How to set up your station's Alexa Skill

If you're wanting to get an Alexa Skill for your radio station then read on. This article covers setting up the Alexa Skill add-on for your account.

Requirements

• Skill icon - a 1024x1024px JPEG or PNG icon for your Alexa Skill. This will be displayed in the Alexa Store. Alexa will crop the icon to a circle so ensure that the icon looks good displayed in this way.
• Permission document - we submit the skill on your behalf so we need to prove to Amazon and the Alexa Store that we have your permission to do so. You can find a provided template here. You must fill out all fields.

Setting up your skill

Open up the Manage Plan page within your Billing Settings. Or navigate from the Home page by clicking on the Settings Cog in the top right and then selecting the Manage Plan link in the sidebar.

Scroll down to the Add-ons section and click Set up your Alexa Skill.

You'll be taken to the Alexa Skill Configuration Form. Fill out the details for each step. Read on for detailed descriptions of each step.

Skill Details

• Alexa Store Logo: Drag and drop or click to upload your Alexa Store icon. It must be 1024x1024px and either a JPEG or PNG. It will automatically be cropped to a circle, just as it will be in the Alexa Store.
• Skill Name: The name of your Alexa Skill that will be displayed to customers in the Alexa Store (this can be different from the invocation name).

• Invocation Name: The name that will be used to launch your skill. This can be different from the skill name. Once the skill is published, the invocation name can no longer be changed.

  Alexa requires the invocation name to be at least two words with no special characters. If the invocation name is an abbreviation, it should contain a space and a period after each letter (e.g. Kool FM -> Kool f. m.).
  Alexa will automatically recognise launch phrases. For example, if the invocation name is "Kool FM", Alexa will recognise "play Kool FM" as a launch phrase. You do not need to include "play" or other launch phrases in the invocation name.
• Skill Language: The language your skill is available in. We support all languages currently offered by Alexa.

Skill Listing

• Short Description: Short description of the skill that will be displayed in the Alexa app.
• Long Description: Comprehensive description of the skill.
• Keywords: Set of simple search words that describe your skill. This helps customers find your skill quickly and easily.
• Permission Document: we submit the skill on your behalf so we need to prove to Amazon and the Alexa Store that we have your permission to do so. You can find a provided template here. You must fill out all fields.

Skill Options

• Launch Announcement: What will be spoken by Alexa when someone launches your skill and your stream starts playing.
• Now Playing Response : Users can ask your skill what's playing now. Choose whether you want the response to be the title and artist metadata of the current song or the title/name of the current event.

Confirm & Pay

Once you're happy, navigate to the final step and click Confirm and Pay. By proceeding, you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. The add-on will be added to your regular Radio Cult bill and follow your existing billing cycle.

What happens next?

We'll be notified that you've submitted your Alexa Skill configuration and will get on the case. It normally takes up to 7 business days for the Alexa Store to approve your request.