We often think the show is over because it aired. We encourage you to extend the life of the show by continuing to engage with listeners afterward or posting a story about it. 

Re-audit your show.

Find a strategy and tool that works for you so that auditing becomes part of your regular, daily production process.

Create a spreadsheet to regularly track your sources as guests, as callers and as audio in your shows. Continually monitor, assess and address gaps, and refresh the goals you set for diversity as you go along.

Solicit feedback, and mean it!

Don’t just send a thank-you email to your guests. Also ask for their overall experience.

While you’re at it, ask them what else your show should focus on. Get source recommendations and segment ideas. Start an email list as you develop deeper community connections by sourcing through listening sessions and following up with guests who’ve appeared on the show.

Do be careful about being an “askhole” — we ask a lot of our sources. Be sensitive to that.

Think digital.

Writing a story about the show, with photos of the guests, gives you another way to share the show and attract more audience. One option is publishing the edited transcript for accessibility.

Many shows also have their own newsletters. This is a great way to grow the talk show’s own audience.

Establish a talk show advisory group.

Make sure you’re prioritizing diversity and representation in this space, just as in your production process. Set a date and a virtual meeting place and work to make participation easy by making it available across multiple channels.

Enter group discussions with a set of prompts, like, “What are we missing in our talk show? Are there issues you see as not having enough attention that we could amplify?

Be conscious of what you’re asking of their time and energy — let them know what impact they had by sharing back the content they’ve informed and inspired, and talk with your station about some kind of compensation for their time.