And building ratings at the same time
Yesterday’s post was about the power of habit and how it can help your station build loyalty and ratings.
All habits form from this sequence: Cue — Behavior — Reward.
Consistently rewarding the behavior you have sought from your cue slowly builds habitual behavior. Habit requires time.
The examples I used yesterday all dealt with the need for information during a local emergency: tornadoes, plane crashes, etc.
But there are fun ways to create habit as well. Radio used to do this more, and it may offer an opportunity for your station now because it will seem fresh. Let’s call it building a mystery.
It can be a complex mystery, like this one discovered on Reddit, or something more simple, something easier to enjoy vicariously, such as “The Secret Sound,” “Song Scramble,” “Mystery Guest,” or “What Am I Holding In My Hand”
The point is listener engagement in solving a puzzle.
If you’re trying to shape listener behavior, move listening from one daypart to another, or just create the habit of tuning to your station at a specific time, don’t forget about mysteries.
It’s human nature to want answers so use it to your advantage.