Sports Betting Media: Learn How to Name Your Shows!
Titles Must Inform, and Stick Out in Crowded Landscape
At first, there were just one or two show names that were driving me a bit crazy. I’m a nit. That stuff happens every day. Then another. Then another. My theory is 1-2 means I’m a nit…but SEVERAL? Well, THAT’S AN ARTICLE!
Let’s start with the big picture. There are currently a BAZILLION shows in sports media that touch on sports betting. Big time networks have gotten involved in recent years. More recently, anyone who knows how to make videos of themselves and put them on YouTube (or elsewhere) has started making shows. They’re literally everywhere. Many involve friends of mine, or at least friendly internet acquaintances. I’m hoping all the nice people do well. I don’t care what happens to the not-nice people.
In this super-duper-crowded landscape, the NAME of the show has to jump out at people. I don’t mean being funny or cutesy. It has to tell the story of the show so that people know what they’re checking in out. Imagine the potential audience is looking at a list of all the possible sports betting shows. Why would anyone choose YOUR show if it has a generic name not directly tied to WHAT YOU’RE DOING and WHY IT’S WORTH THEIR TIME?
I grant that it’s tough to click all of these boxes with one name. But, a show title should at least TRY to click as many as possible.
*Who’s doing the show? If a famous person is involved, that famous person’s name has to be in the title. Maybe “famous” isn’t the right word for this field. There are some longtime veterans with name recognition in odds making or sports betting. THOSE names need to be in the title.
*What’s the show about? Are you making picks? Are you an oddsmaker explaining your point spreads? Are you a mainstream reporter relaying information from sources on both sides of the counter?
*How will this show SERVE THE AUDIENCE? I harp on that all the time for sports betting media. Still seems like the emphasis from too many hosts is “LOOK AT ME, I HAVE A SHOW!” rather than “here’s what I can do for you,” or “here’s what you’ll “learn and earn” by watching this show.
Let’s say that fully capturing all three is impossible in something short and pithy. Aim for two. Say your name and what you’re doing, or say you’re name and make clear what the benefits are.
Okay…with that in mind, let’s look at these recent show titles that caught my attention. I want to emphasize up front that many of these people names are either friends of mine, or friends/relatives of friends of mine. I’m not making fun of their shows. I want the titles to be better so that people watch or listen to their shows.
*”VSiN’s College Football Tailgate Show” and “VSiN’s Pro Football Tailgate Show”
Earlier this summer I posted a few articles about sports betting media. I suggested that THE MOST IMPORTANT hours for this industry are the few leading up to football kickoffs on Saturday and Sunday. We’d be able to evaluate the “new” VSiN (post-DraftKings) approach by how they decided to program these hours.
I was STUNNED that they went with “Tailgate” for both days. What do tailgate parties have to do with sports betting? Almost NOTHING! I’m sure some people place friendly bets at those. But, those are PARTIES focusing on FOOD, DRINK, and CAMARADERIE. Nothing about the word “tailgate” suggests sports betting. And, these are the most important hours on a sports betting network.
My best guess is that VSiN’s newest decision-makers are emphasizing in meetings that the network has to go more mainstream to survive…and that means using a word that sounds fun to a mainstream audience. Unfortunately, that same word is used in zillion other football media spots to invite listeners in. But, I get it. Heck, the Circa is a party place…emphasizing party is defensible if you’re about to DE-EMPHASIZE that you’ve been known as a sports betting network.
So, I HATE THE NAME for those reasons. Tossing that out, the name of the shows don’t mention the hosts, even though the hosts are well-known in the industry and popular…they don’t tell you what the content is going to be, unless that’s going to be people eating too much and drinking too much before a big game…and they don’t tell you how they’re going to “serve the audience.”
Basically, the message of those titles are “on a day where everyone else is throwing a party, we’re also throwing a party. Want to come to ours?”
At the very least…
“College Football Tailgate Show with Tim Murray”
“Pro Football Tailgate Show with Stormy Buonantony”
And, it’s possible to get cute with “tail” because that’s slang for following somebody’s picks. VSiN will have smart guests and you can tail their picks (bet the same picks after you hear them from the guests). Put “tail” in italics, or underline it, or put it in all caps and a different color. Say it with emphasis. The college football TAILgate show. Maybe TAILgate picks?
“College Football TAILgate Picks with Tim Murray”
“Tail top picks from college experts”
“Pro Football TAILgate Picks with Stormy Buonantony
“Tail top picks from industry legends”
Honestly, I don’t love those adjustments. But, there are ways to be more informative (with better branding) than “Saturday Tailgate Show” or whatever.
*Football Frenzy
This is the new entry involving my good friend Chris Andrews at the South Point. It features true, bona fide industry legends Chris Andrews, Vinny Magliulo, and Jimmy Vaccaro talking football with host Jeff Parles. Yet, the name of the show neglects to mention THE FREAKING LEGENDS on the show!
I know Chris is humble. It’s not his nature to emphasize his own position over others. Always very quick to share credit with his team. Admirable characteristics. But, if you’re naming a show that has him on it…his name needs to be in the title.
