A List Of Reasons To Not Use Lists On The Air

A popular tool for online publishers to attract clicks is creating lists. You see them everywhere: The Top 14 Ways to Organize Your Life or The 10 Fastest Ways To Get A Raise This Month!

Lists work online because they're concise, easy to scan, focused and helpful. It's a great way for online publishers to attract and spread attention.

And David Letterman built his TV talk show career around the signature feature, the famous Top 10 List.

But reading lists on the air is a total waste of time. Why? Here's a list of reasons.

1. It's Confusing on the Air

   Typically, a radio show finds a list they find interesting and read it, usually commenting on each item as they go. Then they invite listeners to call and contribute their own items for the list, or just comment.

   But lists don't translate well to the radio. It's hard to follow and listeners often become confused as personalities tick off the numbers. One of the reasons lists work online and in print is that the format organizes the details, making it easier to digest.

   But on the air, all those facts become harder to follow.

2. Lists Are The Opposite of Stories

   The most powerful form of audio communication is through storytelling. Stories make emotional connections. Great storytellers are able to cause listeners to "lean in" as they anticipate the outcome of the story.

   But lists are the opposite of stories. They're factual. And usually a list has too many facts to make a good story. Few lists create the suspense that keeps listeners glued to hear what will happen next.

   When's the last time you heard a listener telling their friends about that great list they heard on a radio show? But they re-tell stories all the time.

   Many lists can be the source of terrific stories. But just grabbing a list from the show prep service and slapping it on the air is almost always a mistake.

3. What's At Stake?

   A key principle in storytelling (and every break on the air) is crafting content in a way that gives listeners a stake in the story.

   Since lists are hard to follow, listeners rarely feel part of the content. They don't have a stake in the list. When the audience doesn't feel involved, the radio is easy to ignore. And that's recipe for tune out, no matter how well a list is executed.

   When creating content, ask yourself why the audience should or would care. Is there a connection that makes them feel something?

4. They're Informational

   Lists don't work on the air because they're designed to be factual. They're information, and listeners don't react to information, even if they find it useful. When you present data as a compilation, it takes the imagination and fun out of the break.

   Rolling Stone magazine's list of the Top 100 albums of all time is certainly credible. Your show may even have some thoughts about the list and how it was compiled. Or you might debate the merits of those albums in the Top 10. But the list is still informational and not emotional. Reading the list will be boring!

   Wouldn't it be more powerful to reference the list, then choose two or three choices from the Top 5 and ask the audience to choose one and throw away the other two? This changes the way listeners hear the break.

   It turns it into a personal, emotional break.

5. The List-Maker Gets The Credit

   When that hot new list of the Top 10 Places to Live comes out in Money Magazine each year, personalities read that list and comment on each location, sometimes trying to turn it into a "local" break.

   Nice content, but it's not sticky. The conversation usually turns into taking shots at the magazine for the list.

   And who gets the benefit? Money sells more magazines or gets more clicks to their website. Even if listeners are entertained, they quickly forget about you. Maybe they remember how cool it is to live in Savannah, but that's not the goal of the radio show, is it?

   In essence, it's a free commercial for the magazine.

   Why transfer credit for content to the original source? It's far better to hijack topics and channel that attention to your show.

   How To Convert Lists From Info to Emotion

   Now I'm all for lists as a source of entertainment in the show prep process. And when you figure out how to use lists properly, it can make a huge difference on most radio shows.

   But like all sources of content, lists must be curated. And that takes creativity. For example, here's a typical list of reasons couples fight while on vacation.

   1. How much it costs
   2. Getting to the airport on time.
   3. How long it takes to get ready for dinner.
   4. Packing: too much for you, not enough for him.
   5. Reading maps/getting lost.
   6. When and where to have a meal.
   7. Activities: Doing things or relaxing?
   8. Paying for everything that wasn't planned.

Most of the items on the list are interesting and each could turn into a good story. But it needs to be focused. There are literally dozens of ways this could turn into terrific stories on the air.

Here is an example:

A man calls or emails. He has booked a cruise for the whole family because it will control costs, everyone can eat when and where they want and they won't wander around lost all day. But he hasn't told his family yet, and just found out that his wife really hates cruises because of something that happened when she was a kid.

Notice how this idea leverages the list to create a dramatic story that has more potential?

Conclusion

The art of content curation is converting interesting topics (information) into ideas, and ideas into entertainment that comes alive through personality.

Lists are a great source for topics, but that's where the show prep process begins. Mine those lists and find the nuggets that fit your brand. Then turn it into unique content that shines a spotlight on your personality.

Lists are common. They work well online and in magazines. But in personality radio? They're a giant yawn until converted to stories.