13+1 smart ways to promote your radio efficiently

Thursday, 03 December 2020

 

As you made the first steps to set up your radio station, with friends and family tuning in, you are looking into ways to entice new listeners and grow your audience.

Even if you are broadcasting on AM/FM or as an online radio station, you will need to define a specific strategy that will meet your goals and demands. At first, it might seem difficult to promote your radio, but with motivation and proper planning, you will be able to attract more users that may turn into loyal listeners.

If you’re looking to get started, here you can find a short guide with innovative ways that could help you spread the message (and the music) of your radio station efficiently.

 

Define the right audience you will focus on

The first and most important step should be to define your audience by asking a couple of questions to yourself.

What do your listeners like to do? Where do they love to hang out? Are they old or young? Do they have a car? Are they familiar with technology?

Those are just some of the questions you need to answer, to properly define your target audience.

This step is crucial because you cannot communicate in the same way with teenagers as with the elderly, for example. Do you want to target people listening to rock or pop music? Focus your attention on your audience and the topics it is mostly interested in. Studies have shown that niche subject radio stations tend to attract a long-term listening audience.

 

Create a website for your radio station

A Website can serve as a base and a meeting point between the radio station and the audience. Design it in a way that could keep the listeners engaged in your program. You may have created a website for your radio station, but how could prospective listeners find it? You should not neglect your Website; promote it!

Further Reading: What is SEO and how it can help me get free website visits?

 

Update it occasionally with blog posts

The visitors to your website would like to see something more than an online radio player.

Keep your website updated with engaging and unique content that will attract existing and new visitors.

 

Choose to write about topics that your listeners will be searching for and reinforce the identity of your station in their eyes. Try to stay in touch with the latest news over your sector, and publish as many articles as you can, in order to keep your audience engaged and to diversify from your competitors.

Pro tip: You can invite your listeners to submit or even contribute with guest posts in a specific column, which can help you increase your content and your audience.

 

 

Use paid advertisements to promote your radio station

Another way that could help you put the radio station in front of the eyes of your listeners is by sponsored or paid ads.

Platforms like Facebook and Google offer paid campaigns that will improve and boost the visibility of your Radio. You can even create ads for the website and the mobile apps of your Radio Station to increase the listenership of your program.

 

Facebook Ads: You can create your first Facebook ad for your radio station using your Facebook Ads Manager Account. They offer more customization and targeting options than simply boosting posts, like for example, to check how many people your ad reached, the number of engagements, preferences of the audience you want to attract and many more. Note that Facebook ads will typically serve on Facebook as well as on Instagram, although you can indicate what placements you would like.

Apple Search Ads: Designed only for iPhone and iPad users, Apple ads are a convenient way to help new users discover an iOS app on the App Store. They target people based on the keywords that they type in when searching for a mobile application. Apple Ads have two different advertising options: Basic (which is of limited capabilities) and Advanced. Usually, you pay only when a user taps on your ad or installs your app, at a cost you will choose.

Google ads: In contrast with Apple Search Ads, Google Ads are running on all Google’s own and partnered networks, like Google Search and YouTube. They are truly efficient since they offer the opportunity to be displayed on several platforms, such as on Android and iOS devices as well!

 

Further Reading: Can I make money using paid ads in my mobile apps?

 

Create memorable radio imaging

Remember when that phrase or quote from an advertisement stuck in your mind for days?

No matter if it was good, bad, or mediocre, it was catchy. And you can learn from it. Take your time and create a unique promo or an unforgettable intro that will keep reminding your audience of your radio station!

 

Use Social Media and connect

It is no secret that Social Media are the tools of the new era.

By creating a profile on any of the well-known platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter) you can communicate your message effectively and grow your listeners’ base. You need to actively engage with your audience with discipline and diligence and post regularly.

Choose to follow accounts that fit with the style of your radio station and use every means possible. That could be hashtags, videos, photos, or even the posts from your site.

 

Submit your station to radio directories

You can be discovered by social media, SEO, and mouth to mouth, but there is also another way.

