How To Write An Effective Radio Ad
When writing a radio ad it is important that you are getting your point across and delivering your message in the short time slot that is provided to you. Typically, radio spots are 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds. While this may seem like a short amount of time, brands and businesses can write very effective ads that get the 92% of people listening to local radio to tune into their message.
Begin With An Attention Grabber
When starting out your ad you’ll want to grab the attention of the listener right away. It is important to make sure that you ad stands out from others. A radio ad is not about cramming in as much information about your product or service as you can but rather sparking the interest of potential consumers so that they go and research your company or product more after hearing the radio ad or perhaps change their plans on what store to shop at, restaurant to eat at, or place to go have fun depending on what errands they are running or where they are driving to while listening to the radio. Having something distinctive that sets your ads apart from the rest is a surefire way to engage with your audience.
Keep It Simple
Packing too much information into an ad will lose a listener right away and most likely prompt a station change. It is important to keep it simple. Decide what message you want to convey with the audience, then focus on writing that in the simplest way possible. Using obscure analogies or misleading content can not only disengage a potential customer but also lose your message and goal in the process. Really take the time to think about what you want your ad to lead to, whether that be revenue growth, customer awareness, or an announcement. By the end of the radio ad, listeners should have no trouble understanding the message and what you want to accomplish. With a 15 second and 30 second radio spot, you will only have time to say your spiel once, so make sure that it is portraying the intention of the ad clearly.
Be Memorable
Creating a memorable ad is not only about being creative and engaging, it is also making sure that at the end of the day, the listener is remembering your business or product. While a quick joke or creative slogan might grab their attention the first time, listeners need to also be remembering who the ad is about (your business or product) and what the ad wants them to do (buy, attend, be aware of).
Get Roxanne Charles’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Ads are coming from every direction at consumers, so it is important to not only grab their attention at the beginning but also keep it and get your message stuck in their heads.
Originally published at roxannecharlesradio.com on November 3, 2017.
