If you have been receiving this Ezine regularly for the past few months, you will know by now that I spend a lot of my time listening to radio stations around the world.
OK, first of all you might say it’s time for me to get a life (!)…….fair enough.
But the one reason I listen so much is so I can hear what all of the great (and not so great) presenters are doing on air.
I may spend an unhealthy amount of time doing this. You don’t need to. But I would suggest that you listen to at least one ‘out of market show’ per week, if you can.
One thing will always strike you.
This week, I was listening with one main point in mind.
I wanted to discover how presenters end their links.
To me, the end of a link is just about the most important part.
The last words out of your mouth will be the ones that your listeners remember the most.
It’s a basic premise that you will come across in other parts of your life.
For example:
You go to see your favourite band play live in concert.
The show starts off with a bang – literally. Fireworks, an amazing entrance and the atmosphere is electric.
The band play some of your favourite songs.
Then, halfway through the show, they decide to experiment a little by playing some new songs off their upcoming album. You don’t know these songs and the show slumps a little for you.
Near the end, though, they get back into their popular tunes.
Then the show ends.
Hey, hang on a minute – they didn’t play their biggest hit! They didn’t play the one song that they are known for. Their massive, worldwide number one. The song everybody associates them with. How come? What’s going on?
Cue, the encore.
Out come your heroes who blow you away with that song. The one you have been waiting for. Wow!! What a show.
You leave the concert enthralled. That last song was brilliant. The opening was good too. The bit in the middle? You’ve pretty much forgotten about it now because the ending was so good.
That’s why performers leave their best song until last. That’s what will be fresh in your mind after the show. That’s what you will take away with you.
Leave the best for last.
Musicians know this.
So do comedians.
You don’t put the punchline at the start of a joke do you? You don’t put it in the middle, right?
At the end. That’s where it goes.
Now, that might seem pretty basic to you.
So, why is it that a lot of radio presenters work really hard on the start and middle of a link and end poorly?
This week I heard a guy in Adelaide Australia doing a great piece on a local event in that market. It appears there was a sporting event taking place there and he wanted to put his own ‘spin’ on it.
So he began his link with a Station ID, a name check and then into the link.
He related it to his listener, he involved the listener in the link by naming some local area that they would recognise, he spoke about an athlete from the area that the listener would also know and he generally brought the link alive.
It was 3D instead of 2D.
Then, right at the end of the link he said,
“So there you go, that’s sounds great and …eh, maybe you could go down there and eh……em……have some fun with that. I probably will if I can get the time and maybe you should too……em……if you have nothing else going on this weekend. You could do worse…….”.
End of Link!!
The last words out of his mouth were, “You could do worse…..”
That’s what he left his listener with.
He lost me. He totally lost all credibility in his link by ending with such an un-focused approach.
All of his good work was ruined by “eh” and “em” and his unsure attitude.
I know why this happened.
Do you?
He hadn’t prepped his out. That’s all.
He was so involved in getting the facts about the event just right, that he neglected the out.
He presumed that it would all fit in at the end and run smoothly for him.
He’s like the band playing live in concert……..without giving the encore.
Place yourself back at that gig.
The band come onstage again for their encore and proceed to play another new song that you have never heard before. Then they leave and the houselights go on.
Your lasting impression of the show changes.
When your ‘out’ is strong, you leave the listener with a feeling of confidence. They know you are in control.
You can ruin a great link and destroy all the work you put into it by finishing weakly.
Work on the ‘out’. Right it down if you need to. But know what it is. Always.
If you lose your way during a link, or forget where it’s meant to lead to, or just have a mental blank (it happens), then your strong ‘out’ will rescue you. Always.
It’s always there to back you up.
When you finish a link with a strong and confident ‘out’ it will make up for any short comings the rest of the link may have had.
And it will enhance a great link.
Have a brilliant Week.
Brian.
To find out more about “Leaving the Best For Last” contact : brian@bmacmedia.com
http://www.bmacmedia.com
Passionate About Radio.
Radio thoughts and bits from Brian McColl. www.bmacmedia.com
