Want to compose better ad copy?

These six steps come from industry pros who've w orked for media giants like CBS Radio and will help you be a more effective copy writer. Most of today's business owners and managers understand the importance of advert ising, but many cringe at the thought of having to write a radio script for thei r company. Inundated with the daily tasks of running their business, scripts can be pushed off until the last minute, or handed over to high-priced advertising agencies. But that doesn't have to be the case. As is usual in life, there is a process. 1) Determine Your Radio Commercial Length First of all, know the length of the radio spot that you need to write. Most rad io stations these days sell :15, :30, and :60 commercials. You'll need to be pre cise. Radio adheres to a strict clock, so your :60 ad likely won't be acceptable as a :62 second ad. Typically, a radio script format calls for 12-point type in all caps, with doubl e spacing between each line. With this in mind, here is a simple guide to follow : Ads by Google Looking for Open Script? Find Open Script on Facebook. Sign Up Free Now! www.Fac ebook.com Looking for Written LETTERS? Find Written Letters on Facebook. Sign Up Free Now! www.Facebook.com :15 = 4 typed lines :30 = 7-8 typed lines :60 = 12-14 typed lines And if you're including any pricing figures, or your phone number, be sure to wr ite each number as text to give you a more accurate line count. 2) Plan What You Want to Say in Your Radio Ad Before you start, take a few minutes and make a list of the necessary points tha t you need to have included. These should be key attributes and selling points t hat sets your business apart from the competition. Be clear and concise, and try to avoid listing too many different different points, as this can lead to confu sion on the listener's part. If your company is blessed with multiple key attrib utes, consider running multiple ads that incorporate the different attributes, b ut be sure to maintain the same "feel". You want your script to have a natural f low, not be crammed full of as many words as you can fit within the time limit. MORE ON THIS TOPIC How to Write a Radio Commercials Script Template for a Radio Commercial Script How to Write a Radio Script to Time 3) Use a Strong Opening Statement in Your Radio Ad Simply put, your commercial's opening line will likely determine whether or not the listener sticks around, or changes the station. This really needs to be an a ttention-grabber. Unless you're a seasoned Hollywood comedy writer, you might wa nt to avoid trying to be too cute or clever here. Instead, consider using a stro ng, open-ended question that's pertinent to your company and/or industry, which the average listener can relate to. Here are a few examples: Are you paying too much for car insurance? Is your home as safe as it could be? When is the last time you enjoyed a really good burger? By posing a question like this, right out of the box, the listener could be comp elled to want to hear the answer, and the rest of your ad.

4) Include Key Attributes and Your Company Personality in Your Radio Ad The purpose of an ad -- any ad -- is to arouse enough curiosity that the target is compelled to act upon it. Get that? You don't need your ad to close the deal; you just want it to tease your product or service enough that the target decide s to contact you. And that's where you and your staff come in. With the body of the ad, address the opening question in a clear and concise man ner, while working your company's key attributes into the mix. In a :60 ad, you' ll want to include your company's name at least 4 times. Shoot for 3 times in a :30, and at least twice in a :15. And, unless you have trained voice actors avai lable, keep the script to one person. It's a lot safer. Also, show your company's personality. Known for having the lowest prices in tow n? Say it. Environmentally focused? Say it. Sell the only authentic German widge ts within a 40 mile radius? Say it. Don't be afraid to brag a little here-just d on't overdo it. 5) Use Effective Contact Info in Your Radio Ad Just use a phone number, right? Not necessarily. When you consider that a large portion of your audience will be driving, cooking, working out, or engaged in so me other activity as they're hearing your ad, most won't have a pen and paper re ady to write down your digits. Which means that unless you have a Nursery School -simple number like 1-800 BIG-JOES, you'll have to repeat it, which takes up a l ot of script space. And you STILL won't have guaranteed retention. Instead, cons ider using your web address. Most of the time they're a lot easier to recall, an d it gives the listener a 24 hour point of access to your business. 6) Further Suggestions for your Radio Script Above all, adhere to the K-I-S-S rule. The most effective ads usually do. And re member to time your script after you're done. If you don't have a stopwatch avai lable, double-click on the clock on the bottom right of your computer screen, an d use the pop-up. Ideally, you'd like to bring the script in a few seconds short . This will give the station's production manager time to add a music intro or o utro, and allow him or her to not have to rush the read. Proper utilization of these six points will allow you to take a more seasoned ap proach with your copywriting, and should garner better end results. Writing a ra dio script isn't rocket science, but it can be daunting. However, if you can con vey a few select points and ideas in a clear and concise manner, and keep your t arget interested, your radio campaign will indeed pay dividends. ************************************************************** There are a number of ways to lay-out a radio script and few rules, but there ar e conventions most professional practitioners will recognise It goes without saying that any radio script is firstly words on a piece of pape r, or perhaps increasingly word-files emailed or documents loaded into an i-pad. More importantly these words will eventually and hopefully become the spoken wo rd so they should be viewed in this light. The format of a radio script has beco me standardised within the industry over the years, so all participants expect t he same style of contents. Commercial Radio Script Components The Header

