I’VE DECIDED TO BUILD AN ONLINE RADIO STATION. WHERE DO I BEGIN?!

I’VE DECIDED TO BUILD AN ONLINE RADIO STATION. WHERE DO I BEGIN?!

THE TASK
The task of building an online radio station or an Internet radio station can be daunting. There is so much to choose from by way of software, hosts and broadcasting tools it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. In order to have a successful launch, you should know that your station’s success will teeter mostly on the quality of your content and your ability to put that content in front of those who are interested in it.

STARTING OFF
Of the many things to consider when launching an Internet radio station, perhaps the most important question you can ask yourself is “Why?” Why are you attempting to do launch a radio station. After all there are thousands upon thousands of other stations in your genre doing the same thing you are planning on doing. The secret is to have the passion and the will to do whatever your competition is doing and do it better. Better yet, do something that nobody (or a smaller sample) is doing at all.

PLANNING YOUR INTERNET RADIO STATION’S CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT
You can throw the old saying out the window. When getting into the Internet radio game, you certainly cannot have too much of a good thing. Content, and good content, will consistently bring listeners back to your site as organic traffic. I don’t care if your Internet radio station is all about the size of jungle farts an elephant makes. If you’re going to do that, you should have the best elephant farts that you can get your hands on. Or go with something else. Think about it. What do you want to get out of publishing an Internet radio station. Fame? Fortune? Or is it just a really cool hobby to you. In any case, you need to know your goal.

PLANNING YOUR INTERNET RADIO STATION’S REACH
When it comes to broadcasting packages for Internet radio stations, there are many to choose from. Some Internet radio station packages come with limited listener capabilities, based on the cost per person to broadcast to. For instance, one Internet radio service may charge $20 per month for a maximum of 50 listeners, whereas other Internet radio providers will charge significantly more than that. I have seen costs as high as $80 per month, and as low as $10 per month. There is often a choice to use a “free” account, but these accounts offer no support, and quite often no extras at all.

​WHICH SOFTWARE SHOULD I USE FOR MY INTERNET RADIO STATION?
This is a big one, because the software you choose to use will predict how successful your launch will be. Basically, the differences in the Internet radio software that is available on the market today is all about control. Which parts of the show do you need control over the most? Commercial spots? Music Libraries? Do you need the facilities for other software integration? There are many things to consider and the more you read and learn about Internet radio broadcasting the better off you will be when you choose the software you want to go with. For a look at some of the options available to you, click here.
 
HOW DO I MARKET MY INTERNET RADIO STATION?
There are about a million and one ways to market your Internet radio station, but perhaps the most popular is the Internet radio directory. If you want to get an idea of exactly how many directories there are, just do a Google search on Internet Radio Directories. You’ll find a kabillion and one choices. Of course, this isn’t the only way to market your station. Most services support microsites, so you can actually market your site as you would any other website. For instance, I have chosen to build a website around my radio station www.remedyradio.ca. For more information about web marketing you can contact Darren at 902-229-8230.

These are just a few things to consider when starting an Internet radio station. If you are putting together a plan for a monetized station, I can help. Contact Darren at darren@remedyradio.ca. I would love to help you get your dream off of the ground.