Advertising - Radio Advertising
Writing Radio Copy

Writing Radio Copy

When you've decided whether your ad will promote image or ask for a specific response, you can begin to write the script. Make notes as you write, so that your ad stays focused and in tune with your marketing strategy. Even if you don't consider yourself a great writer, you will want to skim the following points. You will need some understanding of the task when you hire someone to do it for you. The commercials that aren't written by you--the advertiser--are usually crafted by advertising agencies or freelance writers. Production studios take it from there. Here's what you should know about writing for radio, no matter who takes on the task.

The Pitch
The announcer reads a script. In crafting this ad, you have two tools at your disposal: the sound of the announcer's voice, and the words you give him or her to speak.

These commercials are very inexpensive to produce; your radio station will almost certainly throw in the production for free for an ad this simple. So it makes sense to study this form of writing.

The script for a "pitch"--and all radio ads--will have a beginning portion that establishes context, a middle section that delivers the reasons to buy, and a conclusion that delivers the call to action, along with any nuts and bolts like addresses and phone numbers.

In this example, almost half the air time was devoted to establishing context-the sneezing and coughing in rhythm with the waltz. The sound was genuinely amusing, and so the producer gave it time to build to good dramatic effect. Then, the announcer moved in with the news of the new location, giving "reasons to buy" like convenience and service. (Notice the mention of the pharmacy.)

This is not a hard-sell commercial, and the conclusion is understated. The only "call to action" is the message implied by two lines: "nothing to sneeze at" and "just a sniffle away." Still you get the point: These people want you to avail yourself of their services.

The commercial closes with a tagline. This shows how a commercial can be both response and image advertising. The phrase "Opening new doors to quality health care" provides consistency with GHC's other promotions using this phrase, and serves to support the overall public image of this health care cooperative.

* Source Streetwise Small Business Start-Up