I’m not surprised

I’ve been preaching emotional connection to radio talent for decades so I’m not surprised to see it finally getting attention from the internet.

Facebook (supposedly) can measure your mood by the type of content you like and (supposedly) they then shape the posts that appear on your home page accordingly.

Spotify has always used emotion as one of the tools it has to offer songs you’re in the mood to hear.

Mood tracking is definitely on the rise. You may already have apps, like MoodScope and Emojiary, on your smart phone that track your mood and feelings.

So, how can you use mood to help connect with listeners?

For starters, just pay attention to the songs you’re playing. Hear them with a listener’s ear, with a listener’s heart. That’s almost impossible if you’re doing only voice-tracking.

Some songs make everyone feel great (think “Happy“) and others tap the universal feeling of sadness (think “Someone Like You.“) Reflecting the mood of individual songs by changing the pacing of your speech, the tone of your voice, and the actual content you deliver is easy.

The strength of radio is that we can change mood frequently simply using the music we’re playing.

That’s an advantage you should use every time you can.