The Complete Guide To Radio For Home Services: Jim Klauck

May 5, 2025

I've always been a digital marketing guy. SEO, Google Ads, Facebook Ads—that's been my world. But recently, I had Jim Klauck, a radio marketing legend, on my podcast, Local Marketing Secrets, and he completely opened my eyes to the incredible value radio still brings to home service businesses. Honestly, I was skeptical at first. Like many younger entrepreneurs, I assumed radio was fading away with previous generations. But Jim’s insights showed me why that assumption is a big mistake.

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Radio Isn’t Dead—It's Stabilized

Jim’s been in radio for over 40 years, helping home service companies like A1 Garage Door and Abacus Plumbing skyrocket their growth. He explained that although radio experienced a decline with the rise of digital media, it’s now stabilized. Over 80% of Americans still listen to radio weekly. Think about it—radio is everywhere: cars, elevators, doctor's offices. People don’t even need to actively choose to listen, yet they’re exposed to it constantly.

The Power of Long-Form Radio

One of Jim's biggest insights was the value of "long-form" radio, which is a 30–60-minute infomercial-style segment. Most home service companies mistakenly rely only on short 30-second commercials. But Jim’s approach is radically different—and more effective.

Here's why:

Cost Efficiency: A single hour-long segment might cost around $500, versus $50 for just 30 seconds. That's massive value per minute.
Storytelling and Trust: Long-form radio allows you to deeply educate the audience, building trust. You're not just pitching—you're offering valuable insights and solutions.
Direct Response: Jim’s approach isn't passive advertising; it's active lead generation. Listeners call in immediately to claim limited-time offers.

Jim’s Formula for Successful Radio Campaigns

Here’s the exact formula Jim shared:

Be the Expert Guest, Not the Host: Jim emphasizes the importance of being interviewed by a host, creating authority by positioning you as the trusted expert.
Offer Clear, Discounted Products or Services: It might be a $29 HVAC tune-up, discounted attic insulation, or a solar attic fan with a clear, straightforward price.
Create Scarcity: Limited-time offers drive immediate action. For example, “Only 10 available today—call now!”
Upsell Strategically: Once inside the home, technicians use their expertise to recommend additional valuable services.

This strategy doesn’t just produce leads—it generates ready-to-buy appointments from listeners who already trust you.

Radio’s Unmatched Audience: Loyal, Qualified, and Ready-to-Buy

Jim also stressed the demographics: primarily homeowners aged 50+ listening to conservative talk radio. These listeners are:

Loyal and Trusting: They trust radio because it's regulated, credible, and familiar.
Financially Stable: Many are retired with disposable income and prioritize comfort, home maintenance, and quality of life.
Accessible: They're often home during the day, ready to meet technicians, making it easy to close sales.

This demographic often outperforms even high-income younger homeowners, who might be harder to schedule with and more cautious with spending due to debts.

Productizing Home Services

Jim’s method involves turning home services into tangible products or clearly defined inspections at discounted rates. This makes it easy for homeowners to mentally commit before calling. It's about creating demand proactively, not just responding to emergencies. For example, instead of waiting for a garage door to break, listeners are convinced of the importance of preventive maintenance.

How to Integrate Radio with Digital

The smartest move, according to Jim, is combining radio with digital channels:

Radio content can be turned into evergreen podcasts, building digital backlinks and credibility.
These podcasts further validate businesses when homeowners search online.
Embedded podcast players on websites enhance trust and conversions.

Radio’s Future: Stable and Reliable

Contrary to what you might think, Jim insists radio isn’t going anywhere. Its simplicity and reliability have kept it strong for over 100 years. Unlike digital platforms, which constantly evolve and can unpredictably shut down or suspend accounts, radio is predictable, stable, and trusted by both the government and consumers.

Jim's advice to businesses:

Start considering radio seriously when you cross the $3–5 million annual revenue threshold.
Use radio to complement—not replace—digital marketing, creating a powerful multi-channel strategy.

Final Thoughts

Jim’s insights completely flipped my perspective. Radio isn't dead—far from it. It's thriving, stable, and uniquely effective at reaching highly qualified prospects who trust it implicitly. So if you're a home service business owner looking for a high-impact, predictable way to drive growth, maybe it's time you tune into radio again.

Huge thanks to Jim for these incredible insights! If you want to learn more about leveraging radio for your business, check him out at TheRadioPitchman.com.

P.S. Check out the full episode here: