How to Write a Radio Advertisement

Radio stations offer the voice talent of their on-air personalities for commercials.

Most radio stations provide commercial writing services within their sales departments, but it helps to have an idea of how to create your own. You may even prefer your own commercial ideas. In small-market radio, the sales reps are often the writers and may not be well-trained for writing spots that create a sense of purchasing urgency. Identify the results you want from your radio advertisement and develop your radio spot to achieve them.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with word processing program
• Paper
• Pencil
• Stopwatch

Instructions

Write Your Own Radio Advertisment

1. Determine the result you want. Do you want to liquidate some merchandise at the end of a season or announce a new product or service? Do you want to keep your name in front of the public or need to sell a certain amount of product or service in a short time?

2. Identify the type of radio advertisement you want. Do you want to speak directly to the customer or have someone else do it? Do you want to feature dialog between two or more people about your business? Do you want to define a real problem and tell how your business can solve it? Do you want others to praise your business?

3. Consider the results you need and the type of advertisement you want and write a brief summary about your service or product in the style you have chosen. This will probably be about a page long and will be too long for a radio commercial.

4. Edit the summary, eliminating unnecessary wording.

5. Read the edited summary aloud and time with the stop watch. Note how long the reading is.

6. Edit until the spot reaches the desired amount of time, usually 30 or 60 seconds.

7. Proofread the radio advertisement to make sure all necessary elements are there. It should tell who the business is, what the product or service is, where your business is located, when your business or service is available, and any expiration date if applicable. Mention the business name at least three times in a 30-second commercial and five times in a 60-second spot.

Tips & Warnings

• Before paying for radio advertising, determine whether or not your announcement can be played as a free public service announcement. Ask your local radio ad representative for details and station policy.

• Consider recording your own spot. Using a voice other than one that is heard often (like an on-air personality) catches the listener's attention. It also acts as a personal invitation from you to the potential customer. Most stations are set up to record these by phone, so you will never have to stand in front of a microphone.

• Tell the radio ad representative if you want background music or sounds added to your spot.

• Always ask to hear your completed radio spot before it is aired. Make corrections or changes as needed.

References

• Brent Hayden of MN: How Do I Write a Great Radio Avertisement / Script / Spot? March 4, 2011
• Frugal Marketing: How to Write and Place Radio Spots for Maximum Marketing Return at Lowest Cost ,Shel Horowitz, copyright 1996 Taken from Marketing Without Megabucks.