Selling Out Your Weekend Inventory

October 13, 2022

Do you have unsold inventory on the weekends? Do you add this inventory to current ad campaigns as “added value”? If so, it’s time to show the value of this audience and stop giving it away for free. We can show you how….

Most veteran radio advertisers perceive weekends as a bonus. Even worse, they may consider weekends as a throw-in that helps to bring in the primetime cost per point. This creates the perception that weekends have no value. This is far from the truth.

“So, how can I sell out my weekend inventory? Why are weekends so valuable to the advertiser?”

For many potential advertisers, weekends are vital to their business success. It is tough for a retailer if their cash register is not ringing or for a restaurant if their tables are empty on the weekend. They need Saturday and Sunday to be successful.

Here is where you and your radio station can get advertisers (current and prospective) to successfully use your station. Plus, you could get new dollars for a daypart that is often used as a bonus. Build a spot-heavy schedule using a Sat-Sun 6A-12Mid rotator. You may also want to consider including Friday 7P-12Mid in the rotation.

The advertiser will reach your radio station’s audience near the time they are going to make their purchases. By using a broad rotator for the entire time period, the spot load will be big enough to achieve an effective frequency that drives the advertiser’s message on your station.

The one objection we hear often is “nobody is listening on the weekends.” This is a myth. The reality is that about 40% to 50% of a radio station’s total week cume listens on the weekend.
It’s easy to determine how much of your total cume can be reached on the weekends. Simply divide your weekend audience by your total week audience.

Sat-Sun 6A-12Mid Cume / Mon-Sun 6A-12Mid Cume

Few advertisers realize that close to half (and in some cases over half) of your total audience can be reached on the weekend! The right schedule on the weekends can reach a significant portion of your audience with an effective frequency, right at the time that the potential advertiser needs new customers.

In addition, you can use Duplication Analysis to show the amount of your listeners that listen on the weekends yet DO NOT listen during the weekday. You cannot reach these potential consumers unless you advertise on the weekends. Refer to our last Back to Basics blog for details on using Duplication Analysis reports.

This two-step approach will help you sell the value of your weekend audience and sell out your weekend inventory!

-Karen Morriss, Director of Client Services

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