Throughout the internet, many radio directories provide the opportunity for each radio to get discovered. Do not let this pass by, as they categorize radio stations according to the genre or even the place from which it operates, to make it easier for the listeners to find the right for them. Amongst a lot out there, you could choose between Streema, TuneIn, Online Radio Box, myTuner, Radio.net, IceCast, etc.

 

Record intriguing shows and podcast series

Depending on the theme of your radio station, you can host some talk shows with a specific subject (better not just gossip) or even interviews that work well in this format.

Later you can use them to start podcast series and share it anywhere possible.

As a medium, it seems that Podcasts are enjoying an early Renaissance. And it could be a great opportunity to promote part of your content along with your radio station. Record your preferred shows and upload them on platforms like Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or even use Anchor that has been designed specifically to host Podcasts.

 

Join and post on relevant groups and forums

There are many places where your future audience spends time.  It could be:

• a Facebook group,

• a Reddit thread,

• or a common Forum.

Discover places that fit the brand of your station and invest your time, without spamming. You only need to engage and comment with details about your radio station so to get their attention.  Preferably, you can chat with the users and give them reasons to tune in.

 

 

Build an email list and send newsletters

As you have managed to drive listener engagement and hopefully, visitors to your site, do not forget to create a newsletter sign-up form.

Try to place it in a prominent location, to have the best results. It is a great way to keep in touch with them as you can inform every listener via frequent updates about the program of the radio station in their mailbox. You can mention upcoming shows, interviews, and possible competitions that will give value to your listeners so that they would tune in.

Pro tip: You need to give your visitor a clear motive in order to subscribe to your email list. We are already bombarded by hundreds of advertising messages, daily.

 

Invite Guests to your Radio Station

It is always a great idea to invite guests to join your radio show.

You can invite well-known people that will grow your audience and add more prestige to your show. Make the date and the time of the interview known to the public with media banners that you can share on social media.

Pro tip: Feel free to invite groups and artists and give them a mean to demonstrate their work. For example, give them some minutes of publicity to demonstrate their new albums, new hits, or talk about their future live performances. In that way, you will add to your audience many new music incomers, agents scouting for new talents, and of course the existing fans of your guests!

 

Reward your listeners or attract more with giveaways & contests

An undeniable fact is that everyone loves giveaways and free stuff!

They are powerful tools that can keep your existing listeners hooked and reward their loyalty, while they help to get the word out about your radio station. Use social media to your benefit and encourage social media shares of your giveaway/contest. This way, you will get organic visibility and exposure to a wider audience that will tune in to listen.

 

Involve your listeners to act

Listening to radio should not only be a passive experience, where the producer adds a playlist and speak over while users listen on the other side.

Today’s technology offers the opportunity to interact in many ways. Why not ask your audience to tweet the song they want to hear on air? Or even to comment over a Facebook post about guests they would like to listen to? Offer them a chance to get involved and ask them to share your content on their social media.

 

 

Create your own branded radio mobile app

Nowadays, even more users prefer to use their mobile devices over desktops.

Why not seize the opportunity and create a radio mobile application that every listener could use?

Looksomething offers multi-platform powerful solutions for your brand that allow you to personalize the content and the look of both your website and mobile app through a common control panel.

Further Reading: Looking for ways to promote your radio app?

 

Remember that conventional Radio Broadcasting lacks an image!

Allowing your listeners to connect visually with your Radio, for example when downloading your app or visiting your Website, listening to podcasts, gives shape to their imagination, and identity to your radio station! Moreover, seeing your app with the radio logo on a daily basis would get them used to turn on and listening to it more often.

Additionally, you can provide them the option to send direct messages or even chat in real-time from any place. And those are only a few of the advantages that you can get from designing a mobile app for your Radio Station.

Looksomething can help you engage with your visitors and enrich their experience with a number of useful built-in features through responsive, fast, dynamic, and search engine friendly websites and efficient mobile applications that will make your radio station stand out among the competition.

So, shall we get started with your apps?