Are you Targeting the “Average” Listener?

Sure - public radio listeners are exceptional people, but most of them are pretty average when it comes to how they relate to messages on the radio.

Radio researcher Mark Ramsey reminds folks that “Radio is all about the average listener, of course. But do you know who that is? And are you really speaking a language she understands?”

On Mark’s “Hear 2.0″ blog, he shares several guiding principles for effective communication from pollster Frank Luntz’s book Words That Work. Not all of them apply to public radio listeners, but this one sure does:

4. Consistency is important because she won’t hear you the first, second, or even third time you speak to her.

Check out the full list here: http://www.hear2.com/2007/06/are_you_targeti.html

Izzi Smith, DEI Marketing Advisor

A lovely snail mail newsletter

A Goodman sends out a monthly newsletter called Free-Range Thinking.  Besides Current, it’s the only professional publications my postal carrier delivers anymore.  I’m so attached to my newsgator feed reader I have pretty much moved everything to it. Consider adding our fine blog to your rss feed, and you won’t miss a post.  But I digress…

If you haven’t checked out A Goodman I reccomend you do, and sign up for this newsletter.  And if you are attending the PRDMC next month in Reno, you will be able to hear Terrence McNally from A Goodman speak in a session called Storytelling as Best Practice.

How fitting with the PRDMC quickly approaching this month’s edition of Free-Range Thinking gives the 10 immutable laws of storytelling.  As I was reading the 10 laws, it struck me how well Andy Goodman’s 10 laws fit in line with our efforts to integrate the elements of programming core values into our fundraising practices.  Here’s a couple highlights of what I mean, but really go check them out for yourself.

Stories are about people- Regardless of the cause an organizaition supports, it’s people that drive the action.  Pub Radio example:   A great on-air testimonial about a listener or reporters first hand account of a driveway moment or a breaking news event. 

Audiences bore easily- Who of us hasn’t written an appeal or made a pledge drive pitch that has way Too Much Information (aka.. TMI).  Sometimes we get stuck stretching out a pitch break or a fundraising letter just to fill the space.  When storytelling works well, Goodman suggests the message of your case needs to leave the audience asking “what happens next?” and “How is this going to turn out” make certain your story makes the audience, “sit up and take notice”.

Stories have clear meaning - to quote Goodman directly, “When the final line is spoken, your audience should know exactly why they took this journey with you.  “If your audience cannot answer the question, ‘what was that story about all about?’ it won’t matter how dilligently you followed rules one through nine.”

Cool online ideas for pledge from KEXP

When I’m not working for DEI I still have the fortune to play/work at KEXP here in Seattle.  I wanted to share a couple cool things they are doing during their current pledge drive.  Both were generated with the help of volunteers, and dedicated station staff who are always looking for ways to keep pledge time interesting.

 

For about a year the station has been putting up a splash page during pledge drive, so the first thing you see when you go to KEXP.org was a call to action to make a pledge with some listener testimonials.

 

They’ve expanded the idea this time to make an automatic updating splash page that reports the results of their hood to hood fundraising challenge. 

 

http://kexp.org/summer07.asp?noflash=false

 

Second one of the Dj’s (the talented Quilty 3000) made a little pledge themed animation for all the DJ’s and station myspace pages to feature during the drive.  The KEXP team has tens of thousands of friends on my space so this is a great visual reminder of the importance of listener support.

 

 

 

http://www.myspace.com/quilty3000  

 

 

While the fundraising results are hard to measure, the staff feels these efforts to make an impact and help build the case for belonging to the community. 

 

Melanie Coulson - Coordinator for Online Individual Giving