Summary:
- Uncertainty about the economy means radio stations need to be more creative about how they sell their ad inventory.
- Discover tactics you can use to meet your revenue goals, from discounts to bundling.
- Using a remnant ad solution can help you sell off any remaining spots with little effort.
With economic headwinds of a recession in the air, stations must ensure they have strategies to sell all their ad inventory. No one wants to leave dollars on the table for the year’s second half, especially if stations are pacing behind goals at this point in the year. For teams managing ads for radio stations, the challenge isn’t just generating demand — it’s ensuring every available spot is sold efficiently without eroding value.
Before diving into tactics, it’s worth remembering why radio station advertising continues to attract many brands — and why those fundamentals still matter when it comes to selling ad inventory effectively. Radio reaches a broad audience across terrestrial radio and streaming audio, giving advertisers access to highly engaged radio listeners throughout the day. From morning drive-time to at-work listening, the medium offers consistent access to target audiences at scale. For local businesses in particular, radio remains a cost-effective way to connect with customers and deliver a message that feels personal and immediate.
1. Get creative with discounts
While you may not want to budge on ad rates, you should at least be prepared for conversations around discount deals. As Americans become cagier with spending, advertisers will need to try that much harder to reach them — and the data-focused advertisers know that. Offering a discount if an advertiser buys spots in bulk, wants non-peak time spots, or wants to sponsor a contest or giveaway, can help you move more units off the table.
It also helps to remind advertisers how radio advertising works in practice. Spots are typically sold in 15, 30, or 60-second increments, with pricing influenced by audience size, time of day, and overall demand. Positioning discounted inventory within that framework helps maintain perceived value while still moving units efficiently.
2. Control the conversation
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important not to forget to stay in the driver’s seat. When you want the sale, you may fall back on what you know—using numbers and past campaigns as data points. But doing that can make you lose an advertiser depending on how savvy they are with the nuts and bolts of radio advertising. Keep the conversation simple. Don’t ask them what their budget is; instead, let them dictate what they are looking for and follow that up with a corresponding success story and the investment needed to achieve their advertising objective. This is also an opportunity to highlight how audio advertising compares to other media channels like television, digital video, or billboards. Radio’s ability to reach listeners consistently, without requiring visual attention, is a key differentiator that many marketers still undervalue.
3. Bundle when appropriate
Bundling can be a great way to move many units quickly. But this comes down to two things:
- The circumstances of the advertiser, such as budget and campaign objective
- The value of the spots you’re bundling
It’s a delicate balance to ensure it doesn’t seem like you’re just giving away inventory. But, on the other hand, you still want to maximize yield. So, naturally, you’ll reserve your premium spots for full price, but you can build a mixed bundle with added value, where an advertiser sees the value you’re offering without shortchanging yourself too much.
Bundling can also extend beyond traditional on-air placements. Many stations now combine on-air commercials with streaming audio, podcasts, or digital extensions, giving advertisers access to audiences across multiple channels while reinforcing message frequency.
4. Use host-read ads
You can also move additional units by making them host-read ads. That’s because host-read ads perform very well. Often referred to as live reads, these ads are delivered by on-air talent in a conversational tone that feels more like trusted content than a traditional commercial. That authenticity helps brands connect with listeners more effectively than standard prerecorded advertisements. According to research from InsideRadio, host-read ads outperform non-host-read ads across various categories, including a higher chance for consumers to seek information and have greater purchase and recommendation intent. Adding this feature to a spot might help move the needle for an advertiser, though they might need some education on what a host-read ad entails and why they should use this method if they want the most bang for their buck.
This format is especially powerful because radio listeners are often tuned in during moments of routine — commuting, working, or relaxing — making them more receptive to messages they hear repeatedly over time.
5. Try a remnant ad solution
The tips we’ve offered are not foolproof. Every station’s situation will be unique, making some of these options infeasible. This is particularly relevant in today’s fragmented media landscape, where advertisers are balancing spend across radio, digital, and other channels. Ensuring no inventory goes unused helps stations stay competitive while maintaining consistent access to advertisers looking for scalable reach. Another option you can fall back on is using a radio revenue solution that can help you move more units and meet your quarterly and yearly targets.
Why radio advertising still delivers results
Despite the rise of digital media, radio continues to offer one of the largest reach levels across any advertising channel. Many radio stations connect with audiences daily through a mix of music, talk, and live programming, giving advertisers consistent exposure to their target demographics.
For marketers, the appeal lies in its balance of scale and efficiency. Radio advertising is cost effective, quick to produce, and capable of delivering strong recall when campaigns are scheduled with the right frequency. When combined with other media like digital or streaming platforms, it becomes an even more powerful tool for driving awareness and response.
Veritone has served the radio business for many years, building solutions like Discovery and Attribute to help increase revenue opportunities for stations around the country. To help radio broadcasters move their unsold ad inventory, we created VeriAds, which offers a flexible way to generate revenue from your remnant and unsold inventory passively. It’s easy, and there’s no upfront cost. Remove the headaches and worry of unsold inventory by letting Veritone help you meet your sales goals.
Learn how you can sell all your ad inventory today.
