How To Choose a Topic for Your Internet Radio

Creating Internet radio has never been as easy as it is these days, but before embarking on this adventure, I advise you to think carefully conceptually about the program you are going to broadcast.

Sometimes it seems extremely easy to start a radio station, but if you don’t think ahead, you may find yourself among the hundreds who have become disillusioned with the few listeners their radio is attracting.

Here are the essential steps that you should check off your list before you start broadcasting.

Talk radio vs Non-talk radio

Talk radio has a special purpose in that it is a way for people to communicate with one another. Usually, the hosts of talk radio do this on live streaming. Therefore, the listeners of talk radio are often referred to as “talkers”.

There are two types of talk radio: professional and amateur. Professional talk radio is broadcasted by professional broadcasters and producers (usually journalists). Amateur talk radio is broadcasted by amateur broadcasters and producers (usually students).

Radio talk shows are frequently scheduled in one-, two-, or three-hour chunks. A radio program can last for one, two, three, or more hours, but it must occupy the entirety of that time (minus news and commercials). A superb guest interview that listeners might really enjoy could get cut short because the program is over and the next hour begins, even if it is a show. On the other hand, a host may find himself with a “bad” (boring, short answers, excessive profanity, etc.) guest, but he must “fill” for the remainder of the hour.

First of all, consider whether your radio will be a talk radio or broadcast mostly music.

If it broadcasts commercial music you will probably need a radio license even to broadcast one song per hour.

But there are examples of commentary radio stations that do not broadcast any music, thereby avoiding the acquisition of broadcasting licenses.

Niche-based radio or Polythematic radio

Consider whether it is worth limiting your radio to a certain topic. On the one hand, it will be a perfect way to tell your listeners that when they turn on the radio they will hear – politics or commentary on the latest TV shows.

But on the other hand, you can create a radio station that mixes different topics. This way, you’ll be able to create more content to include in the radio schedule.

If you do choose a specific topic, you might consider creating a podcast instead of radio.

Difference between Podcast and Radio

Podcasts, in a way, are remediated radio programs focused on a particular topic and distributed as a series of digital audio files for the listeners to download and hear. While podcasting is not a type of radio, it is a new medium that produces, presents, engages with, and has a distinct purpose. As a result of their scheduling, radio shows are a distinct type of media but cannot be re-formatted since they’re broadcasted live. You must stick to a pre-established schedule with radio programs. With podcasts, there is no time when the stories are told, no time when they release news, and no time when they issue weather reports. With podcasts, you may listen whenever you want.

Broadcast vs Download

Although it is accepted that a show once aired on the radio cannot be played again. With the advancement of technology, it can now be scrolled to a certain time, this is the so-called timeshift technology. Not all radios have such technical functionality. Sometimes they are not allowed to provide the ability to pan or scroll the program due to a prohibition by the broadcast license.

Targetted audience

Podcasts, on the other hand, through their tailored and feature-rich content, appeal to a more niche audience. Radio, on the other hand, largely attracts a committed audience and integrates rural populations into mainstream media. You can see how many individuals downloaded the podcast by podcasting.

Measure the listeners

It is believed that the number of listeners cannot be measured with standard radios. This does not apply to internet radios. In this paragraph, podcasts and Internet radio are no different.

Some radio stations convert their content into podcasts.

And last but not least: while podcasts create content once a week or on a certain cycle, radio broadcasts around the clock.

Research your radio topic

You should research your subject thoroughly before you begin.  The first step, therefore, is an obvious one: be sure you understand your subject well enough to inform others about it!

Follow your interests in a specific topic

I advise you to choose such a theme for your radio so that you can create content with ease. It would be quite difficult to fill your 24-hour program if you don’t have deep knowledge in a certain area.

What do your listeners expect?

In order to make your radio show interesting and attract new listeners, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself what they want to know about your chosen subject. How can you include them in your radio show? What tone will you use when you’re on air? The more you can relate to your audience, the easier it will be for you to prepare content.

Most popular radio topics

Here are some stats that show what content listeners are looking for the most when it comes to internet radio:

This of course does not mean that niches with lower demand are not valuable. The lower the demand, the fewer entrepreneurs have focused on niche topics. Therefore, the competition is less.

The majority of listeners prefer primarily music programming to talk radio.

Think about the targetted audience

The key to establishing a long-term fanbase and succeeding with your station is understanding your target audience. Once a listener tunes in, you must capture their attention and develop a relationship with your station. If you want to create a radio station from scratch, describe your target audience and note down everything that comes to mind in terms of consumer behaviors and demographics. What is their genre? Where do they live? How old are they? What kind of music do they like? What are their hobbies? What do they like to chat about? By answering these questions, you will be able to dive deeper into your audience’s preferences, identifying trends and viewpoints that you can discuss on your show later.

Test the potential audience

If you haven’t started your radio yet, then you can do a campaign before the official launch. Poll your friends to see if they would listen to a certain type of content on the radio. Or create your own social media page or post on Reddit.

I advise you to be specific. For example: don’t ask your acquaintances for advice if they don’t listen to the radio in general. Also if you have decided to create a radio about healthy eating, find people who would have an interest in this topic.

First, choose the topic of the radio, then before you start creating it, do your research on people who would be interested in it.

Check the existing radio stats

You can analyze the current demographics of your listenership statistics provided by your radio hosting (in case you have existing radio), such as location, ​​number of listeners, and most popular shows. Google Analytics is another powerful tool that provides additional data. Finally, create social media accounts for your show, where you can engage listeners by asking them questions, creating polls, or sharing ideas. 

Consider the connection and the equipment

If you venture into live broadcasting, then you will definitely need a good microphone. And if your program will contain interviews or conversations with other guests, then you will need to ensure a good relationship between you.

Of course, the live broadcast and the Internet connection depend first of all on the radio hosting, but also on your and your interlocutors’ Internet speed. However, to connect to the radio hosting infrastructure, you will need a reliable internet connection.

In case you don’t plan on going live on air, things would be a lot simpler. Or if the radio program consists mainly of musical content, then it seems that you don’t even have to think about the equipment, since your program will be recorded and you can pre-process the audio recordings so that they sound professional. The Internet connection is provided by the radio hosting.

Plan your radio shows

I would recommend that you consider whether you will be able to produce enough content regardless of what your radio station is about. Imagine that you are willing to talk about the current news for about 2-3 hours a day. What will you broadcast on the radio program in the remaining 21-22 hours of the day?

Modern radio hosting services offer the ability to automatically broadcast news via an RSS feed. Other times, they allow listeners to record short messages and have them broadcast directly on the air.

Name your radio shows so that it is clear what they are about and what their tone is, for example, funny, political, etc. Determine what time you will broadcast them. Publish your radio program on the radio site.

Are you going to convert radio shows to podcasts?

Consider converting radio broadcasts into podcasts. If you do, you need to think about the format of the radio shows – what their duration will be, how you will record them (if you were on live), etc. Through podcasts, you will be able to build an additional network of listeners who come from platforms like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.

Explore other radio stations in the same niche

Find internet radio stations that broadcast content similar to yours and learn how they do it. Consider their experience.

Listen to their recordings (if they have podcasts). Check out their website.

Search for radio stations that broadcast in your niche online, and find the ones that have a similar format, style, and sound to yours.

Radio Topic follows monetization

Think about your potential advertisers. You will still have costs for equipment, radio hosting, licenses and whatnot. This is a prerequisite for looking for ways to monetize your radio.

Which niche would be most profitable for you? Perhaps you have decided to finance yourself with a crowdfunding campaign. To do this, you need to build a loyal audience.