40 Secrets of Successful Shows – The Final Ten

Do your talent have EPIC in them? Are they high performers, always seeking that next level, welcoming the challenge for growth? Are they confident to not be the smartest, bestest, funniest, or most strategic in the room?

For each of the last three weeks in the month of May, I’ve shared ten ways to tell if your talent have that capacity to become icons. This is the list of the 40 Secrets of Successful Shows.

I’ve encouraged managers who read this to evaluate their high-profile programs based on this list. And also suggested personalities do it, too. Because positive relationships are at the foundation of a great culture of support, I also recommend that managers and their talent get together to compare notes and then set a path for EPIC. Working on those things from these lists will help make the show and station even more relevant to your win.

Week one’s list of ten is here. Week two can be found here. Week three is here.

May Week Four, the final ten:

1. The cast never loses touch with its constituency, meeting the audience wherever they are in life for content.
2. The show is constantly innovating, coming up with ideas for the brand which communicate the show’s plot, reflects pop culture, or reinforces their character.
3. They have a social media strategy to engage the audience on those platforms that is marriage to what their show is about.
4. They are highly motivated to win and never lose their work ethic.
5. The show is predictable so the audience is comfortable with them, but not so predictable they become vulnerable to something fresh across the street.
6. Each cast member replies to listener emails, voicemails, texts, and social media posts so fans know they’re being heard.
7. Each understands the personal and professional goals of the others in the room and work hard to help them achieve those goals.
8. They love and welcome discomfort knowing there’s growth in that path.
9. They evolve as people over time and can bring the audience along for the ride, sometimes doing narrative story arcs that force additional occasions to the show.
10. They care about and give back to their communities and communicate that pride to the audience.

These are the things I’ve found the high performers do regularly which make them so valuable to the success of their brands.

Click here for all 40 Secrets of Successful shows in one handout.

Your talent are your roadmap to EPIC. Invest in them and you’ll always win.