Why One Person Is Stronger Than Many

Jeff McHugh • April 21, 2019

Which of these stories has more bloodshed; the original  Star Wars  or  Game Of Thrones ? Most people would say  Game Of Thrones.

But on CBS’s 60 Minutes ,  Game of Thrones  writer George R.R. Martin countered “ Star Wars  killed more people than I do. I mean, right in the opening of  Star Wars , they unleash the Death Star against the planet Alderaan.”

Millions  died in  Star Wars  while  Game Of Thrones  only killed  2339 in the whole series  (so far.) Why do audiences feel death more personally watching  Game Of Thrones ?

People relate to individuals and connect with them more emotionally than groups.

Focusing on one person is a good principle to keep in mind for content on your podcast or radio show.

  • Social Media:  Individual personality and show accounts can often be more powerful than station pages. In Atlanta,  Rock 100.5’s Instagram  has 2943 followers, the  Bailey and Southside  show page has almost 7000 and  Southside Steve’s  individual page has nearly 8000.
  • Show Branding:  Prioritize personalities above the station. Listeners bond with authentic on-air individuals more powerfully than they do “Commercial-free Mondays” or giveaways. Always include player names in imaging with any show names like “Morning Mess.”
  • News Stories:  Audiences connect emotionally to a big picture idea like the proposed border wall through specific individuals, like the 8-year-old child who died in  US Customs custody on Christmas Day.
  • Charity Drives:  Talk about helping one person instead of thousands.  Social scientists say audiences can feel futility  when asked to help a lot of people, but will respond emotionally to the story of one person in need.
  • Sports:  Tell stories about players, not scores. In my hometown of Portland, fans started a Go Fund Me for  a “we love you” billboard  for injured NBA Trail Blazers player Jusuf Nurkic, raising over $11,000 in six days. It is harder to imagine fans erecting a sign for the whole team.
  • Opinion and ideas:  In 1988 only  11% of Americans  were OK with same-sex marriage, but fast-forward only ten years to today and  68% say it’s OK. Experts say that dramatic shift is a result of more people coming out of the closet and more Americans knowing a gay person personally.

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