Keep it Simple and Direct
Most listeners will not be giving you their full attention; they will be driving, working or doing something else as their primary task with the radio on in the background. If your ad is overcomplicated or indirect, the listener could easily disengage completely.
It is important to grab and hold a listener’s attention, so it may be tempting to use humor and creativity. While these tactics may be appreciated by some listeners, you run the risk of turning off others. A few well-written sentences that get right to the point will appeal to the most listeners.
Time
Target 60 seconds: 150-190 words should hit this mark. Some radio ads are as short as 30 seconds, but it can really be difficult to get a worthy message across and resonate with a listener in that short amount of time.
Sometimes the biggest challenge is to cut, cut, cut. While there may be a lot of great details you want the listener to consider, strip your message down to the most important fundamental point or two. Let them know in simple language what you can offer, how they can get it and where they can learn more.
Outline
- Intro: Open with a visual that directly relates to the problem your ad attempts to solve or a question it aims to answer for the listener.
- Details: Here’s where you spend the bulk of your time describing the details of your solution. Be sure to mention your company name at the beginning of this section and repeat it once or twice.
- Call to Action: Clearly and simply state what you want the listener to do. Should they call? Visit a website? Attend an event? If there is a phone number, web address or physical address that you expect the listener to remember, be sure to state it twice here.
Writing a radio ad is really that easy! But…if you are still not confident in your radio ad writing ability, or just can’t find the time, give us a call: 303-940-5544. We’d love to help!