We frequently hear that Blast streamers love the platform simply for the joy of being able to share what they love – music, thoughts, political musings, guest callers, and more.
That said, making some cash along the way certainly doesn’t hurt.
That’s why we created Fan Mail – a unique take on tipping where listeners can send you a personalized message with a financial token of their appreciation for your stream.
If you’re not seeing the tips roll in just yet, don’t fret… here are 4 tips to help you fill the tip jar.
Tip #1: Build your listeners
This one may seem obvious, but we included it anyway because it’s so important.
Put simply, without listeners, there’s no one to tip you.
As with anything new, building an audience can take a bit of time. It’s hard to imagine, but the Rolling Stones weren’t selling out arenas their first year as a band. Promotion is key. The good news is, there are some fool proof ways to do it. To help, we created this guide for promoting your Blast Radio profile and streams.
More listeners = more tips.
Tip #2: Ask for them! And be creative with how you ask…
Here’s another one that may seem obvious, yet many streamers don’t do it… ask your listeners to send you Fan Mail!
Chances are listeners love what you’re doing or they wouldn’t be tuning in. More than likely, they’re willing to show thanks by sending a tip if you just give them a polite nudge to do so.
Feel uncomfortable asking for tips? No problem – that’s where being creative comes in.
Give listeners a humorous or sincere anecdote about how you will use the tips so they feel more connected to you and your streams… if you go the humorous route, it can even make your stream more entertaining.
Here are two examples:
- Oldhead almost exclusively spins vinyls on his streams. To help fill the tip jar, he lets his audience know how he will use the tips with a simple call to action… “If you’re enjoying what you’re hearing, don’t forget to send Fan Mail, because vinyls are expensive!”
By explaining what he will use the tips for, and how it will help him make better streams, listeners feel good about contributing.
- Surgeon and DJ Bus Replacement Service stream live from their home in the UK. While they’re doing back-to-back DJ sets, they frequently joke about their cat running around the apartment. To help fill their tip jar, they’ve taken a humorous approach for their call to action… “All tips provided will go to buying our cat expensive treats.”
The playful banter of the DJ duo mixed with a charming visual of their cat eating expensive treats makes listeners excited to contribute.
See, that’s not hard, right? What’s your creative idea? Give it a try!
Tip #3: Shout out your tippers
You know what feels really, really cool? Hearing your name come through your headphones while listening to someone you love and respect.
The number 1 easiest way to keep the tips rolling in is to thank your tippers verbally while you’re streaming. Every time you get a tip, we will send you a push notification with the name of the person that tipped you – when you get it, give them a shout out!
Tips can be sent while you’re live or within the 24 hours while your stream is still available. If you get a tip after you’re already done streaming, just give the shout out next time. Before each stream, take a look at who tipped you on the last one and give them a shout out on the next stream.
Want to take shout outs to the next level? Thank your tippers on other platforms – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc.
Tip #4: Respond to Fan Mail
Whenever someone tips you on Blast Radio, they do so by sending ‘Fan Mail.’
Here’s how that works:
- They send you a tip with a personalized message
- You can then respond with 1 single message back
- When you respond, they get a downloadable keepsake image of the two messages, which is branded with images from your profile
Listeners love getting these keepsake images because it lets them commemorate their interaction with you. They can download and save the image, text it to their friends, or even share on social media.
All of that sharing benefits you because it drives more attention to your streams. As we said before, more listeners = more tips.
If you don’t respond, folks won’t get the keepsake, won’t be able to share, and are far less likely to tip you again in the future.
When you get love – give it back. Respond to Fan Mail!
There you go! Now you're on your way to filling the tip jar on Blast Radio. Happy streaming!
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