The Header, of the radio commercial script should give the reader all the necessar y admin information and outline what s contained in the script. It should give the following information: The client s name; The product being advertised; The agency name (if appropriate) and contact name;

The title of the script; The duration intended of the finished commercial, normally 10, 20,30,40,50 or 60 seconds; The name of the writer(s); Any reference details and (often) the intended radio stations; and A logo, if appropriate. This information is contained in the heading of the script page and usually only on the first page. It is generally laid out as a list, left justified or centre d, and even sometimes split left and right into two columns. The duration may ch ange in the recording process, as may any planned activity on radio stations. How to Write a Commercial Script for Radio The Footer

It s also wise, but perhaps not so common, to add a footer to the script template to cover copyright and contact details. This can be: More on this topic How Long is a Radio Ad Inspiration for Writing a Radio Ad How to Write a Radio Advertising Campaign A simple statement to outline who owns the copyright and any conditions of the w ritten work; Brief contact details, either an email address or a telephone number; or Space for a signature of approval for recording and the date of that approval. This footer gives the writer and the production house or the agency, not only de monstrable control of the copyright of the work, but signed approval of agreemen t from the client. The Commercial Script Format for Radio Between the header and the footer, the script itself normally has instructions, casting and inserts on one-third of the page on the left-hand side of the page a nd the script wording on the remaining two-thirds on the right hand side. The in structions will include some common abbreviations: Mvo male voice over; Fvo female voice over; Cvo children s voices; Sfx sound effects; Atmos/Nats atmosphere or natural sound Mx mix with details of mixing music tracks, and/or sound effects. Other instructions can be given on the script itself, or in the left hand margin . Usually, directions to the voice overs and both the types of voices and the st yle of delivery. Layout of the Commercial Radio Script As everyone has their own preferred type-face so different writers, production c ompanies, broadcast and media organisations prefer to standardise their company' s output, and as well as generally using the more standard type faces, radio scr ipts will often be double spaced to make it easier for actors / voices to read o ut loud, and sometimes also in capitals. Sound effects, music and other inserts will also be instructed by the following: Fade In; Fade Out; Continue Under; Mix Up; In / Start - where the insert has definite start; Out / End - where the insert has a definite end.

