Radiothon Mistake #4
Drowning the Listener in Premiums
(updated for 2012)
You can learn a lot about how to talk about telethon premiums
by going to a restaurant.
 Imagine
this scenario ...
You get seated at your table at a restaurant and start looking over the
menu. Then the waiter arrives and starts to tell you the specials for
the day.
He says there are "a lot" of specials and proceeds to deftly
rattle them off from memory.
"We have the Talapia with Linguine for 15.99, Mashed Filet Mignon
for 16.99, Cajun Blackened Shrimp for 17.99, House Grilled Chicken for
12.99, and a delicious Frittered Banana Souffle for 13.99. We also have
some combo platters, so for 10 dollars more you can get both the Talapia
and the Cajun Shrimp plus a bonus side order of mussels, or the Grilled
Chicken and the Banana Souffle with a side of Broccoli Flambe, or ...
"
Blah, blah blah ... on and on he goes for two full minutes.
When he finishes you think to yourself, "I can't remember
anything he said ... I'm so confused! Maybe I should ask him
to repeat a few things ... but that would be too embarrassing."
So you smile at the waiter and say "What do you recommend?"
In the case of a WRUW telethon, many of us act just like that
waiter.
Every year during the telethon, I hear programmers turn on the microphone
and proceed to recite every single price level and combination of premiums
that we offer during the fundraiser.
 "For
40 dollars you can get a CD by Stan Getz, or a CD by Metallica,
or a CD by John McCutcheon, or if you add 20 dollars to a
40 dollar pledge you can get both the Getz and Metallica
CD's, but if you want either the Getz or Metallica disc combined with
the MCCutcheon CD, you have to donate 80 dollars.
If you don't want music, for 40 dollars we
have the WRUW t-shirt or coffee mug, and if you give 100 dollars
you get a half hour of airtime on the show of your choice.
We also have other great combo packs like ... "
STOP
IT!
STOP IT!
STOP IT!
You're confusing the listener and you're
BORING them into tuning elsewhere!
How to Avoid Drowning the Listener in Premiums
Think in terms of what you can "recommend" to the listener.
Out of the plethora of menu items to choose from, what would
you suggest as an appropriate gift for their donation?
The programmers who really succeed during the fundraiser are
the ones who take the time to study the premiums and select certain
items to highlight to the listener during each pledge break.
Then, when they turn on the microphone, they group related premiums together
and talk about WRUW merchandise in a way the listener can appreciate.
For example, successful programmers say things like ...
"...
We have a lot of ways to thank you for your donation. One
way is by giving you an item that visibly shows others how
proud you are to support WRUW's efforts.
When you pledge at the 40 dollar level, we can send you one of our comfortable
cotton t-shirts as a thank you. It’s black
and features our "We're 40, Not Top 40" logo on the front, and
our brand new 40th anniversary logo silk-screened on the back. Again,
that's our gift to you when you pledge at the 40 dollar level.
Or, you can donate at the higher level of 80 dollars and get our new hooded
sweatshirt ... It's black with a "we're
40, not top 40" on the front, and our 40th anniversary logo on the
back.
We have T-shirts, sweatshirts and many other gifts available when you
call. Please call now 216-368-2208."
(Note the grouping of related items, the description of the items, and
the mention of only two items.)
Then they stop talking about premiums for that pledge break.
At the next break, they talk about a couple of specific
CD premiums in a way the listener can appreciate.
"...
You may be interested in some of the music gifts we have available. When
you give at the 40 dollar level, we can send you that disc I just played,
John McCutcheon's latest release which includes <special tracks like...>.
We also have John Prine's new CD which features <special items like...>.
John McCutcheon's and John Prine's latest recordings are
just two of many gift recordings we have for you when you
pledge at the 40-dollar level. Call in your 40 dollar pledge now at 216-368-2208.
You could even donate 60 dollars and we can thank you with both recordings!"
(Again, note the grouping of related items, the description of the items,
and the mention of only two items.)
Then they stop talking about premiums for that pledge break.
Next time they talk about the half-hour of airtime ...
then the next time they talk about WRUW merchandise again
... and so on until the end of their show.
Successful programmers focus on just one or two price levels
and specific premiums at each pledge break. They also split apart
WRUW merchandise from music premiums.
Price is NOT Important
 Stop
thinking about whether or not your listeners can or can't "afford"
to give "so much money." Price levels are actually a minor issue
to the listener.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting did a study in 1998 on the effectiveness
of radio fundraising. In what they call “The Stairway to Given”,
the ability to afford a gift is the last step a listener must
take before giving money. The first four steps all relate to
a listener considering the programming important and worth supporting.
(Read
the "The Stairway to Given" in a new window)
When you give your listeners enough reasons that they can appreciate,
they will be more likely to give to your show ... at whatever
price level you recommend to them.
So spend more time building a solid case of support and
describing what the premiums look like and sound like.
Spend less time on listing all of the donation levels like a
waiter.
Six Steps to Talking About Premiums
1. Develop compelling reasons why your listeners should be supporting
WRUW's efforts (re-read Mistake #3 for some guidance.)
2. Pick just a handful of premiums to recommend. Write
down descriptions of them to make them more appealing to the listener.
 3. Only
talk about one or two premiums at each pledge break. Avoid reading
the whole menu.
4. Remember we are not "selling" t-shirts, CD's or
mugs. We are giving them out as gifts in return for a donation
to the station. The particular gift a listener receives is fully dependent
on the amount he or she chooses to donate.
5. You get what you ask for. If you focus on recommending
a $40 donation, you will tend to get $40 donations. If you focus on $10
donations, that's what you'll get ... ironically from people who often
won't pay their $10.
6. You can also ask your listeners to consider how much they
value WRUW. Ask them to put their own price on the value they
receive and then to call us with that donation level. We can then arrange
a group of gifts to give them at that level. You may be pleasantly
surprised by what they donate. Every year we have many listeners
just give money ... sometimes $100 or more ... and not want any premiums
at all.
We hope this helps you have a successful fundraiser show next week. Thanks
for your attention.
Mistake #1 | Mistake
#2 | Mistake #3 | Mistake
#4
Mistake #5 | Mistake
#6 | Mistake #7
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