So You Want to be a Radio Star?

Have you ever listened to people on the radio and thought "I can do that."? Perhaps it was during one of Rush Limbaugh's rants. Or hearing Dr. Phil's homespun Southern style advice. Maybe there are some hilarious morning personalities, like Bob & Tom that you enjoy. Sports call in shows are also quite popular.


Did you ever say to yourself "I could be a radio star too. I just need the chance!" and you never gave it another thought, because you had no idea how or where to start?


Well, if you ever thought these things, and you are reading this - TODAY is your lucky day!

What if I told you that you could host your very own radio program - ANYTIME - even TODAY if you want, and the cost is practically ZERO?

Great News! You CAN do this on Blog Talk Radio. You can talk sports, movies, celebrities, or be educational and informative. Say what you want - how you want. (Well, there may still be a few things you can't or shouldn't say.)

Blog Talk Radio was started in 2006 by Alan Levy, a former accountant and telecommunications executive, who wanted to provide a way for bloggers to communicate directly with their audiences in real time. He set up a blog for his family to provide updates on his ailing father which they could hear. In February of 2008, David Winer of the Scripting News called it "the simplest podcast ever". Blog Talk Radio has been referred to as a site that has become the dominant player in the latest media trend, one that allows anyone with a Web connection to host a talk show on any topic at any time of day. It is the newest form of new media; the audio version of the internet blog. All you need is a telephone and a computer!

Blog Talk Radio's website claims to have "tens of thousands of hosts and millions of listeners tuning in and joining the conversation each month".

It is becoming the newest force in Social Media, and its fun and easy to use. I should know. As a licensed advisor, I've hosted a financial advice program on Blog Talk Radio, "Improving Your Financial Health" since July 15, 2009. My listener base has gradually grown with each program. When I last checked, I had 1272 people who have listened to one or more of my programs and 2262 who have visited my page. My Blog Talk Radio program has just recently been picked up by WHME-FM 103.1 here in South Bend for re-broadcast Saturdays at 9:00 am.

When we normally hear about social media sites, it's normally the "Holy Trinity" of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter which get the attention. I've heard LinkedIn referred to as "business formal", Facebook as "casual" and Twitter as a "worldwide cocktail party. So where does Blog Talk Radio fit in?

Simply put, it's the newest form of blogging - an audio blog. It you believe your message is important and needs to be HEARD verbally, (and you can't seem to limit yourself to 140 characters or less), then Blog Talk Radio may be for you.

I stumbled across Blog Talk Radio last summer. A friend of mine had e-mailed me the link, after I told him about hearing the usual rejections from local stations about doing a financial advice show. What a surprise I found there! There were shows on all types of topics 24 hours a day! A few of them even had celebrity hosts or guests. Bill Cosby has hosted a program there, and Pres. Barack Obama had also joined a broadcast last August during the healthcare debate.

Setting up a profile was very easy - about the same as doing it on any other website. Once you've set up a profile page, go ahead and browse through other programs. Get a feel for what you like (or don't like) You can have a free membership, or a premium one at $39.00/month. I find that the free membership works just fine. Paid memberships allow you to take more calls and schedule programs longer than 1 hour. (You really should be able to say what you want in less than 1 hour!)

Scheduling a program is simple also. Everything about Blog Talk Radio is very user friendly. Just 'name' your show, describe what it's about, and pick a date and time. You can even do a show the same day if you want. Before you know it, you'll be ranting like Rush! You can even select music or sound effects to enhance your show, or have guests. You can even select Revenue Sharing. Just don't expect Super Bowl style bucks to come rolling in.

Customer Service at Blog Talk Radio is exactly that. Even with my free account, I've only needed to contact them a few times. When I do, they are easy to reach, and have always been friendly and helpful at getting issues resolved. You can probably tell by now that I am a huge fan of Blog Talk Radio. There is plenty of potential here.

My next article will include some techniques for using Blog Talk Radio effectively and making it part of your social media package. Please contact me for more information on 401(k) plans or IRAs. You may also contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter. "Improving Your Financial Health" is a weekly financial advice program which often includes intriguing guests - both financial and non-financial.