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The Basics of Direct Response Radio.

Radio occurs in the Ear. 

To succeed in Direct Response Radio your copy, telemarketer scripts, and web content must sell your thing Sight Unseen.
But we humans are naturally reluctant to buy things we can't touch, taste, smell, or see. 

So Fear of the Unknown must succumb to Hope that your thing actually exists and will do what you say.

At any given point in time, there are usually only a few prospects whose Hope can momentarily conquer their own Fear. 

Your blunt force media, dramatic copy, and cheerful salesmanship should target those prospects. 

Your razor-sharp analytics, powered by
8th Grade Arithmetic, should track how Cume, AQH, Effective Frequency, CPI, CPM, Gross Impressions per Inquiry, Drag, Conversion, and other dynamics affect Media Cost per Sale.

Radio occurs in the Ear

I can hear it, but I can't see it. Um...

 

Relieve The Pain.

Work The Cume.

 
 

The best Direct Response Radio creative promises fast, effective relief from a specific Emotional Pain.

Chronic or acute Pain  ̶  guilt, frustration, worry, despair, etc.   ̶  occurs when something in the outside world goes gradually or suddenly awry. Your Features & Benefits fix that problem.

However, your advertising must address the real & relevant underlying Pain.  If you expect your prospects to figure it out on their own, they won't.

Direct Response Radio should cost 22% to 38% of incremental gross revenues. How much do you want to gross Year I? Do the math.  You now have a budget. How should you spend that princely sum?

Every radio station or program reaches a fairly stable Weekly Cume of regular listeners.  Some listeners may be in enough Pain this week to call or click. They comprise your Cume Quota.

This week's Cume Quota may be the same as next week's.  Or totally new.

 
  DR Radio Must Relieve PAIN. DR Media Must Work the Cume.  
 

Features & Benefits alone can build Brand Awareness for a future Retail offer. Only Hope for Instant Pain Relief can make Impulse Shoppers pick up the phone or click to your website now.

I use the same Logical Analysis to identify the correct Pain, Features & Benefits for every Direct Response, Retail, and Brand Image Radio campaign.

Tactically, you should run enough Pain Relief spots this week to attract calls or clicks at a low Cost per Inquiry.  If CPI rises, take a breather.  Let the Cume Quota refresh itself. Then run again.

I use the same Tracking Protocols to set frequency targets & flighting schedules for every spot, remnant, streaming, satellite, and network radio campaign.

 

How To Get Started in Direct Response Radio.

The two buttons below lead to my favorite Direct Response, Brand Image and Retail commercials & campaigns.  Straight announcers.  Real People testimonials. Actors.  Even me.  Listen to a few.

The Top 20 DR, Brand & Retail Radio Commercials Complete Radio Campaigns

The three buttons below launch one-page summaries of  the methods I'd use to build a successful Direct Response Radio campaign for you. Click one.

Creative, Media, Conversion & Retention sp Executions & Testing sp Calls & Clicks, Sales, Rollout = Profits

Each one-page summary links to some of the 80+ Articles on this site that explain the basic concepts in great detail. You can open, print, and read them at your leisure.  CAUTION: Some of my ideas run contrary to the Established Wisdom of radio sales reps.

Advanced Concepts of Radio

If you'd care to tackle the prep work necessary for profitable Direct Response Radio send for my Free Planning for ROI Excel spreadsheet.

Planning For Profitable Radio.xls - FREE

If you have a test budget and a start-date, do what you want your own prospects to do.  Pick up the phone.

(407) 895-3092.

Peter Burkhard is the only person in America who writes, produces, plans, buys, and tracks the results of network radio advertising.


Advanced Concept: The longer the time lapse between
Initial Inquiry and Final Sale, the less likely the latter will occur.

Act Now!


© 2010 PETER A. BURKHARD   (407) 895-3092)    peter@burkhardworks.com