When you present a radio show, you add a new dimension that can never be achieved with a playlist. You bring your unique character, insight and humour to the experience. You take your listeners on a journey with you, form connections with them and build a community. By talking, you give your show a personality and if you do it well, you make it much more memorable as a result.
But presenting a radio show can be hard. At first it can feel totally unnatural to talk to yourself without getting a reaction from anybody. When else would you do that unless you were sure nobody else could hear? But with the right preparation, practice and tools, you’ll soon relax into it and find a style that feels natural to you.
So if you are just starting out or are ready to improve your skills, these tips should help you on your way.
Listen to other shows
The best way to learn what works when presenting a radio show is to study those who do it best. Listen back to shows you love and ask yourself what it is about their style that works for you. Do they give meaningful context to the music and draw you into their scene like Hoseh? Can they make you feel like you’re enjoying tunes at home with a friend like Shy One? Do they keep the flow of the music going and bring energy like Nicole Moudaber? Do they make you feel like you’ve stumbled in on a small underground afterparty like Charlie Bones? Some of the best presenters make it sound easy but they have usually spent years honing their skills. Make notes as you listen and figure out what it is about the show that resonates with you.
Plan the structure of your show
If your show includes music, think about how you want to balance the speech with the music. The best presenters make their chat feel like part of the music. All while giving context and adding personality, like Jazzie B. Your listeners will have an expectation of whether they’re listening to a talk show or mix. So, you don’t want to overdo the chat if you’re playing tunes. Many creators use Mixcloud Pro to look at their Stats and see whether listener numbers reduce during talk points, or if there’s a sharp drop-off at the beginning because they started the show with speech.
If you’re hosting a podcast, listening to non-stop chat can be challenging for an audience so think about what you can do within the structure to break up the chat. The use of jingles or ‘idents’ reminding people who you are can be a great way of punctuating both formats. Adam Buxton is a master at this, and always brings his own character to his jingles.
Incorporating themed sections such as regular ‘features’ within your show can be a good way of varying the pace and can inspire you to alter your style of delivery or talk about different topics. Likewise, inviting guests to join you is a great way to add variety to your show. It can enable you to explore a different type of presentation and gain inspiration from the other people in the room.
Write a prompt script
One of the best ways to make your show engaging is to be well prepared. It’s not a good idea to write out every word you want to say and read from a script because few people can do this and make it sound natural, that’s a skill in itself. Instead, outline your show structure and add bullet points to remind yourself of what you could talk about. If you’re playing music, research every track and add notes to your script. That way, you can give context to your tunes. Sharing when and where a tune was made, who it’s by, their back story and why you like it makes it that bit more interesting for your listeners. If it’s a talk show, the more in-depth research you’ve done, the better you can speak to your topic.
Prepare your music
If you’re talking for a length of time, it’s worth considering whether you want to use ‘beds’ (instrumental music playing beneath your chat) in your show. Make sure they fit the tone and line them up carefully to play at the points where you need them. If you’re hosting a music show or mix, a very professional approach is to time the intros and outros of your tunes. You can then figure out exactly how long you’ve got to talk before the vocals kick in and add those timings to your script. Talking up to the vocal will really set you apart. When presenters ‘crash’ into a vocal and talk over lyrics, it can be a hard listen.
Be aware of your mic levels
When listeners hear a show where the tech isn’t on point, they quickly lose faith. Before you record your show or host it live, make sure your microphone levels are good. Try to get a pop shield to stop it ‘popping’ when you say ‘ps.’ If you’re speaking over music, check the balance between music and mic is good. If you’re using beds or talking over music, you must ensure you drop the music to a good level. Always wear headphones when you’re presenting. There’s no point chatting if nobody can hear you over the music and if you’re too loud, you’ll probably give your listeners a shock!
Find your unique voice
Now that you’ve done the prep, it’s time to work on your presentation style. The most important thing is to try and be yourself. This comes with practice. The more you do it, the more you’ll relax and let your personality shine. See what the folks at Rum Dem Radio have to say about injecting your personality here.
If you’re playing music, think about personal stories that connect to some of the tunes. The first time you heard them, funny moments they remind you of, times you were moved, how they make you feel now and why, what it is about the tune you love. This is the stuff people will remember. If you tell a story connected to a tune, chances are, every time people hear that tune they’ll remember that story. By doing this, you’re bringing your shows to life and humanising the music. You’re creating a shared experience.
If it’s a talk show, don’t be afraid to be open and honest. Bring your personal views and anecdotes. Ask questions and respond to the answers or leave them hanging for the listeners to answer in their homes. See what Voices Radio has to say about bringing knowledge, empathy and curiosity to your presentation skills here.
Think about who you’re talking to
Radio shows, mixes and podcasts are the three most intimate mediums. That’s what sets them apart and makes them so special. Most often, people are listening on their own, in their headphones, on a commute, in a car or in the kitchen while cooking. A well presented show can feel like a personal conversation between the host and the listener. Some people even put a photograph of a friend in front of them when they speak to create that effect. Make sure you know your audience well and speak directly to them. Address them as ‘you’ instead of alienating them by referring to ‘the listeners’. Check out Frosty on dublab who fosters a strong sense of community and communal experience with his listeners.
Don’t make listeners feel excluded by chat happening ‘off mic’ (in the studio while tunes are playing). Make them feel part of an inner circle, an essential part of the show. Interact with them in real time, whether by live chat, text, forums or socials so they feel heard and included. If you’re live streaming on Mixcloud, you can chat in real time while broadcasting video and audio. Your listeners are likely to have very similar tastes and interests to you. So chances are, they will inspire you with their responses in return.
Maintain the flow and embrace mistakes
Help your listeners to navigate your show. Remind them who you are in case they joined late or your show started playing automatically on their streaming service. Then, throw forward to what they can expect later in the show. Listeners are much more likely to stay tuned if you tease exciting features, tunes or guests coming up.
One of the worst things you can do is panic or apologise if things go wrong. Nobody minds a technical mistake. If you laugh about it and take the listeners with you, that might be their favourite part of the show. They will like it because it’s human, it’s not too polished, and it generates a sense of trust between you. Try to reduce ‘ums’ and ‘errs’, you’ll find the more relaxed you are, the more articulate you can be.
Listen back
While it might be painful at first, the best way to improve is to listen back to your shows and see what worked well and what didn’t. Keep this up even when you’re well practised. Take it one step further and ask someone you trust, who you know will be sensitive and honest, to give you constructive feedback.
Get credit for your work
Once you’ve nailed your presentation skills, make sure you’re properly credited for the shows you host. If you do a show for a radio station or curator profile such as a magazine or label, encourage them to use Mixcloud’s Host Tagging feature. You will be added to the ‘Hosts’ tab on their profile and your profile will display an official badge. You will also be able to tag yourself on shows you’ve hosted and publish them to your profile. Learn more about how you can benefit here.
Have fun!
With these practices in place, you should have all the tools you need to improve your skills and make your shows stand out. Remember to try and have fun and not take it too seriously. Your listeners will pick up on you feeling relaxed and happy and that will influence their enjoyment of the show too. And don’t give up! Some people find it takes them ages to sound natural but once you’ve achieved it, you will have a much more engaged audience and can start to grow a community around the topics or music you love.