Summer is a great time to make an impact with the audience. Listeners are active, the mood is a little more relaxed and you can go out and make some new friends-and fans. Here are some of our favorite summer ideas.

Summer Ideas

Ice Cream Truck

Rent an Ice cream truck, or get one donated. Or, go out and buy one! Paint it or have it wrapped to promote the station. Then stock it with ice cream and visit neighborhoods and events to give away ice cream!

You’ll probably want to hire a food service company (or person) to manage this. And if you really want to go over the top, create a special ice cream bar with packaging for your station or radio personalities.

Car Wash Or Make It Rain

You know what happens when you wash your car, right? It always rains! This is a winner for markets that get super hot and dry with droughts.

Work with a local charity that’s raising money and set up a car wash on a Saturday for donations to the cause. Make the promise guaranteeing the car wash, promising to refund all payments if it rains on Saturday or Sunday.

Note: You may want to check the forecast to make sure it’s not going to rain!

Twists on the car wash idea: Male targeted stations could partner with Hooters. Trust me, they are down to host. Charge 25 bucks for a car wash and have the Hooters girls help out. For female targeted stations, call a few fire stations and see if you can get support. if you need a cause, you could make it for firefighters, police, etc.

Pool Party 

This can work for a special year event for your show or station (like the 10th year on the air, or a birthday for one of the hosts, etc.).

Best to team up with a hotel who has a big pool area. They can cater it.

Invite listeners, give them VIP guest list status, a gift bag, or simply just get them out there for free food.

All personalities should be on hand and shake hands. Be sure to have fun games planned, like a swimsuit contest, water competitions, etc.

Dog Days of Summer

Many stations do promotions with their local humane association to get dogs adopted, but take it a step further.

Set a goal of 92 dogs (for the 92 days of summer) you want to have adopted. Feature a new dog every day, or several dogs once a week. It’s usually best to keep most of the promotion ON the air, but most of the details about the dogs OFF the air. Use video, and follow the best practices in this promotion.

Frozen T Shirt Contest

Get 3 shirts. Soak them in water. Tie them in a knot. Freeze them for several days.

Invite listeners in. Whoever can get the shirts unfrozen, and put one on first wins. This makes great video for social media, and is a lot harder than it sounds. Make sure you freeze them for a long time. The longer you freeze them, the harder it gets.

Largest Game of Tag

We all loved tag as kids, right? How about trying to break a record in your town? Get the largest game of tag going at a local park or public location. This would take considerable coordination and management, but could be a lot of fun.

A Free Funch

What is “Funch”?

It is FUN LUNCH of course, targeted directly to adults who want to act like kids.

Get a bunch of inflatables, games, and activities together, like the old Nickelodeon games (Super Sloppy Double Dare).

Set it up for a Friday afternoon and have listeners take a day off and come play with you.

Lemonade Stand

Lemonade stands and summer go hand in hand. Why not take your morning show out every Friday morning, or on a Saturday, and set up for a few hours to give away lemonade and stickers.

You could do it for charity, or better yet…find a kid that is doing their lemonade stand and become the promoter for it.

Cool Down Zones

If you promote and market these on the air, people will come find you. Take the station vehicle to different spots in the summer and set up a cool zone.

Set up a water mister, fans and give away a water bottle, an ice cream, a lemonade, whatever.

Crash Your Cookout

Invite listeners call with their cookout or barbecue. Choose a few and crash their party. This usually works best on the weekends, and you can hit 3-5 on a Saturday or Sunday. You could come and play games with the guests (games you play on the show) and bring out dessert (or hot dogs and beer).

Be sure to get photos and video.

Drive Thru Karaoke

Start with the biggest hits of summer. Have listeners call on their way to work, singing along with the songs in a fast food drive through.

When they get to the speaker, all they can do is sing to the employee a hook of the song. They have to keep repeating themselves, until the employee sings back the second part of the song. If they give up they lose. If they employee sings it back, they win. A good prize is to pay for their drive through order.

Water Balloon Fight

What was the worst part about summer as a kid? You had to go to summer programs you really didn’t want to go to, because mom and dad worked all day.

So what if a radio station showed up with water balloons, ice cream and music? Pair up with the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club or a local camp for kids. Those kids will be forever listeners.

Make sure you have the organization manage it, and stay away from liability!