The Monday Morning Free Idea
Need fresh inspiration for show content?
Check back every Monday for The Free Idea—a fun, entertaining bit of inspiration to help your show connect with your audience even more. You can also view past ideas, many of which my clients and I successfully used to engage listeners.
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The Pothole of Pennies
With all the talk of no longer making pennies, here’s one you can plan on once winter is over in your market. Find a big pothole somewhere in the metro. Let listeners guess how many pennies will fit in that pothole until it’s filled. It’s great social engagement for a week, then go do it, with a video you can release once done. Maybe get the mayor on, too, to get the pothole filled properly when you’re done.
Chicken and the Eggs
Sounds like everyone’s talking about the price of eggs. How about finding a farmer who’ll let you adopt a chicken and then, once that chicken lays a dozen eggs, give them away to one lucky listener?
Super Bowl Bets
Will a player or coach cry during the National Anthem? What color will the Gatorade be that’s poured on the wining coach? The biggest day for betting in America is the day of the Super Bowl. Find the oddest with a Google search, but locate someone from a betting site to come on to run down the full list of the oddest things people are wagering on around the game for a better break.
Pitch Your Pardon
Two phone topics come up from what Trump’s done that never touches politics. Pitch Your Pardon (he pardoned the January 6 people). What have you done in life (big or small) you would want a pardon for? Then, as a show, pardon them. He’s also signing lots of Executive Orders. The topic: you’re now the boss at work. What Executive Order would you sign to change things there? You can also sign an Executive Order for your family!
Super Duper Lost and Found
No doubt you have a big arena in town. The place for sporting competitions and concerts. Partner with them and, after an event, bring on the person who runs the lost and found department who will go over all the items left behind the night before, found when they were cleaning up. The odder the items the better.
VD for the Kids
Valentine’s Day is about one month away. How about going old school? Have your listener’s kids write a Valentine’s Day card and mail it to you. In turn, you give them to all the kids in your local children’s hospital. Kids writing Valentine’s Day cards to kids.
The Food Journal
Just about everyone will be on a diet this month. If someone on the show is doing it, form a club around them and a few listeners. Ask each to keep a food journal of everything they eat. Then check in with them over the next few weeks to see how they’re doing, what they’ve eaten, and how much weight they’ve lost so you can be supportive. If you can, find an entertaining nutritionist to come on, too, to help in the conversation about weight loss.
Who’s the Celebrity Ho?
With the use of AI, have it replicate a very famous person saying “ho, ho, ho” like Santa. The audience then must guess who’s the celebrity ho? Make sure to also have AI record that identification in the celebrity’s voice once someone guesses it.
Trans (Your State) Orchestra
Who doesn’t love the Trans Siberian Orchestra? Put together a group of co-workers who play instruments and/or can sing and do Trans (Your State) Orchestra where they come on one day next week and entertain the audience with a Christmas song. Build it through the week so you have a story line that travels for the five days, with the performance on Friday.
The Tree Is Me/The Tree is Thee
Once the entire air staff has their trees up and decorated, put a picture of everyone’s online. The audience has to match the tree with the talent. It’s a simple but effective way to get online engagement from the audience around a relevant topic.