How Do You Sound Different To Every Other Radio Station?
Radio stations. There’s a lot of them. Sound Different.
With the introduction of internet streaming services several years ago, people have far more choices and it confuses the hell out of them. So many streams, so little time!
So, how do you stand out from all that noise, sound different, and stay relevant to your audience? It’s all about staying true to your brand, its core values, and continual refining.
Your product or radio station, is an endless evolving brand. You move with the times, and the people it surrounds, touching them with emotions and feel good moments. You ultimately want to give reason to stay with you and no one else. No sleepovers OR sleeping around allowed!
In terms of audio production, there’s plenty of ways to cut through all the clutter and make an impression.
Here’s a few things you can do to make those impressions!
- Keep radio imaging simple – but cool
- Sometimes we can get lost in what we do, and forget the overall mission because of a cool technique we learnt, or those extra five plugins we used– because to us – it sounded awesome. The cleaner the message, the more memorable. Of course, this doesn’t mean don’t be creative!
- Add some quirk
- Even the strangest (but relevant) piece of copy can stick with a listener forever. There’s been plenty of moments when I’ve gone, what did I just hear? Only to then look at the frequency and think, that was hilarious. Don’t overdo it though, as you can overcook quirk and spice.
- Do something that someone isn’t doing
- It goes without saying, those who disband from what they’re used to might find it frustrating, but it might just be worthwhile in the long run. Who knows, you might just create something new and unique! To sound different you need to change the way you chop and build.
- Ask – does this do what it’s meant to do?
- Put yourself through the ears of a listener. After creating a piece of production, I’ll listen to it several times, while reading news articles on my phone to see how much I can recall and whether it was a wall of noise or not. You’re putting yourself in the shoes of the listener – you’ll be surprised how much this might help!
You’re there to serve the listener and give them reason to listen – make it fun!
