How to Get a Commercial on TV

Television commercials, also called "spots," can be expensive to produce and air. They need to be classified by the industry as "broadcast quality" in terms of production and taste, and rarely are they aired live. The rules at certain small community stations, however, might not be as strict as those at regular television stations.

Things You'll Need

• Finances for production and broadcast time
• Script
• Storyboard
• Props
• Talent
• Director
• Video camera
• Camera person
• Audio person
• Editing capabilities
• Negotiating skills or commercial time purchased from a company

Instructions

Creating a Commercial

1. Create a budget to produce the commercial. The logistics, venue, supplies and people involved in the commercial cost money. So does buying the "time" on stations to broadcast the commercial.

2. Write and edit a script. The copy should include the key messages and dialogue that will be included in the commercial.

3. Create a storyboard. On a large white presentation or poster board, sketch each of the major scenes, in sequence, that will be part of the commercial from the opening scene to the closing shot.

4. Gather props. These include the product or service to be featured, the items to be seen in the commercial and the wardrobe worn by those in the commercial. "Props" stands for "property" and include anything seen in the commercial, such as backdrops and chairs.

5. Identify the talent. The talent are the people or animals who will be showcased in the commercial. They will become familiar with the script and follow the guidance of the director of the commercial.

6. Use a digital video camera. Top-quality commercials use the best studio or portable cameras available. These cameras and studio time are very expensive. However, commercials can be made with certain high-quality consumer video cameras. Don't forget to have someone who knows how to use a video camera shoot the commercial. Depending on where the commercial is shot, you might need a separate sound engineer to monitor the audio portion of the spot.

7. Edit the commercial. You might need a broadcasting editing suite, which has a fixed hourly cost, or you can edit with the proper software on a home computer. The leading software includes CyberLink DVD Suite, Corel VideoStudio and Adobe Premiere Elements.

8. Purchase the broadcast time to air the commercial. Negotiate the costs yourself by talking directly with stations, or hire a company that purchases blocks of commercial time and resells them to various customers. Usually, their fee is a percentage of the time that you purchase from them. They will help you find the best markets and rates for the commercial.

Tips & Warnings

• Look beyond television for opportunities to air commercials. They have become popular on the Internet, where they cost less to post while enjoying a growing audience. If the process is beyond your capability, hire a production company to handle all the logistics.

References

• Start Your Own Business: The Only Start-Up Book You'll Ever Need, Rieva Lesonsky and the Staff of Entrepreneur Magazine, 1998

Resources

• Learn more about TV commercials