Having a great radio station means curating great playlists and events, but it can also mean having great live broadcasts. Whether you have been live broadcasting for awhile or you just want to start doing live events, it is important to note the qualities of an engaging live radio broadcaster. No one wants to listen to a dull or boring live event, so we've listed some of our best tips for being a great live broadcaster below so that you can take your station to the next level!
10. Air on Time
If you are going live at a scheduled time, you likely alerted your audience via social media, on a previous live broadcast, or on another online platform. Therefore, you don't want to keep your listeners waiting!
9. Be Comfortable with Social Media
Your social media accounts provide a space to connect with listeners and they allow you to make announcements and update your audience about your station's activities.
8. Engage with Your Audience
Connect with your listeners via social media, events, and anywhere else you can! Engaging with them will help you get to know your audience better so that you are able to make your station even better. Also, audiences definitely appreciate the interaction.
7. Be Courteous & Polite
The last thing that you want is for your audience to feel unwelcome on your station. So, make sure you are considering what you are saying while live and ensure you aren't being rude, bigoted, or discriminating against anyone.
6. Share Your Life
Your listeners are investing their time into you when they listen to your live broadcast. So, making sure that you reveal aspects about yourself and that you tell some of your own personal stories is important. Not only will this help your listeners get to know you better, your own experiences and stories will make for some interesting content. If you are personally invested in the things you say in your live broadcast, then it is much more likely that your audience will be invested as well.
5. Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously
Being able to laugh at yourself is important. Life is too short to not laugh at yourself and audiences appreciate a sense of humor. So, while you want to be prepared for your live event, remember to still be relaxed and if you make a mistake, laugh about it and keep on moving!
4. Tell Powerful Stories
Telling stories on your live broadcast is a great way to engage your audience. But, you've got to be able to tell your stories with excitement, cohesion, and detail that will allow your listeners to picture the stories in their own heads.
3. Be Personable & Genuine
Be honest with your audience. They want to listen to someone real, not someone who is putting up a front. And, talk to your audience like you are talking to a friend. Listeners want a more personal feel, they don't want to feel like just a part of a big audience.
2. Ensure You're Well Researched & Prepared
Plan ahead. Write any scripts you need. Research topics. Prepare a general outline. Rehearse material. Ensure you have something to say for each live broadcast as well as accurate information. The last thing that you and your listeners want is for you to be stumbling through a live event because you didn't prepare ahead of time. Do yourself a favor and set time aside to research, plan, and prepare everything you need before your live broadcast.
1. Have Specific Goals
Keep in mind what your goals are when live broadcasting. Do you want to inspire your audience? Entertain? Teach? Encourage? Captivate? All of the above? If you go into a live event with no goals or direction, you might end up rambling about nothing or even too many disconnected topics, which will not be entertaining nor enjoyable for your audience. Think about your audience and what they might want to listen to as well as what you would want to hear as a listener and use that as your direction!
Pro Tip: If you want to improve your live broadcasts, record them and listen to them back. You are then able to see what you did well and things that you can improve upon instead of trying to remember what you said during your live event and guessing what went well and what went poorly.
Above all else, remember how you want your audience to feel while listening to your live broadcast. This can help you to remain aware of what you're saying and your direction and will help you be an engaging broadcaster while you're live. So, whether you are a new live broadcaster or a veteran, schedule a live event on your station and try out these tips!
For information about going live on your station, check out our article on transitioning to LiveDJ and our help desk for even more detailed information.
See how many stations have joined the Radio Revolution at https://live365.com/listen. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 Official and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcaster365)!
Article Image: AndyLeungHK via Pixabay.