The script with all the relevant instructions and inserts should enable the piec e, written and imagined by the writer or writers, to be translated by the sound engineer, together with a producer and all the voice actors and any other partic ipants, into audio as the creator intended even without the writer being present . Copyright Dan McCurdy. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication . ************************************************************** In most industries there are templates and general formats those working in the industry all recognise. Here is the most common script layout in the radio indus try. Much has been written through the various radio industry bodies, like the UK s and the USA s Radio Advertising Bureau(s) and Canada s Radio Marketing Bureau, examinin g the best ways to make radio a more effective advertising medium. Creatively th is often takes the form of discussions on: How to take a workable creative brief from a client, How to deliver that brief back to the client for agreement and approval, How best to write and record effective radio commercials from that brief, And how to achieve the client s advertising aims and objectives. This for most practitioners in the creative part of industry is the Who, What, Wh y, template. Any creative work can be developed from this and put simply, most in the industry will recognise The Creative Brief Template as: Who is the audience being addressed or talked to (age, sex, demographic profile, interest) What is this audience being asked to do (advertiser contact: call, store or web visit, or increased brand awareness.) Why should this audience do it. (the audience reward.) Once the creative brief is agreed the process of writing radio scripts can begin . As well as providing an agreed focus for the campaign, the brief is also the s tarting point for the creative use of radio, an area also much in on-going discu ssion and debate within the industry. Setting down audio creative ideas on paper is not as difficult as it first might appear. An industry- wide recognised template helps not only the writer but als o in the presentation of those ideas both to the industry and to the client. Unl ike the written word which convention dictates should fall normally into sentenc es and headings, or paragraphs and chapters across the page and remains the writ ten word, the spoken word and indeed the spoken and visual medium works on a spl it page. More on this topic Template for a Radio Commercial Script How to Write Radio Ad Copy Quickly Understanding Radio Programming Terminology Split the page 25% / 75%. The left hand 25% of the page will be mostly short cue s, descriptions, directions, and instructions to anyone reading the page, and th e right hand 75% the script itself with script wording and more details of the v arious audio inserts. So in theory most radio scripts contain the following: Centred Title header: with presentation logo; company contact and references; cl ient name; writer; script title and duration. Left Hand 25%: Cues for voice talent; music; sound effects; directions and brief placing instructions for in-cues and out-cues of audio inserts. Right Hand 75%: contains the body of the script, with lines for each voice follo wing the direction on the left side, as well as more detailed description of the various other non-speech audio inserts. Details of music, sound effects, and au

dio inserts. The script layout will also contain some common abbreviations, such as : Vo - Voice Over or Talent (including description/style where appropriate), Mvo - Male voice over Fvo - Female voice over Cvo - Child voice over) Sfx - Sound effect description Inserts - I/c (In-cue first audio in) & O/c (Out-cue or last audio out.) Mix or Music - Details of music including style, composer, performer or label re f. Any copyright information, approval signature(s) and the date is normally includ ed at the bottom of the page. A template such as this can oviously be altered to suit the production, but a radio script presented as above will be well underst ood within the industry. Copyright Dan McCurdy. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication . Read more at Suite101: How to Write a Radio Commercials Script: The Layout and C onventions Generally Used in the Radio Industry | Suite101.com http://suite101.c om/article/how-to-write-a-radio-commercials-script-a109730#ixzz20bs4yPf8 ************************************************************** The Art of Radio Scriptwriting involves so much more than writing scripts. The g ood radio scriptwriter has to consider the timing of the final commercial. Many radio scriptwriters and radio producers producing scripts, have found to th eir cost that the scripts they are about to record are either overwritten or und erwritten. If they ve not timed the script beforehand properly they are likely to fi nd this out only after take one of the recording session when the voice-overs do what the industry calls a run through for time. The rest of the session is then t aken up with trying to either edit down, or insert words, or in recording an alt ernative length commercial sending any planned advertising airtime schedule into chaos. Standard Commercial Durations Most commercial radio airtime is sold in metric blocks of 10 seconds, so unsurpr isingly most radio commercial rate cards sold by the radio industry, or on their behalf, for broadcasting commercials on their station(s) will quote prices for 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 second. Commercial airtime rates, rates charged by radio o perators for broadcasting radio adverts, are not always or necessarily in equal proportion to the commercials lengths. It s worth noting here that: The standard quoted working duration in the USA tends to be 60 seconds UK radio sales teams work to a mean commercial duration based on 30 seconds. A 30 second commercial is not always half the cost of broadcasting a 60 second s lot, A 10 second commercial not a third of the cost of a 30 second and so on. The impact of writing and producing radio scripts that vary from these durations may result in the station(s) refusing to broadcast them if not agreed beforehan d, and / or changes in planned durations will have an obvious impact on cost and planning for any scheduled radio advertising campaign Voice-overs Performances

