As the festive season approaches, online radio stations have a unique opportunity to captivate their audiences with the magic of Christmas. Preparing your radio for Christmas goes beyond just playing holiday tunes—it’s about creating an immersive, joyful atmosphere that resonates with your listeners. Whether you’re new to radio or a seasoned pro, here are the different ways to get your online radio station ready for Christmas.
1/ Curate a festive playlist
2/ Holiday-Themed Shows and Specials
3/ Incorporate Christmas Jingles and Station IDs
4/ Run Holiday Contests and Giveaways
5/ Create Holiday-Themed Digital Content
6/ Collaborate with Charities or Local Businesses
7/ Plan for New Year’s Eve
1/ Curate a Festive Playlist
Music is at the heart of any radio station, and Christmas time calls for a special playlist that embodies the spirit of the season. To get your station holiday-ready, consider these ideas:
Christmas Classics
Throughout the month of December, broadcast timeless tracks such as:
- All I Want for Christmas Is You
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Last Christmas
- Silent Night
These beloved songs are sure to get your listeners in the festive mood!
Genre-Specific Christmas Music
Cater to your niche audience by curating holiday music that fits your station’s concept. For example, if your station focuses on rock, you could play Christmas rock anthems. If it’s jazz, curate a playlist of smooth holiday jazz. It’s the perfect way to dive into Christmas spirit, whilst staying true to the core identity of your station.
New Christmas Releases
Many artists release new Christmas songs every year. Showcase contemporary Christmas music from both mainstream and indie artists to keep things fresh and continue to help your listeners discover new music!
Create a Listener’s Request Hour
Get your audience involved by allowing them to request their favorite Christmas songs. This will increase listener engagement and create a more personalized experience. Use social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to get your audience to make their requests.
2/ Holiday-Themed Shows and Specials
Beyond music, creating holiday-themed radio shows and specials can keep your content exciting and festive. Whether you choose to broadcast these shows live, or pre-record your content is completely up to you!
Christmas Countdown Shows
Build anticipation for the holiday with a daily or weekly countdown to Christmas featuring festive tunes, fun facts about Christmas traditions, and interviews with special guests. They key to this idea is consistency! If you decide to launch a countdown, you must stick to your idea and see it through until December 25th.
Holiday Storytelling
Broadcast classic Christmas tales, original festive stories, or even invite your audience to share their own holiday memories on air. It’s the perfect way to create a cozy atmosphere on your radio for the Holidays.
Christmas Movie Soundtracks
Dedicate segments to songs from popular Christmas movies, giving listeners a nostalgic experience. You can even create trivia games around these soundtracks by getting your listeners to call in and guess the movie title for example.
Interviews with Musicians and Celebrities
If possible, invite artists to talk about their favorite Christmas traditions or promote their holiday albums. They could even perform a live session on your station! If you’re having a hard time finding local guests, you could also invite them to participate virtually and add extra holiday magic.
3/ Incorporate Christmas Jingles and Station IDs
To fully embrace the festive spirit, give your station’s branding a Christmas makeover by creating holiday-themed jingles, station IDs, and promos.
Festive Jingles
Customize your station’s jingles with sleigh bells, chimes, and cheerful tunes. This will make transitions between songs and segments feel seamless and festive.
Christmas Station IDs
Record holiday-themed station IDs that remind your listeners they’re tuned in to the festive edition of your station. You can add a touch of humor or nostalgia to make them stand out.
Radio logo
Why not add a festive element to your station’s logo during the Holiday season! This will show your listeners that your radio station is adapting to the season and is probably planning something special for the holidays! You can also update the cover photo on your radio page or social media profiles.
4/ Run Holiday Contests and Giveaways
Nothing boosts engagement like a good contest, and Christmas is the perfect time to spread joy through giveaways. Consider incorporating holiday contests to keep your listeners excited.
12 Days of Christmas Giveaways
For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, offer daily giveaways, whether it’s gift cards, concert tickets, or exclusive station merchandise. You can tie the prizes to listener participation, such as answering Christmas trivia or sending in Christmas song requests.
Christmas Song Covers Competition
Encourage listeners to submit their covers of famous Christmas songs, and feature the best entries on air. Offer prizes to the winners, and let the audience vote.
Holiday-Themed Trivia
Engage listeners with Christmas-themed trivia questions during your shows. Reward winners with small prizes or shoutouts on the station!
5/ Create Holiday-Themed Digital Content
Your online presence is just as important as your on-air content. Make sure your social media, website, and apps reflect the festive spirit.
Festive Website Design
Add Christmas decorations to your station’s website. This could include snowflakes falling on the screen, Christmas banners, or a countdown to Christmas. If you have a website with RadioKing, we’ve prepared a HTML code that you can easily integrate in order to let it snow!
Click on the dropdown box below to reveal the code:
Snow Code
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Holiday Blog Posts and Playlists
Publish festive content on your station’s blog, such as “Top 10 Christmas Songs,” “Best Christmas Movies of All Time,” or “Christmas Traditions Around the World.” You can also create sharable Christmas playlists on Spotify or Apple Music and promote them across your platforms.
Christmas-Themed Visuals
Share festive visuals on your social media platforms, including holiday greetings, behind-the-scenes photos of your station, or quotes from Christmas songs. This keeps your audience engaged even when they’re not tuned in.
6/ Collaborate with Charities or Local Businesses
The holiday season is also a time for giving. Collaborate with charities or local businesses to make a positive impact in your community.
Holiday Charity Drives
Partner with local or national charities to promote holiday donation drives. You can encourage your listeners to donate to food banks, toy drives, or other worthy causes. Mentioning these efforts on air and via your digital platforms can make a difference in your community.
Sponsor Local Christmas Events
Whether it’s a Christmas parade, tree lighting ceremony, or virtual holiday market, sponsoring and promoting local Christmas events will give your station a greater presence in the community.
Charitable Concerts or Virtual Events
Host a charity concert or a virtual Christmas party, inviting local artists to perform Christmas songs. Use these events as an opportunity to raise funds for charity and engage your audience in a meaningful way.
7/ Plan for New Year’s Eve
While Christmas is the main focus, don’t forget to extend your festive preparations to New Year’s Eve. Plan special shows or countdown events for ringing in the New Year.
New Year’s Eve Countdown Special
Create a live or pre-recorded New Year’s Eve special with a mix of holiday tunes, New Year-themed music, and highlights from the past year.
Reflect on the Year in Music
Share a countdown of the top songs of the year, featuring listener votes and input. You can also create a special edition for the best Christmas music or holiday albums of the year.
Final Thoughts
Christmas is a time for joy, connection, and celebration, and your online radio station can play a central role in making the season memorable for your listeners. By curating the perfect festive playlist, running engaging contests, and creating holiday-themed content, you’ll spread cheer while increasing listener engagement.
So, deck your station with the sounds of Christmas and let the festive spirit shine through the airwaves!
