Sizzle not the Sausage

Incase you didn't know, i do a lot of production as my role at Heart Bristol & Somerset. Most of this is SPI promos -for competitions and alike with clients. I hear so many promos and commercials on the radio that forget the most important line i have ever been told...

"Sell the sizzle not the sausage"

Tell someone why this is so cool in a way that MEANS SOMETHING to them...Yeah the car has 4doors but why should i care? It's all about how easy it is to get all the kids and the shopping into the car at the Supermarket....Or if you're selling an engagement ring it's not about how big it is, it's the look she'll have on her face when you get down on one knee to pop the question.

Adverts that are the worst for not selling the sizzle always use cliches like...'But wait there's more'...'You won't believe it'...or 'for a limited time only'. It doesn't grab me, it means nothing to me. Be clear and honest and tell me the honest benefits.

Here's some adverts (albeit TV adverts) that have inspired me recently, i think these are literally the best examples of selling the sizzle i have recently seen/heard...

foxyprincess69@unprofessional.org.uk

The title says it all really.

When you're sending off a CV and Covering Letter think about how you come across to the person reading it. They haven't met you, they can only go on what you have written down.

You need to give a little personality for sure in fact i remember someone telling me about the best CV they ever recieved. They had discovered that he loved DVD's so they created a DVD with their CV on, it was in a DVD case with sleeve, front cover etc. He was so impressed that they had made the special effort just for him that he gave them the job. I'm not saying you should stalk the employer but do think about how your information comes across. The layout, the tone, the font etc.

But my biggest pet hate is unprofessional email addresses. I've just flicked through a couple of CV's sent in and i can't believe people have acutally included some of these email addresses. In fact 3 out of 7 of these CV's contain an email address i consider to be unprofessional.

Go with firstname.surname@.... And keep it clean and professional. They are free afterall so there's no excuse, if your address is inappropriate change it today.

Christmas Opportunities

The supermarkets have started to stock advent calendars and radio stations have already planned their Christmas schedule. Over the festive periods there's often opportunities to help out.

With skeleton staff in the station over the festive period there's a chance the Programme Controller is looking for someone to...

• Tech Op shows
• Look after music logs
• Be on stand by for heavy snow or breaking news
• Make the tea for the poor presenter who is stuck in on his own on Boxing Day
• Produce ROT's
• Load production for the New Year

Now is the time to get in touch, specifically mentioning your COMPLETE availability over Christmas (because you're so keen to work with them). Stress how local you are, how easy it would be for you to get in through ice and snow and that your are totally reliable.

Contact them today! And just incase you're yet feeling festive...

Where's something you made earlier?

One of the best things to improve your skills is to MAKE STUFF. Produce your own podcast, documentary, drama, vox pops, community/student radio -ANTYHING! Just produce stuff.

You only need a PC, Microphone, Audio Editing software and speakers. And some good ideas.

This will fuel a demo. Because there is absolutely no point meeting someone in radio for a job in radio without taking audio that you have produced. But don't just leave your work on a CD waiting for the next interview, get it online and share it to the world. It will help you network, you never know who might hear it but more importantly if you've put in alot of hard work to produce something you want as many people as possible to hear it. And it's great and invaluable to get feedback from people, without this you won't develop and improve.

SO PRODUCE LOTS OF GOOD AUDIO, CONSTANTLY, AND SHARE IT TO THE WORLD.

I'm going to lead by example here; http://soundcloud.com/jaydormer

Why?

So you want to work in radio? WHY?

Every interview i've ever been to they have always asked me 'Why do you want this job?'. So make sure you ask yourself that question everytime you apply for a job and explain why. It may seem like an easy task but can you really answer the question in a way that fairly portrays your passion and obsession for the job?

You would think it would be an easy question to answer but it really isn't. It requires you to open up and talk about feelings/opinions and your personality in front of a complete stranger. Some people are great at that, others aren't (for various reasons).

But before you can answer this question you need to understand for yourself why you want it. If you're sat thinking now "well i don't know why i want to be a XXX" it may mean you don't really want it, on the other hand it may just mean there are many reasons and you've got yourself so excited about the propects you haven't actually thought about it. If you fit under the latter then you need to think about all the pros and cons of the job, your strengths and weaknesses and what makes you tick...what would make you wake up on monday morning and be excited to get in the office.

Here's some bad reasons for wanting a job in radio (some apply to other industries)...

• It looks/sounds showbiz.
• I imagine it pays well.
• I want my friends to be impressed.
• To meet celebrities.
• I love listening to the station. (That is the one station you apply at, love listening to radio generally is to be encouraged but you'll never be hired for being a fan).
• I want to be famous.
• I want to be on the radio. (when applying for a Production role).