When a voice-over reads a radio script for the first time and it becomes apparen t there is issue with reading the script to time, creativity in the session and co ncentrating on recording a good or great and effective radio commercial becomes secondary to achieving the duration. With a little bit of planning beforehand al

l this can be avoided. More on this topic The Essentials Elements of Radio Production How to Write Radio Ad Copy Quickly Inspiration for Writing a Radio Ad Read the final script out loud well before the session. Just because the scriptwriter can read it to the time, the voice over might not. Allow for breaths and the nuances of the actor. Be aware every voice actor or voice talent has their own way of voicing a radio script. Allow for any interaction between the voices. Professional voice-overs are adept at reading to a desired time, within reason! When writing a radio script or a collection of scripts for a radio campaign a go od voice over will add considerably to the finished commercial if they re allowed the time and space to do it. The Use of Sound Effects and Music Many scriptwriters write the direction notes for the types of effects and music their scripts need and where these sounds should fit into the recording but many forget to allow the time for them. To time a script properly the scriptwriter w hen writing the script should: Allow 2 or 3 seconds for most standard sound effects, doors closing, car ignitio n etc. Give time for the listener to establish in their mind what the sounds are. Be aware that some sound effects take longer than others. Be aware radio is about sound as well as words Allow for the music to establish if its background music. Give space to feature music and allow let it feature. A well written script should also have time to live and breathe and although on first reading the writer might be able to read all the words in the time, a bett er script is one that also contains some spaces, and often silence if necessary. Read the Script Out Loud Again Radio is an out loud medium, so once the script appears finished, edited, effect s added in the right place, music references and timing done, the wise and exper ienced radio script writer then reads the script out loud again just to be sure. This way the recording process can focus on recording a good commercial rather t han merely fitting the script into the allotted time. All that work has already been done. Copyright Dan McCurdy. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication . Read more at Suite101: How to Write a Radio Script to Time: The Best Way to Reco rd a Commercial to a Planned Duration | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article /how-to-write-a-radio-script-to-time-a135780#ixzz20bsM0g8N ************************************************************** The Art of Radio Scriptwriting involves so much more than writing scripts. The g ood radio scriptwriter has to consider the timing of the final commercial. Many radio scriptwriters and radio producers producing scripts, have found to th eir cost that the scripts they are about to record are either overwritten or und erwritten. If they ve not timed the script beforehand properly they are likely to fi nd this out only after take one of the recording session when the voice-overs do what the industry calls a run through for time. The rest of the session is then t

aken up with trying to either edit down, or insert words, or in recording an alt ernative length commercial sending any planned advertising airtime schedule into chaos. Standard Commercial Durations Most commercial radio airtime is sold in metric blocks of 10 seconds, so unsurpr isingly most radio commercial rate cards sold by the radio industry, or on their behalf, for broadcasting commercials on their station(s) will quote prices for 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 second. Commercial airtime rates, rates charged by radio o perators for broadcasting radio adverts, are not always or necessarily in equal proportion to the commercials lengths. It s worth noting here that: The standard quoted working duration in the USA tends to be 60 seconds UK radio sales teams work to a mean commercial duration based on 30 seconds. A 30 second commercial is not always half the cost of broadcasting a 60 second s lot, A 10 second commercial not a third of the cost of a 30 second and so on. The impact of writing and producing radio scripts that vary from these durations may result in the station(s) refusing to broadcast them if not agreed beforehan d, and / or changes in planned durations will have an obvious impact on cost and planning for any scheduled radio advertising campaign Voice-overs Performances

When a voice-over reads a radio script for the first time and it becomes apparen t there is issue with reading the script to time, creativity in the session and co ncentrating on recording a good or great and effective radio commercial becomes secondary to achieving the duration. With a little bit of planning beforehand al l this can be avoided. More on this topic The Essentials Elements of Radio Production How to Write Radio Ad Copy Quickly Inspiration for Writing a Radio Ad Read the final script out loud well before the session. Just because the scriptwriter can read it to the time, the voice over might not. Allow for breaths and the nuances of the actor. Be aware every voice actor or voice talent has their own way of voicing a radio script. Allow for any interaction between the voices. Professional voice-overs are adept at reading to a desired time, within reason! When writing a radio script or a collection of scripts for a radio campaign a go od voice over will add considerably to the finished commercial if they re allowed the time and space to do it. The Use of Sound Effects and Music Many scriptwriters write the direction notes for the types of effects and music their scripts need and where these sounds should fit into the recording but many forget to allow the time for them. To time a script properly the scriptwriter w hen writing the script should: Allow 2 or 3 seconds for most standard sound effects, doors closing, car ignitio n etc. Give time for the listener to establish in their mind what the sounds are. Be aware that some sound effects take longer than others. Be aware radio is about sound as well as words Allow for the music to establish if its background music. Give space to feature music and allow let it feature.

