Create Engaging Shows

While it’s important to have a rough plan for your show, the beauty of live content is that anything can happen. Like a live concert or sporting event, the best livestreams create those unexpected ‘you just had to be there’ moments for listeners. Use the interwebs to react to trending topics, or reviews of the songs you’re playing. Take callers. Improvise and have fun.

Never worry about dead air when listeners are waiting. With tens of millions of songs in the Amp library to choose from, you can load your playlist with as many tracks as you like, and drop them in whenever you feel the need. Theme your playlists to make every show unique.

Think of your show like a party and you’re the host. It’s your responsibility to make sure your listeners are interacting (calling in, sharing their takes) and having a good time. Co-create your show with listeners by asking for their opinions, input, and song requests. Note: Song requests from listeners cannot make up a substantial portion of your show. For more information on using music in yours shows check out the Amp Music Guidelines.

Take a minute to think about what makes you or your show unique and run with that. Whether you’re streaming as your authentic self or a persona you’ve created, your unique point of view is what listeners care about most. You don’t need the best equipment or most elaborate set-up — just do you!

New listeners are more likely to stick around when you acknowledge them. When you see new listeners join the show, say hello and let them know what you’re up to, what’s coming next, and how they can participate.

With chat enabled, you can field questions, take requests, play trivia, and respond to your community in real time during your show and in song play. Chat is automatically enabled for all shows, but if you’d rather have peace and quiet, you can disable chat before you go live, or at any time during your show.

Set the tone in chat by reminding your listeners to keep it cool and abide by our House Rules.

Encourage Callers Participation. Not everyone will be comfortable calling in, so enable chat to let the audience share takes, trivia, or tall tales. And don’t be afraid to do some call-in prompting! Make sure your call-in requests are enabled, then encourage and accept callers whenever possible. Creating a welcoming environment, nurturing conversations, and acknowledging audience contributions (however you choose) will encourage them to become regulars.

Not everyone will be comfortable calling in. They’re gonna need some prompting. Make sure your call-in requests are enabled, then encourage and accept callers whenever possible. Creating a welcoming environment, nurturing conversations, and acknowledging caller contributions will encourage them to become regulars.

Sometimes you won’t be able to accept all caller requests. Totally normal. When you can’t accept callers, try verbally acknowledging them in the show, thanking them for making the effort, and encouraging them to call back in next show.