How to Get Your Radio Station on Alexa (Custom Skill Guide)

There's a moment that turns a casual listener into a regular: they walk into the kitchen, say four words, and your station starts playing. No phone, no app, no typing. "Alexa, play [your station]" — and you're on.

Smart speakers are now in millions of homes, and they've quietly become one of the most natural ways people listen to live radio. If your station isn't available on Alexa, you're invisible in all those living rooms and kitchens. This guide explains what an Alexa skill is, what a good one should do, and the easiest way to get your station onto Amazon's smart speakers.

Why a smart-speaker presence matters

Voice is a hands-free, friction-free way to listen — and that's exactly how people enjoy live radio at home.

• Natural discovery. Listeners ask for you by name and Alexa plays you. That's powerful brand reinforcement.
• Always-on listening. Kitchens, bedrooms, offices — smart speakers live where people spend hours, often with audio running the whole time.
• No competition for screen space. Unlike an app fighting for a home-screen slot, your skill just needs your station's name.
• Credibility. Being on Alexa signals a professional, established station.

For a station trying to grow daily listening hours, the smart speaker is one of the stickiest places to be.

What a radio station Alexa skill includes

An Alexa skill is the voice equivalent of an app: it's the thing that teaches Alexa how to find and play your station. A well-built one should provide:

• A clear invocation so "Alexa, play [Station]" works reliably.
• Live stream integration that starts your broadcast instantly and plays cleanly.
• Now-playing information surfaced where Alexa supports it.
• Proper skill branding — icons, a polished name, and a description that helps listeners find you in the Alexa Skills store.
• Successful passage through Amazon's certification so the skill is publicly available.

Get those right and listening becomes effortless — which is the whole point of voice.

Build it yourself vs. done-for-you

Creating and certifying an Alexa skill involves Amazon's developer console, stream configuration, an interaction model, and a certification process with specific requirements. It's very doable, but it's fiddly, and small mistakes lead to rejected submissions.

Most station owners would rather spend that time on programming and promotion. That's why a done-for-you service makes sense: you provide your stream and branding, and a specialist builds, tests, and submits the skill for you.

Get a custom Alexa skill built for $99

We build custom Alexa skills for radio stations. The pricing is straightforward: $99 (+ tax) as a one-time fee for your station's skill.

Here's exactly what's included:

• A custom Alexa skill so listeners can say "Alexa, play [your station]"
• Live stream integration that launches your broadcast on command, with now-playing info where supported
• Invocation name setup so people reach you naturally and reliably
• Skill branding — icons, name, and a description with the right keywords so listeners can find you
• Full build, testing, and submission through Amazon's certification process
• A one-time build with no recurring RadioSiteMaker fee

You don't touch the Amazon developer console or wrestle with certification — we handle the entire process and get your skill live.

How the process works

1. Get in touch at hello@radiositemaker.com with your station name and stream URL.
2. Choose your invocation — the exact phrase listeners will say to start your station.
3. Send your branding — logo and brand colors for the skill icons and listing.
4. We build and test the skill, then submit it for Amazon's certification.
5. You're live — listeners can say "Alexa, play [your station]" anywhere they have an Echo.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a radio station Alexa skill cost?

It's $99 (+ tax) as a one-time fee for your station's skill. There's no recurring RadioSiteMaker charge — once it's built and certified, it stays live.

Do I need an Amazon developer account or coding skills?

No coding is required from you. We build, test, and submit the skill through Amazon's certification process on your behalf, so you don't need to learn the developer console.

How will listeners use it?

Once your skill is live, anyone with an Alexa device can say "Alexa, play [your station]" and your live stream starts. They can also enable your skill from the Alexa app.

Will it work on all Alexa devices?

Yes. The skill works across Amazon Echo speakers and other Alexa-enabled devices, since it's published in the standard Alexa Skills store.

Can you also build me a mobile app?

Yes. Many stations pair their Alexa skill with a branded mobile app. See our guide on getting a radio station mobile app for what's included and the per-platform pricing.

How long does it take?

Most skills are built quickly; the main variable is Amazon's certification review. We prepare everything to meet their requirements the first time to keep things moving.