by their favorite
artists.
• They want to hear new recordings by new artists and
musicians that expand the listener’s knowledge of music and sound.
• They tune to us because they don’t want to hear commercial
interruptions. We ALWAYS have “commercial free”
hours!
• They want to be able to call you, talk to you, and
ask questions about the music you have played.
• They want you to play requests.
• They want to hear music of bands they will pay to see live.
• They want us to recognize and support good local musicians
on a frequent basis.
• They want free tickets.
• They want a great sounding station, with no static in
the broadcast, and no technical interruptions.
• They want you to care whether they support the station
or not.
In short, listeners WILL spend their disposable income with
WRUW ...
... and they HAVE the money to spend with WRUW. After
all, they're buying their own CD's, equipment, concert tickets, and
restaurant meals with their disposable income ...
... but you have to give them enough SOLID REASONS why they
should spend that money with WRUW instead.
... reasons that are important TO THEIR INTERESTS.
How to Appeal to the Listener's Interests
Answer these statements ... on paper ... in your own words:
WRUW needs funding to buy more CD’s, and here’s
why that might be important to a listener ...
WRUW needs funding to buy new equipment like CD players, and
here’s why listeners might find that important ...
From the listener's perspective, what makes WRUW so
great is that ...
From MY perspective, what makes WRUW so great is that
...
If I was out driving and saw a WRUW bumper sticker on a car
... and it wasn't driven by a WRUW staff person ... I would feel ...
Some of the technical things we've done in the past that the listener
has noticed include ... and this is how they may have SPECIFICALLY
noticed the technical improvements ...
I think people like my show and the music I play because ...
Something unique I do on my show that others don't
is ... and here's why a listener might like that ...
Now take what you've written, polish it up a little, and SAY IT DURING
THE FUNDRAISER as if you're talking with someone one-on-one.
Because you really ARE talking with the listener one-on-one
...
... and he or she will support you and the station when you
appeal to his or her interests.
Mistake #1 | Mistake
#2 | Mistake #3 | Mistake
#4
Mistake #5 | Mistake
#6 | Mistake #7
