#OAP101 Neutral and Detached or Passionate and Opinionated?

Welcome to another #OAP101 class.

Today I would like to talk about something I have seen debated fiercely.
Most radio trainings (and indeed, broad journalism trainings) insist that one be IMPARTIAL and NOT HAVE AN OPINION.
For example, you read the news? Keep it neutral and just present the news. Don't react, and read news you agree with in much the same manner as you would news you disagree with.

The truth is, after all is said and done, people still look to the 'experts' (in this case, news anchors, journalists et al) to be credible and unbiased.
Having said that, radio and 'talk' has changed a little with more emphasis now being put on PERSONALITY of the hosts. For example, you have a Wendy Williams, an Ellen, a Steve Harvey... These 3 have clear and distinct personalities and never leave us in doubt as to where they stand.

So what is the conclusion then?

I think good radio depends on knowing who you are exactly on the show.
As a news reader, or a moderator, you must stick to those guidelines of being fair and impartial. When it comes to radio or television hosts though, I do not know that people knowing where you stand on an issue is a problem AS LONG AS you can still be impartial or at least, fair.
Let me give you an example with sports presenters.
The best sports presenters have a team they support but still give professional analysis of games, stats and results.

What do you think about this question?
Should a Radio Host be completely neutral or can they have opinions and express them?

#OAP101 Using Social Media to grow your Personal Brand as an OAP

Today I would like to speak a little about using social media for your benefit, as a way to help you build, maintain and grow your brand as a media personality.

The first thing to ask yourself is which platforms should I be on?
To answer that, you need to be clear on
- what your interests are
- where your audience is

A sportscaster for example will definitely enjoy twitter because it offers a great opportunity to talk about games and players, give real-time news and analysis, and have that immediate connection with your audience.

Radio hosts do well on most platforms, and I daresay, Facebook and Twitter are a must.
Television hosts on the other hand should not neglect their Instagram as that is the best tool for them.

Now a brand in Nigeria or that wants to speak to Nigerians should not neglect the big three as I like to call them- Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
This is because Facebook is still one of the most popular platforms as it is easily accessible, and there is a big percentage of Nigerians on the other two as well.

Having clarified that, the next thing to think about is your UserName.
If you do not want to be easily found, by all means, use hard to identify or search for names. If you do want to use your social media for your brand though, ensure the name is a name you are known as, whether it is a Nickname or your Real Name.
Whether or not you use your real or a nickname, ensure you have your real name in the profile so that when people search for your name, your account will still pop up.

Your Profile should state what you want people to know about you clearly and simply.
I have checked quite a few celebrity profiles and there does not seem to be any agreement as to things like, number of lines or whether or not you should have a bio at all. What is clear is everyone keeps it simple and tells you who they are.
You can try something as short and direct as 'Official Page of Your Name', or tell us what you do like 'Radio and TV Host'.
See Steve Harvey's, Dotun's, and Mine.


Your content is of course the main thing as no matter how cute your description is, if there is no content on your page, you may have followers but no engagement.
How often should you post? The jury is out on that. What everyone does agree on however is that being consistent is the key. The quality of posts is also crucial so keep your pictures and captions classy and distinct.

In my next post, I will go into a bit more detail with examples, as regards content types.

In the meantime, if you have comments and questions, do leave them below, reach me via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or send me an Email.

#OAP101 Let me tell you about the auditions I did NOT get!

After i saw a direct message sent to The OAP 101 on instagram from someone who was a bit frustrated about having gone for auditions but not getting the gig, i reached out to them and we chatted further.

I had a whatsapp chat with them and laughed when i found out the 'auditions' were TWO previous auditions. Only.
I say this because we hear of only success stories usually, and because of that, we do not realise how many times that person got told NO before a life changing 'yes'.

Pull a chair! Let ME tell you about going for auditions; waking up early, queuing for hours, praying and giving it my best. And then getting rejected. Not once, not twice, not even three times. I have heard it all. From, the 'thank yous' that mean you won't be called back, to the, 'we really like you' buts, to the 'don't stop doing this' to the one i love the most- 'you are a bit short'.
Lmao.
I have had callbacks, try-agains, and 'we will call you' that never called.

And i am not alone. Think of every successful person you admire. They have gone through this too before.

So why do we not get selected for auditions?
Sometimes it is because we still need to work on our talent, skill or craft some more. No one knows it all and there is always something new to learn so if you ever get told no, don't get bitter. Get better.
You can check out some tips on acing your audition in my podcast at the end of the post below.

Other times, it has nothing to do with you. Some the 'no' may be because of the internal policies, politics or specific needs.
You do not know what the potential client is looking for. They might be looking for someone who is tall, someone who is blonde (i know), someone who is well-known, someone who is 'fresh', someone who is 'different'...
It is like going for an audition to play a role in a movie. The casting director has their guidelines. They do not have to s.h.a.r.e this with you. You may be too tall, or not tall enough. Too young, or too old.

Instead of spending precious time worrying about what went wrong, spend more time on being better like i said, and going on to the next one.
Remember that not all jobs or opportunities come from auditions. But you need to lay that ground work so that by the time these opportunities arise, you are selected.

This means while you wait to get on radio or television, prepare!
Get yourself out there. Create. Think. Plan.
Be ready.