Contesting on the radio is almost as old as the medium itself. In the July issue of Radio Ink, Paige Nienaber mentioned that only 4% of your audience will participate in your contest. I think he is optimistic.
Most stations today are stuck with the nationwide cash contest. Most of the winners come from somewhere else. Nothing screams local like hearing a winner with a thick Boston accent on a promo in Louisville.
That said, this is a lemons/lemonade situation. Paige had some great ideas on re-skinning these generic contests to sound more fun. Or to at least stand out from the ground clutter.
But will that increase participation? This is all about perception. Your P-1 listener can walk into 7-11 today, plunk down a buck, and have a chance to win one million dollars! The perceived odds of winning the local state lottery are about as low as winning your national contest.
We also know from years of research that being known as “the station with the best contests” is not a high priority for most listeners. Still, I am not anti-contesting. I think it has a place when done with thought and purpose.
First, your contesting and prizes are a part of your station’s image. How you package and present it is part of the overall emotional experience you are generating with your product. In a perfect world, you are doing a locally based contest with a prize that has a perceived value to your listeners. I know, we live in anything but a perfect world.
Second, ANY contesting should be fun. It should have a level of vicarious participation. 99.99% of Americans will never appear as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. Yet, millions watch it every night. There is nothing participatory about listening for the key word at :10 past the hour. That may appeal to the prize swine, but it is audio wallpaper to your average listener.
There was a time when stations did contests like “Secret Sound” or song scrambles. They had a “play along” element that text-to-win games lack. These types of games flow directly into radio’s theater-of-the-mind strengths. They also provide solid social media content.
I’d be curious to hear how many stations have seen a spike in their TSL (or AWTE) caused by tuning in five times a day to enter a keyword that COULD win you $1000. Even if that trick does work, it creates a sugar high that evaporates when the game is done (unless you give them a reason to listen more often because of a compelling product). It certainly is not a cume builder because who markets contests anymore?
Finally, great contesting can be a boon to your culture. Your on-air performers get juiced by being a game show host. They get to be, well, performers. Your sales department gets psyched because you are (hopefully) including sponsors in the game who will come back for more.
Focusing on increasing contest participation from, say, four to five percent may feel good, but it still means 95% of your audience is unmoved. Creating a show will increase engagement and make your brand more memorable. That’s entertainment!
