Three Things To Do Now To Prepare For The Recovery

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, April 29, 2020 | 8:12am CT

Nobody knows when the recovery from this worldwide pandemic will take place. As Dr. Fauci has said, the virus determines the timeline. But it will end. And though the return to normal may be long and painful, every radio personality should be prepared to take advantage of opportunities. Now is the time to prepare for the recovery. It's hard for many to imagine better times ahead, with so many layoffs, terminations, and furloughs. But, as Charles Swindoll said:

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." So take a break from binge-watching Tiger King and invest time in a brighter future.

How To Prepare For The Recovery I'm not going to tell you how to spend your time during the crisis, but here are three ways to prepare for the recovery. Each of the ideas requires an investment in time for acquiring new skills, enhancing strengths, and creatively applying talent to find new opportunities.

Acquire New Skills: Start With Improv

Every personality is getting better or getting worse. There is no such thing as staying the same. Those not improving are falling behind inspired talent that is. Now is the time to learn new skills to advance your career. Start with an improv class. Along, with storytelling, improv skills are the most important qualities of a winning air personality. And the skills apply to team shows and solo performers. Improv teaches personalities how to respond spontaneously, build on the existing reality, and produce uniquely funny moments.

Enhance Strengths Gyms often post a motivational sign proclaiming: Iron Sharpens Iron

The meaning is that pumping iron (lifting weights) enhances existing strength (bodybuilding and fitness). In other words, focusing on and enhancing strengths is the path to growth.

The best way to grow is to turn natural abilities and talent into a superhero strength. Take some time to identify what you do well. Make a list of the most important skills and abilities that drive performance. Then create a strategy for turning those strengths into superpowers.

Here are some examples:

• Funny, quick wit: Study the art of comedy and what makes people laugh. Let the journey expand to studying the science behind humor. Then take Steve Martin's online masterclass on how to develop comedy.
• Storytelling: Learn the art and science of storytelling and how it applies to radio shows.
• Be More Likable: Listeners can't love personalities until they like them, and they won't like them unless they are likable. Every personality can improve in this area.

Find New Opportunities

The future has never been brighter for true personalities. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow may be on the radio. And maybe not. A personality's skills can be applied to dozens of lucrative opportunities. Right now, personalities are finding new paths to success. Here are a few:

• Start a podcast for businesses that need new leads. Podcasting has exploded, and many businesses are interested in getting into it. The problem is, most don't know how to communicate or organize content into digestible entertainment. You do. I'm working with several personalities that are now making more money with this side hustle than performing their morning show.
• Launch a personality presence on new platforms that generate direct revenue. Personalities that own the digital rights to their content are ready to go. So are personalities between gigs right now. Start a show on a new platform like Twitch. As it improves and the audience grows, there are opportunities to monetize engagement with direct revenue.
• Start a subscription-based membership site. Shows that have rights to their content and a large, passionate fan base are cashing in. Several clients are beginning to realize that this could be the key to replacing lost advertising revenues... and soon.

Conclusion

Radio is going through a difficult time. Nobody knows when it will end, or how the industry will recover when the crisis is over. But the future has never been brighter for talented and motivated air personalities. Don't waste free time during shelter-in-place. Strengthen existing skills and learn new ones to prepare for the recovery.

This article is a special Radio Online contribution from Tracy Johnson, CEO, President of Tracy Johnson Media Group