The structure of a radio commercial is similar to the body copy structure in a print ad. You won’t have a headline, of course. But you will begin with a provocative lead-in, to engage the listener. And you’ll follow it with a transition to your story. Sometimes, to maintain listener interest, you’ll want to transition in and out of the story. And you’ll end the commercial with a wrap-up that pays off the commercial.
There are some basic rules to follow in writing for radio:
Rule 1: Write simply. In short sentences or sentence fragments. The ear is not quicker than the eye.
Rule 2: Show, don’t tell. Use sound effects, music, voice delivery and production values to establish action, location, etc. Rather than saying, “We’re at the beach” to establish your location, use the sounds of lapping waves, crying seagulls and splashing children. It will draw your listener into the commercial to discover what’s taking place and where it’s taking place. The more listener involvement, the more likely your message will be heard. Also, sound effects in a commercial will help it cut through station programming and announcer-only messages.
Rule 3: Mention the advertiser’s name more than once. At least twice. And strive for four or more mentions. Unlike print, where a logo signature identifies the advertiser, audio is just a fleeting memory.
Rule 4: Be as specific as you can when you indicate sound effects. “GENTLY LAPPING WAVES AT AN OCEAN BEACH” is better than “WATER SOUNDS” when it comes to giving your production engineer direction.
Rule 5: Be equally specific in indicating the way you want your copy read: “IN A HIGH-PITCHED, SINGSONG CHILDISH VOICE” gives the announcer more direction than “CHILDISHLY.”
Rule 6: In typing your script, always type sound effects and announcer directions in capital letters, to separate them from the announcer’s copy.
Rule 7: Double-space your script, so that it can be read easily.
Rule 8: With the exception of sound effects, music, and announcer directions, type your script in upper and lower case type—it makes for a smooth read by the announcer. (Studies have shown that anything typed in all capital letters is harder to read.)
Rule 9: Keep in mind that the normal reading speed of your announcer is approximately two and one-half words per second. The more sound effects, music and production values you build in, the fewer words you’ll need. Exception: if you’re trying to communicate speed, pressure, etc., a faster announcer read can be an effective tool to help communicate that message.
Rule 10: Although radio offers both 30-second and 60- second commercial lengths, 60 seconds allows both the advertiser and the copywriter to maximize on-air presence, as well as purchasing efficiency (many 30-second commercials cost up to 80 percent of the cost of a 60- second commercial).
Rule 11: If you are writing dialog, be sure that it’s larger than life—exaggerated, non-traditional for the scenario, etc. There’s nothing that kills listener interest more quickly than slice-of-life, especially if the slice-of-life revolves around something you’d never have a conversation about in real life—laxatives, toilet paper, etc.
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Building a Radio Commercial
