You can learn a lot about how to talk about telethon premiums by going to a restaurant.

Imagine this scenario …

You get seated at your table at a restaurant and start looking over the menu. Then the waiter arrives and starts to tell you the specials for the day.

He says there are “a lot” of specials and proceeds to deftly rattle them off from memory.

“We have the Talapia with Linguine for 15.99, Mashed Filet Mignon for 16.99, Cajun Blackened Shrimp for 17.99, House Grilled Chicken for 12.99, and a delicious Frittered Banana Souffle for 13.99. We also have some combo platters, so for 10 dollars more you can get both the Talapia and the Cajun Shrimp plus a bonus side order of mussels, or the Grilled Chicken and the Banana Souffle with a side of Broccoli Flambe, or … ”

Blah, blah blah … on and on he goes for two full minutes.

When he finishes you think to yourself, “I can’t remember anything he said … I’m so confused! Maybe I should ask him to repeat a few things … but that would be too embarrassing.”

So you smile at the waiter and say “What do you recommend?”

In the case of a WRUW telethon, many of us act just like that waiter.

Every year during the telethon, I hear programmers turn on the microphone and proceed to recite every single price level and combination of premiums that we offer during the fundraiser.

“For 40 dollars you can get a CD by Stan Getz, or a CD by Metallica, or a CD by John McCutcheon, or if you add 20 dollars to a 40 dollar pledge you can get both the Getz and Metallica CD’s, but if you want either the Getz or Metallica disc combined with the MCCutcheon CD, you have to donate 80 dollars. If you don’t want music, for 40 dollars we have the WRUW t-shirt or coffee mug, and if you give 100 dollars you get a half hour of airtime on the show of your choice. We also have other great combo packs like … ”

You’re confusing the listener and you’re
BORING them into tuning elsewhere!

How to Avoid Drowning the Listener in Premiums

Think in terms of what you can “recommend” to the listener.

Out of the plethora of menu items to choose from, what would you suggest as an appropriate gift for their donation?

The programmers who really succeed during the fundraiser are the ones who take the time to study the premiums and select certain items to highlight to the listener during each pledge break.

Then, when they turn on the microphone, they group related premiums together and talk about WRUW merchandise in a way the listener can appreciate.

For example, successful programmers say things like …

“… We have a lot of ways to thank you for your donation. One way is by giving you an item that visibly shows others how proud you are to support WRUW’s efforts.

When you pledge at the 40 dollar level, we can send you one of our comfortable cotton t-shirts as a thank you. It’s black and features our “We’re 40, Not Top 40” logo on the front, and our brand new 40th anniversary logo silk-screened on the back. Again, that’s our gift to you when you pledge at the 40 dollar level.

Or, you can donate at the higher level of 80 dollars and get our new hooded sweatshirt … It’s black with our 50th anniversary logo on the back.

We have T-shirts, sweatshirts and many other gifts available when you call. Please call now 216-368-2208 or donate online at WRUW.ORG.”

(Note the grouping of related items, the description of the items, and the mention of only two items.)

Then they stop talking about premiums for that pledge break.

At the next break, they talk about a couple of specific CD premiums in a way the listener can appreciate.

“… You may be interested in some of the music gifts we have available. When you give at the 40 dollar level, we can send you that disc I just played, John McCutcheon’s latest release which includes <special tracks like…>.

We also have John Prine’s new CD which features <special items like…>.

John McCutcheon’s and John Prine’s latest recordings are just two of many gift recordings we have for you when you pledge at the 40-dollar level. Call in your 40 dollar pledge now at 216-368-2208. You could even donate 60 dollars and we can thank you with both recordings!”

(Again, note the grouping of related items, the description of the items, and the mention of only two items.)

Then they stop talking about premiums for that pledge break.

Next time they talk about the half-hour of airtime … then the next time they talk about WRUW merchandise again … and so on until the end of their show.

Successful programmers focus on just one or two price levels and specific premiums at each pledge break. They also split apart WRUW merchandise from music premiums.

Price is NOT Important

Stop thinking about whether or not your listeners can or can’t “afford” to give “so much money.” Price levels are actually a minor issue to the listener.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has done multiple studies on the effectiveness of radio fundraising. In what they call “The Stairway to Given”, the ability to afford a gift is the last step a listener must take before giving money. The first four steps all relate to a listener considering the programming important and worth supporting.

When you give your listeners enough reasons that they can appreciate, they will be more likely to give to your show … at whatever price level you recommend to them.

So spend more time building a solid case of support and describing what the premiums look like and sound like.

Spend less time on listing all of the donation levels like a waiter.

Six Steps to Talking About Premiums

Step 1. Develop compelling reasons why your listeners should be supporting WRUW’s efforts (re-read Mistake #3 for some guidance).

Step 2. Pick just a handful of premiums to recommend. Write down descriptions of them to make them more appealing to the listener.

Step 3. Only talk about one or two premiums at each pledge break. Avoid reading the whole menu.

Step 4. Remember we are not “selling” t-shirts, CD’s or mugs. We are giving them out as gifts in return for a donation to the station. The particular gift a listener receives is fully dependent on the amount he or she chooses to donate.

Step 5. You get what you ask for. If you focus on recommending a $40 donation, you will tend to get $40 donations. If you focus on $10 donations, that’s what you’ll get … ironically from people who often won’t pay their $10.

Step 6. You can also ask your listeners to consider how much they value WRUW. Ask them to put their own price on the value they receive and then to call us with that donation level. We can then arrange a group of gifts to give them at that level. You may be pleasantly surprised by what they donate. Every year we have many listeners just give money … sometimes $100 or more … and not want any premiums at all.

We hope this helps you have a successful fundraiser show next week. Thanks for your attention.