Cracking the Airwaves: What Broadcast Producers Look for in a Guest

Radio and TV continues to be an amazing way to get messages across to the public. Tens of millions tune in every week, and the voices we see and hear every day become like family; a trusted source of the information that matters. This is why we know how impactful the right message at the right time via the airwaves can be, but it can be difficult to decipher exactly how to make an impact and get your story in front of the right people.

We want to make this journey a little bit easier by putting together a list of some of the things producers look out for when picking who they will feature on their show.

1. An interesting story with the right angle

This seems a bit like a no-brainer, right? Listeners don’t want to tune in to their go-to breakfast show to listen to Joe Bloggs drone on about a “report showing that the average office temperature remains the same as it did last year” However, “Office temperatures stay the same year-on-year, but rising energy costs are forcing businesses to rethink how they heat workplaces” has a little more bite to it, and could be more of a conversation starter.

 Finding the right way to sell the story, and giving something for the presenter to hook on to, gives you a higher chance of success.

2. Regional relevance

This can feel a little trickier. You’re a bookmark brand based in Suffolk. Ok, the local stations may be happy to speak to you, but you want to reach a wider audience. How do you do that? There are a couple of easy ways this can be achieved: case studies/ regional spokespeople, and research. You may have a few people who live further afield who would be happy to speak on your behalf, which makes the guest a little more inviting to those regional broadcasters.

A local voice is more familiar to listeners and gives the presenter a local ‘in’. “Harry, a book lover who lives down the road, is speaking to us about why Gen Z aren’t folding the corner of their pages any more!” Research is another great way to create regional relevancy. Many times results are broken down into regional data, allowing stations to start with the top line “In our area…” It makes it relevant to their audiences, and helps them see why it actually matters to them

3. Celebrity spokesperson

Maybe this is the most obvious one on the list. People love to see their favourite presenters chat to a well-known media personality. It’s a great hook to keep people listening - “Coming up later, our very own Hannah is speaking to actor and 90s teenage heartthrob Leonardo Prinze Sr.” - and automatically elevates any product or brand being spoken about. Celebrities spend a lot of time building audience trust, so using some of that to instil brand trust just makes sense- If they love it, I’ll probably love it too!

Of course, each presenter has their own things they look for in a story, and pitching the right way to the right person can be tricky. But we hope this gives you a little insight into what broadcasters look for.