Problem with “Football Frenzy” is that it has almost nothing to do with the show. Yes, there’s a lot of football games. But, that’s true even if the show didn’t exist. The frenzy was already there! What’s NEW and EXCITING is these Hall-of-Famers providing their market insights (and picks if they like anything). (Plus, “football frenzy” has nothing to do with sports betting…the schedules are a frenzy for everyone.)
About 40 years ago, I was a young producer for a local news sportscast starting a “wild and crazy” sportscaster (Vic Jacobs for those of you with long memories, or roots in Texas or SoCal). He was the high-energy entertaining star. I was the quiet nit who gathered all the highlights, structured the show logically, and kept this high-energy train on track. Really worked well for a niche audience. More entertaining, and more informative than the competition. By a mile (well, a country mile because it was Central Texas).
But, it only paid $5 an hour and I was just out of college…and you can only work so long at a job like that (relatively low wage even for the mid 80’s). Anyway, Friday night high school football is a big deal in Texas. Vic would always start the 10:20 p.m. sportscast with “FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER…can you feel the HEAT?!” A title like “Football Frenzy” strikes me like that. High energy for a highlight package, but not for a discussion from industry legends about sports betting.
For me, I’d be happier with something like…
“Chris Andrews and Company Live from the South Point”
Name recognition…and career recognition that means you already know the topic is going to be about sports betting. He’s the man in charge. I could see trying to get the names of all three guys in there. But, that gets cumbersome. “Chris, Vinny, and Jimmy” loses some of the focus because that could be any three guys. “Andrews, Magliulo, and Vaccaro” is hard to say out loud without messing it up.
(In my imagined ideal world, Chris votes against that title because he’s gracious and wants to share the stage…but the other two guys and the South Point team outvote him!).
Anyway, that title essentially clicks all three of my boxes because you know helpful sports betting information is coming to you when you see or hear it.
*”Bet the Gambit”
This title of Kenny White’s new show confused me the first time I heard it. Doesn’t really make any sense based on the definition of the words. It sounds like it should make sense. But, a “gambit” typically refers to making a sacrifice to improve your overall position. You don’t really bet a sacrifice.
Did any of you watch “The Queen’s Gambit” awhile back on Netflix? You know, with your wife or girlfriend in the offseason because you have to do stuff like that in the offseason to be allowed to watch so much football in the Fall? It was a great series. Referred to a chess strategy where a player sacrifices his or her “queen’s pawn” to gain more control of the center of the board.
Let me cut-and-paste something from google:
“Why Is it Called the Queen's Gambit? Like all gambits, it begins with an offer to sacrifice material. In this case, white offers a wing pawn in exchange for better control of the center. It's called the Queen's Gambit because it begins with the queen's pawn…”
“Like all gambits.” So, “Bet the Gambit” means “Bet the Sacrifice,” which makes no sense.
Late in episode one (and, I went back and checked last night to make sure I heard it right) Kenny White said the following near the end of the show. “Next week, we’ll get to run the gambit with sports information from all over the country…”
I’m guessing he meant “run the gamut,” which means going over everything. Using his own words…it sounds like he thought the phrase “run the gamut” was “run the gambit.” And, “Bet the Gambit” meant to him that he’s going to be betting everything…which is consistent with his approach and how he’s described the show to people.
Given my earlier outline, I don’t like either “Bet the Gambit” (makes so sense) nor “Bet the Gamut” (no name recognition or how the audience is being served).
“Do it Right with Kenny White”
That’s kinda catchy. And, given name recognition in the industry for Kenny White, the audience would figure he’s talking about “doing sports betting right” by looking through a variety of sports to find meaningful edges.
I know naming things is tricky. And, people can nitpick anything. I personally think anonymous titles like “Football Frenzy” or “Bet the Gambit” will get lost in the shuffle on a list of all the possible listening options for the betting audience. Everything runs together and nobody can remember who’s on what show. (Heck, everyone seems to guest on each other’s shows all the time anyway…like a pundit merry-go round).
“Chris Andrews and Company Live from the South Point”
“Do it Right with Kenny White”
See those in the listings, and you have a much better idea of what you’re getting. You know if they appeal to your or not. If you like the shows, you’re going to tell your friends. And, they’re going to remember who’s doing the shows.
“TAILgate?” Probably too cute. “Tailgate” without the caps or emphasis on the first syllable is basically VSiN punting on marketing itself 100% as a sports betting broadcaster on game days. Many of its other shows emphasize sports betting, so it’s not a full transition to mainstream by any means. But, those are the most important betting hours of the week…party imagery isn’t the right fit, particularly when tailgate parties are already everywhere to begin with! I wish they would have thought longer and harder about the right title for those hours.
There are other titles I could whine about. But, this is already longer than I thought it was going to be. Let’s focus on the FUTURE of how to best name shows…so that the potential audience know who they’ll be watching and how they’ll benefit.
That’s it for this latest general discussion about sports betting media. Back with you through the weekend with stat summaries. Thanks again to all the recent new subscribers who have been providing such great feedback about the pro and college sharps reports. See you again soon.