Engaging with your listeners is arguably the single most important thing you can do to keep them coming back for more. Anyone can string together a playlist of music they like, but what really makes a radio station tick is the radio host – you!

Being a radio station host is all about getting your listeners involved, keeping them entertained and making sure that they’re not just here for the music, they’re here to listen to you. Your radio station is the place to let your personality shine. This is your opportunity to make it truly stand out from the rest!

Here at PlayIt Software, we have listed 10 of the best ways to engage with your listeners:

1. Talk over the music you play

The music you play forms the lifeblood of your radio station and herein lies a great opportunity to inject some of your personality. Besides giving the name of the song and the artist, you can, to give a few examples, speak about how incredible the song is, tell the listener what the song means to you, or simply relate a quick anecdote. Listeners will generally frown upon you talking over most of the song though, so it’s best to limit talk to instrumental intros or outros. This also works well with songs that end with a repeating chorus or a fade out.

With voice tracking in PlayIt Live you can record your voice links between songs, and have it automatically play out whenever you need, saving you time. Learn more here: https://www.playitsoftware.com/Products/Live

2. Use sound effects

Clever usage of the right sound effects can bring more life into your radio station and enhance the listening experience. A prime example that virtually all good radio stations use is ‘jingles and stingers’, short musical interludes lasting 5-15 seconds that are used to underpin the different segments of your show, to give the listener a brief stop between songs and to reinforce your radio station’s brand and creativity.

Additionally, you can use sounds to invoke a certain atmosphere or to bring your stories to life.

Use PlayIt Cartwall to prepare a grid of your sounds and jingles for use with a touchscreen for ease of access during your live show. Learn more here: https://www.playitsoftware.com/Products/Cartwall

3. Deliver your show with passion

Your listeners are going to enjoy your show more if they can hear the excitement in your voice when you opine about your favourite music genre being the best genre in the world, or when they can tell that you really mean it when you implore your listeners to roll down the windows and blast the song that you’re about to play out loud.

Your passion is what fuels your radio station’s vibes, and it will only make the listening experience better by making sure your listeners know that you love being the radio host.

4. Talk to and compliment your listeners

Talk to your listeners and make them feel like a part of the family. Smile, and speak as if your listeners are right there with you. Your listeners are important to your radio station’s growth, so always remember to show your appreciation and thank them for tuning in. If you keep your listeners happy, you’ll grow a loyal fanbase.

5. Interact with your listeners

Audience participation is a must if you want to grow. If you maintain a social media presence, invite your fans to comment and make song requests, or get them to phone in and give a funny anecdote. If you know that you have listeners tuning in from overseas, give them a shoutout! Many listeners will be happy if their home country gets a mention on your radio show.

6. Invite guests

Invite guests that strongly align with your station’s brand and identity, such as music artists that play the same type of music you play on your show. Interview your guests and ask them about their projects and what they’ve done recently, or even just have a general chat. If you can, get the music artist to play a song, live. Give your listeners a chance to interact by sending in questions.

7. Keep your content appropriate

You want your radio station to have the biggest reach it can possibly have. In general, you’ll want to keep away from subjects that your audience may find offensive or controversial, or you may see a significant portion of your listeners turn off for good. The last thing you want is to destroy the relationship that you’ve built with your listeners with a throwaway comment about something you hold a strong opinion about.

8. Teasers

A good way to keep listeners engaged is to liberally sprinkle teasers for future special segments or shows throughout your programming and across social media. For instance, if you have a special guest appearing the next morning, make sure everyone knows that they need to listen in at 8 am tomorrow for a chat with Artist X.

9. Release a podcast

Though the art of podcasting is a whole different kettle of fish, consider turning the shows where you invite special guests into a separate podcast episode, or even produce a collection of highlights, and release them via the many available podcast outlets online. This is a great way to find a new audience and could bring you many new listeners.

With PlayIt Recorder, you can record your shows reliably and with ease. Learn more here: https://www.playitsoftware.com/Products/Recorder

10. Tell stories

The art of storytelling is a skill that comes naturally to some but can be learned by anyone. Developing this skill will pay great dividends to your radio station, as this is a tremendous way to keep your listeners engaged. We’re not expecting you to come up with a new personal anecdote every day, but this is a skill that translates well into many different aspects of your show, for example: drawing your listeners in close and hyping them up for the next segment, or introducing your special guest in a way that vividly paints their story up until today.

PlayIt Software has a complete range of solutions to help you engage with your listeners as easily as possible. Contact us today for a demo of PlayIt Software’s products, and we can show you how engaging with listeners can be like a walk in the park.