We coach a successful, long-running morning show that’s transitioning from two hosts to one. That raises an important question: How do you maintain a team’s energy and dynamics when there’s only one voice?
A great solo show still has to sound like a conversation. It’s almost impossible for one host to hold the audience’s attention through a show.
Danny Meyers was a model solo host before teaming up on successful morning shows, and now, with Meghan Lane on WRMF’s afternoon show in West Palm Beach.
He believes there’s an advantage to the solo show: “You are having a direct conversation with the audience as opposed to an ensemble where the audience is ‘listening in’ and not always interacting directly with you as the host.”
Listeners become your cohosts.
Even though it’s difficult to get people to call radio stations today, callers are imperative for solo morning shows. Listeners will participate if you create an environment that invites interaction and gives them compelling reasons to join the show.
Here’s how to make that happen.
13 Ways to create listener interaction
- Establish a phone-friendly environment. Remind listeners that the show is interactive by including the phone number in imaging during the show with simple copy like, “Be part of the conversation. Call us at…” Promote your phone number, text line, and socials often. Airing callers prompts more people to call.
- Trivia games are one of the best ways to generate listener calls. It’s fun for listeners to play along with, and it’s more entertaining than caller 9 contests. A smart tactic: ask winners to share a quick story or opinion related to an upcoming topic.
- Pattern disrupters. A single voice can become monotonous. Meyers notes, “Break the pattern with callers, voice memos, texts, and messages from listeners.” You can also use stagers and music bed changes during breaks to keep things interesting. Sound effects, jingles, anything to add audio interest. But it is ultimately about your connection in conversation with the audience.
- Solo shows flourish with story features (trending, good news, moron stories, etc.). Benchmarks create familiarity, rhythm, and tune-ins.
- Your phone is content. Grab audio and video from people at events and promotions. Record their reaction to upcoming show topics.
- Personal stories prompt the audience to share their own experience. Always invite them into the conversation.
- Plan more. Meyers recommends planning and scripting more segments and recording ahead of time so they can be edited. He says, “Not having a co-host to ‘save’ you can be nerve-racking, especially in the beginning.”
- Build a bank of characters. When you find a funny, quirky caller, save their contact info. Reach out to them in advance of a topic. Over time, you’ll develop a reliable group of personalities.
- Create a “panel of expert contributors,” like:
- A relationship counselor
- Movie/TV
- Doctor
- Health & fitness proIdeally, they are personalities who have chemistry with the host.
- Use social media to seed topics the day before the show. Invite the best responders to call the show. Bonus: You can gauge which topics are likely to produce the strongest reactions.
- Don’t call us, we’ll call you. Generate a database of callers by providing a space on your website that invites people to submit their contact information to participate in show topics and games.
- Keep solo breaks short. It’s easy to drift into rambling stories or extended commentary without a partner.
- Record calls. Plan ahead and make coworkers and friends part of your cast.
Last Word On Solo Shows
Use all your tools to sound like a conversation and maintain listener attention. Callers are key, and they contribute most when they provide stories, a fresh perspective, or bring out a host’s character.