A well written script should also have time to live and breathe and although on first reading the writer might be able to read all the words in the time, a bett er script is one that also contains some spaces, and often silence if necessary. Read the Script Out Loud Again Radio is an out loud medium, so once the script appears finished, edited, effect s added in the right place, music references and timing done, the wise and exper ienced radio script writer then reads the script out loud again just to be sure. This way the recording process can focus on recording a good commercial rather t han merely fitting the script into the allotted time. All that work has already been done. Copyright Dan McCurdy. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication . Read more at Suite101: How to Write a Radio Script to Time: The Best Way to Reco rd a Commercial to a Planned Duration | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article /how-to-write-a-radio-script-to-time-a135780#ixzz20bsM0g8N ************************************************************** Writing a Radio Script and Where to Start Tweet Jul 31, 2011 Dan McCurdy 0 Comments Join the Conversation Radio Interview Table - Dan McCurdy Radio is an audio medium and the written word is a visual medium. Here are some thoughts on the best way to link the two and how to start writing. A radio script is words on paper or more likely words on a computer screen. The script goes through various processes before it becomes a finished piece of broa dcast audio. The initial process is first to put what s in the writer s head and ima gination onto the page, paper or electronic. How to Start Writing the Radio Script To be a radio writer the first hurdle to get over is the blank page. Most people faced with a blank page face the same challenge. Where do you start? Rather tha n concentrating on the page itself and the absence of anything on it, there are a number of building blocks the writer can pull out to get started constructing the script. A number of inspirational tools are available to the writer that wil l make getting started easier: Think of the audience you re writing for, even think of writing for one person Just write anything at all and don t edit it until you re well into the script, then go back and edit Work out the story on a separate sheet of paper Or try constructing a story board Writing is re-writing so don t be afraid to make mistakes, just write. It s often worth just writing anything at all almost subconsciously to get the wri ting process under way. You can always re-write later what you ve written or indee d throw it away but at least this will get you started. Constructing a Radio Script

There a number of useful things to consider whatever kind of radio script is bei ng written. This applies equally well to radio dramas, commercials, programme pr omotions and even some non-fiction or news pieces. When putting the script consi der: Tell a logical story start, middle and end Don t use too many characters too many voices just confuses the listener Write believable character dialogue, the way people actually talk Consider using some audio inserts, or pre-recorded pieces to break up the scenes Always remember it s radio - anything s possible Consider using sound effects precisely for that, effect and to illustrate the st ory Music is a very powerful tool; think about the tracks you could choose and how t hey might illustrate the piece (remembering to check any copyright restrictions) Listen to people talking; get used to listening rather than talking; make notes of ideas, conversations, and interesting facts; start an ideas book you can dip into whenever you need some inspiration. It ll all help to get you started. Use your imagination and the Power of Radio It s radio and there s no limit to what you can and can t do. The only limits to the a udio medium are the limits in the writer s imagination. You can set a piece on the outer edge of the universe or in somebody s kitchen. Both are easily achieved on radio, so enjoy the freedom and start writing without rules. You can always go b ack and edit the script later. You Might Also Like If you ve been given a brief or instructions to write to, always refer back to the m to ensure you re answering the brief. The brief may also give the writer just th e spark needed to get started. Radio Production Notes Imagine the script is being produced without the writer being present. What inst ructions and notes would be useful for the sound engineer, the producer and the voice actors to help them bring the script to life? Write these into the script as a playwright or a film screenwriter would. Imagin e your script as a visual piece and give the producer or production team the not es they might need to help them visualise and finalise the audio piece as the wr iter imagined it. And finally listen to as much radio audio as possible; this can often be a great source of inspiration not in any way to copy what s already been produced but as a springboard for ideas and what s possible in the future. Sources: author's notes bbc writers room script archive Copyright Dan McCurdy. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication .