Radio stations have always asked guests who come in to the studio to do things before or after an interview. If a singer dropped by, you might ask them to autograph a few albums for giveaways, take photos with the staff, record an artist ID, or sign the station’s wall of celebrities.
In the digital age, the things we ask an interviewee to do have changed. Nowadays, we’re looking for opportunities to gather content that can be shared online. Here are some things to consider as part of your radio station’s regular pre- and post-interview routine:
Before the Interview:
1. Take Photos.
Photos are incredibly useful for a number of purposes, including blogposts, social media updates, video thumbnails, and podcast artwork. Plus, if your station takes the photo, you don’t have to worry about rights issues when using it.
In addition to action shots taken during the interview, also take photos of the artist standing in front a station logo or backdrop. Take photos of both the artist alone and with DJs or other staff members. Be sure to take photos that can be used vertically, horizontally, or as a square. It’s easy to crop a photo to the proper dimensions after the fact, but if you zoom in too much when taking the initial shot, there’s not much you can do later. You may want to set up a spot at the station specifically for photo and video shoots by equipping it with a backdrop of a station logo and the appropriate lighting and recording gear.
2. Record a Short Video.
Short videos are great things to share on social media. Record the interviewee in front of a station backdrop doing a video artist ID, or inviting people to listen to their interview in the station’s mobile app, or asking people to win tickets to the upcoming concert. If you keep the video generic, you may be able to reuse it for months or years to come. Don’t be afraid to get multiple improvised takes. Remember, videos must be less than 60 seconds in length if you’re going to share them on Instagram.
3. Record an (Audio) Artist ID.
In addition to a video artist ID, also get an audio artist ID, as your station has no doubt been doing for years.
After the Interview:
1. Publish a Blogpost.
Write a short recap of the guest’s visit to the station, complete with a photo as well as embedded audio or video from the interview. Share this link on social media, including when you share the smaller bits of content listed below.
2. Create an Audiogram.
An audiogram is basically a video form of an audio snippet: a static photo with a sound waveform imposed over it as audio plays:
You’ll want to turn highlights from the interview into audiograms because video is more likely to get played and shared on social media than the original audio form. Use a tool like Headliner to create these audiograms. Share this audiogram on social media, and include the link to the blogpost mentioned above in the post (except on Instagram, where links in posts aren’t clickable).
3. Share Photos and Videos on Social Media.
In addition to the audiograms, share the photos and videos you took on social media as appropriate as part of a micro-content strategy. I like to use the mobile app Ripl to stylize static photos into short animated videos. Be sure to tag the interviewee in these posts.
4. Repurpose the Interview as a Podcast Episode or YouTube Video.
Make a recording of the interview available as a podcast episode or a video on your station’s YouTube channel so your listeners can see or hear it on demand. You may want to embed one of these recordings in the blogpost mentioned above.
5. Email Assets to the Interviewee.
Email some of the above assets to the interviewee and ask them to share them on social media. Include your station’s social media handles so the interviewee doesn’t need to look them up.
Once you get into the routine of collecting and sharing these assets, you should see online engagement increase. What do you include in your radio station’s pre- and post-interview routines?
- A Simple Digital Treat to Thank Your Radio Listeners This Thanksgiving - November 13, 2023
- Interview Questions When Hiring Your Radio Station’s Next Digital Marketing Manager - November 6, 2023
- A Radio Conversation with ChatGPT: Part 2 – Promotions - October 30, 2023
Leave a Reply