What Old Radio Jingles can Teach Podcasters
October 26th, 2006 by 
adminPodcasting may seem like the new technological development, but it’s got a lot in common with one of the first mass medium: the radio. Before television, before cable, before TiVo, people relied on the radio for news, information, and entertainment. There were radio dramas (remember how Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds threw people into a panic, because they really thought aliens were attacking?). There were talk shows and radio charity marathons. And without MTV or (gasp!) MP3s, the turning point of a singer or a band’s career was to perform live on the radio music programs—the one thing that would propel record sales to platinum.
Naturally, advertisers flocked to the radio, which was the only way to reach the mass market. And they did everything they could to get the reader’s attention. Have you ever wondered why drama series are called soaps? Because the original radio dramas were always sponsored by soaps. It was the best way to advertise to the housewives who listened to them faithfully each day. They also got well known singers to make their jingles, which were as catchy as the latest hit singles. Without visuals to “sell” the product, advertisers had to use words and a fun and memorable beat to create a strong brand message.
When TV and cable were introduced to the market, the jingles migrated to these mediums—and yes, there are a lot of companies (like Coke) that did an excellent job of creating songs that eventually infiltrated pop culture. Unfortunately, it’s a lot art. It became more of a game of who could make the best product shots, hire the biggest celebrity, or write a funny script. With visuals, that was all they needed.
But with podcasts, everything’s come full circle: this latest development must once again rely on “old-fashioned” sound to hold viewers’ attention. And in this case, it’s a matter of how to teach a new dog an old trick.
The jingles then relied on one secret: keep it simple. That includes simple words (nothing high faluting, since it’s harder to remember), simple background (too many special effects or complicated rhythms just drown out the words) and simple message. Why? It’s harder for people to absorb information when it’s only heard. We’re used to learning through our eyes, and so if we have no visual cues, we have to work doubly hard to retain data. The old jingles knew that, so they often employed very familiar words which they constantly repeated.
You don’t have to make your podcast rhyme, or set it to song. But you can take a cue from the way the old advertising jingles made their products more memorable. If you want your listeners to retain the information—if you want them to say, “Hey, I learned a lot”—then organize your podcast so that you periodically repeat key ideas and rephrase complicated concepts in simpler terms.
After every minute, for example, stop and review the concepts you tackled. Remember, in books you can always check the last page for anything you missed. Since they can’t do that with a podcast, you do it for them. Or in TV, you have a picture that gives you a clear idea of what the person is talking about. For a podcast, you create that picture with examples, or reinforce it with follow-up questions.