Preppermint - Web Publishing

Preppermint allows any user to publish any story on Preppermint to their show or station's website with one click of your mouse - literally. Then, if for some reason you can't find it on Preppermint, or if your story is local - you can publish any story on the internet to your website in 3 clicks.

That's why Preppermint is a tool worth talking about in this week's "The Net Untangled".

As a major market morning show producer, even though we had a large staff to handle all of the work, it always took longer than I wanted to get information we talked about up on the website. Either I was too busy or I needed to get with the webmaster, who was swamped and didn't start his day until after our show was over. And I knew enough HTML to get the information up myself. If we had a tool to let the talent post the stories to the website as they were reading them with only a click - it would have made my job a lot easier.

I have written non-stop since this column started that the single most important thing any station can do about its website is frequently update the content. If a listener knows that every morning the website will have all the sites that were talked about on that morning's show, they will make it a habit to stop by the site when they start their day at work. They can listen to the show while getting ready and in the car on the drive in, knowing that when they get to their computer, the website will have links to that silly panda video or whatever else was the hot topic of the morning.

However, to get them in the habit of checking your site every day, you have to get into the habit of updating it every day. Instead of deciding what should go up on the website after the show ( a task that sometimes gets delayed or forgotten), Preppermint makes it a part of your show preparation. When you're getting a topic or story ready just before your talk break, click on the "Mint" button to publish it to your website. That way, you can mention during that same break that the information is already on your site!

Prep (With Benefits)

A few other things happen when a tool like Preppermint makes it unbelievably simple to keep your site fresh. When a jock or host has control over what goes on the site (yes, every jock and show can have their own page of stories - or they can share one page, whatever fits your station best), they begin to mention the site a lot more. It becomes less of a liner responsibility and more an extension of their personality, where they have personal ownership. PDs will notice that the site gets mentioned more on-air, and more importantly - it gets mentioned naturally, not as a sales pitch.

Secondly, it provides evidence and reminders for your listeners. When they get to work and check out the site, they'll remember what they enjoyed when they were listening. Any consultant or PD will tell you that reinforcing positive emotions associated with your station is all that you can ask for when you're trying to build long-lasting core relationships with your listeners.

In addition, when a listener tries to tell his or her co-workers about "that funny thing" they heard on the radio - instead of just relaying a recollection, they'll be able to back it up with something concrete. Or even better, when the email about "that funny thing" is forwarded around to everyone in the office, it will be an advertisement for your station.

The Shill

I could go on and on about why I think Preppermint is a spectacular tool to get your station's website fresh and keep it there - but I'll stop and let you decide. You can read more about it at http://preppermint.net. You can sign up for a free two-week trial online and get immediate access. Or you can watch a quick video, showing just how simple it is use. Seriously. Even my senior citizen relatives can use it, and they still don't understand "The Google".

If you still have questions, email me at http://preppermint.net/contact or give me a call - 910-221-7955. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Even if you think Preppermint is garbage, the point still stands. Find a way to update your site on a daily basis, and site traffic and ad revenue will increase. I just think that Preppermint is the simplest, easiest way to get that done.

As always, AllAccess has my “The Net Untangled Tip of the Day” each weekday and a column on Website Wednesdays. So check back and together we’ll get our internet presence focused on keeping radio strong in this world of increasing competition.

Do you agree with me? Or am I full of hot air? If you have comments or any questions about radio websites – either general questions relating to the industry or the web or even specific (HTML, PHP, .NET, Javascript, etc.) questions, send me an email through http://Preppermint.net/contact . I’ll answer your question quickly and maybe even use it for a future column.