How to Syndicate a Radio Show Podcast Season 1 how to syndicate a radio show Music Radio Creative

Want to make a radio show that could go national or international? Perhaps you already have a successful podcast? Mike Yunis and Chris Krause, hosts of the nationally syndicated VR2 Show in the USA, talk about how to get your content syndicated on the radio.

Stitcher Smart Radio

I’m proud to be on the Stitcher Smart Radio service. It’s the future of on demand content and the listening statistics for podcasters are amazing. You can see how many listeners have listened to an episode of your show, how many minutes they listened and data on when the tuned in and out of each episode. The app is great and you can ‘stitch together’ your favourite radio shows to create one continuous stream of the content YOU want to hear. Start using Stitcher today by signing up to this free service using the promo code: MusicRadio.

What’s Great About Radio Syndication?

You can make your own show, play the music you choose and talk about any topic that you’re passionate about.

How To Syndicate A Radio Show – The Secret?

Be wealthy, no seriously, around $2000 – $4000 US dollars will buy you in as part of radio syndicators recommendations in the United States. They know the places and people to send your show out to and they’ll help to market your product.

OK, but what if I don’t have that kind of money? Mike Yunis says “you can never stop marketing yourself”.

Social media and digital media have opened up whole new avenues to promote what you do and get noticed. If you’re doing something you love and are developing a community at the same time there’s no reason why big radio stations shouldn’t consider taking your content.

What you don’t hear on the VR2 Show with Mike & Chris is all the work that happens off the air. They are constantly making appearances in their flagship market of Findlay, Ohio to get the world out there by kissing babies and signing autographs in the hope that more people will discover their show.

Radio syndication is different from market to market and even from country to country but it is possible to go global. Look at Ryan Seacrest!

Marketing Your Podcast or Radio Show

There are three steps you should follow:

First – Make a great marketable demo of what you do. Have it well produced and make sure you’re showing off your best bits.

Second – Make your content lucrative and attractive to radio stations so that they can sell advertising spots and have a revenue stream from your broadcast.

Third – Get as many people as possible exposed to your show using digital marketing.

Remember that radio stations have to find a place for your content and that stations in smaller markets will be more likely to take external shows especially if you can provide a barter service. The radio station can sell radio commercials and you can get a sponsor to fund production and syndication costs. If you make it easy radio stations will jump at the chance of a good quality show in their schedule. “It’s like outsourcing talent”, comments Chris, “the show, hosts, music selection and audio production are all done”.

Formatting a Syndicated Radio Show

Get a niche you’re passionate about and plan the show, the music, what you’ll talk about and all the production elements. Some radio stations may take a risk on a wide format with obscure songs but the tighter and more mainstream you can make it the better.

Get good radio imaging elements for the show. Keep a consistent sound. The audio imaging helps to connect the music, what’s being said and the commercials all together and give your show a brand. Look to have a show sound or theme tune.

“If the listener has a great experience they’ll come back; it’s like retention through entertainment” says Chris.

Can You Make Money from Radio Syndication?

Yes.

In order to succeeded…

  • You will need passion.
  • Don’t listen to others who say it won’t work
  • Be a sales person and sell your show to others.
  • Find sponsors and sell airtime units on your show.

Next time on the podcast you’ll hear part two of my interview with Mike and Chris where I go further into detail about the jingles on their show, digital marketing and the future of podcasting. If you enjoyed this episode and have a question about syndicating your own audio content please leave it in the comments section. I do my best to reply to every single comment. Also, this episode (number 10) is a double digit episode! Please leave a review on the iTunes store it really encourages me to keep podcasting and bring interesting guests and info from the world of radio, podcasting and jingles!

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9 Responses

  1. Thanks Mike, really insightful. How does one get sponsorship in different countries with one headline sponsor coz the airtime rates differ in each country?

    1. Great question Chuma. I would suggest having set fees that you advertise on your show or radio station website. However if you did target different markets and countries you could always set up split advertising breaks with different fees for each region and either have local sales teams to help fill the airtime or set the rates yourself that would relate directly to the demand for airtime in each place.

  2. Hi Mike…. This was very helpful…I am a 30 year radio veteran who can’t find a terrestrial radio station to work for…after all these years…. It seems as though all the stations in my market are under 2 different owners groups. 12 stations with 6 at each of 2 locations ….(Providence is a “Small Market”)…That means they can each have 30 people doing the work of 60 in days gone by… So, I have been hosting a 2-hour “Smooth Jazz” music show and I am looking to get it out to more listeners …Any advice you can provide here is invaluable…

    Thank you,

    David DiLorenzo

  3. thanks mike. my name is manny and I host a weekly radio show in Nigeria. its great with content and I will like to syndicate it to several other radio stations and put it on a national scale. how do I push out the content and make it marketable.

  4. Hi,

    Right now i’m a student and i’m creating a business plan on making a radio program. It’s pretty hard as I feel that UK radio is pretty crap and nobody seems to write cool informative articles like this.

    -How much do people tend to sell their programmes for? Like if I were to see my radio programme how much should I cost the radio stations? Is there anything I should be particularly adding to my excel budget sheet? This business plan wont be coming into real life but I still need to write it as if it is.

    Any info will be greatly appreciated.

    Thank-youuu

  5. In the USA, if I produce a radio show that is syndicated, who is responsible for the music licensing fees? The show producer or the radio stations that broadcast it?

    1. I would say that ultimately broadcaster is responsible for licensing. When working as a producer – do include a clause in lines of: “It is a sole responsibility of the broadcaster to ensure relevant music licensing is in place.” Also insist that the station provides you with actual mp3 files to use for production. Never source them yourself.

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