Caller 5 is a winner!

To give or not to give? That is the question. Do on-air giveaways really help your radio station? When a deejay announces that the fifth person to call will win a copy of a hot new album, who calls in, and why?

The truth is that less than one percent of your listeners will actually pick up the phone and call for any reason. And of course, only one person wins. So, why do we have on-air call-in giveaways? Yes, folks who are listening hear that your radio station gives away cool prizes, but for them it's just not worth the hassle. 

Does an on-air giveaway get you more listeners? Does it get people to listen longer? Does this serve your core listener? The answer to these questions is no. Giveaways that appeal to less than one percent of your audience are a waste of precious airtime.

The same principal applies to texting contests. Taking the nth texter, or a random texter has no effect on increasing the size of your audience. Isn’t that the reason we thought we had to do contests?

A better option is to serve your core audience with your prizes. Give the prizes to the people who deserve them - your loyal listeners who have registered as part of your listener database. These are the people who really care about your station. Instead of giving away prizes to random callers, select people from your database to gift.

Call up a listener out of the blue and say, “We just got some copies of a hot new album, and since you are part of our KAAA family, we thought you might like one.” Or send a prize to a listener on his or her birthday.

When you give a gift to a member of your listener club, it’s given because you care - it comes from the heart. Giving a prize in such a positive, genuine way enhances your rapport with your listeners. They will have a warm spot in their heart for your station and will be your ambassadors with their friends. You’ve won a listener for life.

Yes, it’s still okay to give something away on the air, but it’s the attitude you project that matters. You don’t want it to sound like you are bribing people to listen. Make it a contest that the remaining 99% of the audience who aren’t calling in can participate in: a game, trivia question, stump the jock, etc. Make it interactive.

Making on-air contests a reason to listen and sending gifts to your loyal listeners is a much more effective use of prizes than asking for a random caller or texter. It’s a positive way to make friends, keep listeners entertained and expand your listener base.