ON-AIR: 3 Tips for Aspiring Radio Personalities
1. Prep
Content, content, content. Content is everything. You MUST prepare before going on-air. Your content will vary based on the type of show you have (sports, news, entertainment) but prep is a must. There are many sources available for you to gather content and eventually you can become your own source of original content but you must keep an on-going pulse on topics related to your type of radio show. Believe me, 30 seconds on live radio feels like an eternity when you have nothing more to say so you definitely need to prepare and have enough content for your segments.
2. Engage
While you’re on-air, it’s vital to engage with your audience and thankfully, social media has given us many more ways to do so: send tweets, post messages, request comments, pose questions, receive text messages or take callers. The key is to make it personal. And since most people just love giving their opinion, you are bound to get some responses, especially on hot topics. An important key to remember while you are engaging is don’t be afraid to be who you really are! Are you funny, quirky, intellectual, always have a fun fact or story? Let all that shine! People will be drawn to your personality because of those traits. Make sure your authenticity is heard and felt and watch your engagement increase.
3. Deliver
So you’ve done your prep work and are about to engage. Now it’s time to deliver. For me, this is the fun part. The delivery I’m referring to is this: how you sound on-air (comfortable, rigid, excited, soothing), how well you are vocalizing (minimize the ummms and uhhhs, not slurring your words or speaking too fast) and how you transition from speaking to playing songs and vice versa (if you have a format that plays music). Nailing these elements will make your segments fluid to listeners and that’s exactly what you want. Using natural vocal inflections plays a big role as well. Overall, remember to have fun with your vocal delivery; it makes a huge difference.
Monique Shurray is an Entertainment Journalist & Media Personality. Grab her free Podcast Interviewer's Checklist here to keep you ready for all of your podcast interviews.
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Who's Written This Blog
Monique Shurray
Entertainment Journalist & Radio Personality
Monique Shurray is an Entertainment Journalist and Media Personality who has a love for music, a passion for media, and a heart for ministry. She’s interviewed countless guests for television and radio including well-known celebrities, politicians, music artists, entrepreneurs and business-owners, just to name a few.
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