Hi Guys,

Its been a while since I posted on this board
and I plan to contribute here more often.

I've got a client who wants a 90 second radio advert
written and while I think I can do a reasonably good job ...

(I've written a handful of audio introduction scripts for clients
websites before, and most have boosted their response)

... I was wondering if anyone has written radio advert's before
and if so, do they have a 'template' for writing them, that I could
use?

The one's I've used in the past, were originally modelled around
Michel's one (available to copydoctor members) and its a killer!

Thanks in advance,

Jesse

Most of my work is websites... but

I've written 1 radio ad and critiqued another one. In my research, here's what I learned:

Talk radio pulls the best. So where you advertise is very important - So write for that format. Use salesmanship all the way - don't go for jingles or slick voiceovers. Rather, ENGAGE the listener in a one-to-one conversation. Do not use an "announcer" style of speaking.

Make it personal. No background music. Use a pleasant male voice. Gary Halbert once mentioned that a female voice from the south also works very well (No idea why).

The sales angle is 75% of the job here - it all depends on salesmanship. The other 25% is in the "how" - and maximizes your effort and makes sure your ad is HEARD.

Lastly, run your ad for at least a week or two before judging results. Sometimes radio ads, like TV ads, take a while to "catch on".

Keep us updated - we're all curious what the end-product will be and how it pulls... This way we learn twice.

Jesse,

Erik gave some great advice.

A few things I would like to add are…

The first and most important item, before you start writing your radio ad, is to develop a clear and detailed description of the target customer/listener of the client for which you are developing the ad. This is critical.

After developing this clear picture in your mind of the target listener, a good way to begin your radio spot and get their attention is to address them directly.

For example:
Are you a woman who’s more than 40 pounds overweight?

Or…

An important message for all men over the age of forty…

Or simply…

Ladies…

Often radio listeners mentally tune out when the ads begin, but even if they are not actively listening, when they hear something specifically relating to them described or mentioned at the beginning of the radio spot, they will “wake up” and listen to the rest of the ad.

Also, once you have this clear picture of your target listener in mind, you need to make sure that the station and program the radio spot will air on has a fair amount of this audience in it’s listener base. I know that this sounds obvious, but just a few minutes of listening to radio ads will show you that often as many as 50% of the advertisers obviously have no clue about how to properly target their message.

My final recommendation on ensuring effectiveness with radio advertising is repetition.
Radio, more than almost any other marketing vehicle, needs repetition of message. If you want your copy to be most effective you must educate your client on how to deploy your ads. And with radio ads, effectiveness comes from (beyond the obvious, good copy techniques) proper repetition.

You need to look at both reach and frequency. Most stations try and sell their ad spots based on gross rating points. However, is it better to reach 100% of the listeners 1 time or is it better to reach 10% of the listeners 10 times? Both schedules provide the exact same number of gross ratings points (100) yet the second method will be much more profitable.

Profitable radio advertising is based on good writing AND strong frequency.

As a copywriter, you want your copy to produce maximum results for your client, and often this means educating them on elements that go far beyond just the written and spoken word, such as how to most effectively deploy the messages you craft.

Eric

Hey Guys and Girls,

Thanks for your valuable feedback Eric and Erik!

Anyway ... here is the radio ad I've come up with.
My client has bought a 90 second slot ... which I've
told him to run multiple times.

There is still time for probably another paragraph
or two ... so maybe you have a suggestion?

========== Here it is ===============

Do you want to achieve financial freedom?

Would you like to feel healthier, happier and more energized?

Do you want to land your dream job or get a promotion?

Would you like to meet the man or woman of your dreams?

If you answered “yes” then listen up because I’ve got some very exciting news for you.

Hi. This is Frank Reeve, Britains leading success coach. And I’d like to invite you to attend my free “triumph to success” workshop.

Over 27,000 people have already attended this life-changing workshop. From celebrities to top-athletes to entrepreneurs to everyday people just like you.

In fact, people have experienced such dramatic improvements in their lives since attending this workshop, that it was recently featured in a BBC TV documentary.

Now it’s your turn.

During this 3 hour life-changing workshop you’ll discover little know strategies used by the world’s most successful people, on how to achieve your life goals, and get everything you really want, quicker and easier than you ever thought possible.

The next free Triumph workshop is happening in your area very soon. You can register by picking up the phone and calling XXX XXX
right now.

And if you’re one of the first XX people to book, you’ll receive a gift valued at $39 absolutely free. But you must register now as seating is strictly limited.

Call XXX XXX now to reserve your seat. That’s XXX XX. Do it now while it’s still fresh on your mind and I look forward to meeting you there.

Jesse,

1) I think you missed a major component... which was suggested above -- CLEARLY identify your target and call them out!

"An important message for..."
"Attention..."

2) This is closely related to #1 -- your hook, or hooks, are all over the board. The first three sentences:

I think you'd be better honing in on one thing -- or an overall theme that these fit into -- it just seems so broad to me. First thing my mind says is, "Too good to be true!" tune out...

3) I noticed your "Coming to your area soon..." I would KILL that... it's VERY inexpensive to have your voice over talent either re-cut a tag for each market, or leave a "hole" and drop in the city name for each market.

I think it's stronger to say... "In Miami, ONE DAY ONLY... Register today!" Than it is to say, "Coming to your market soon..."

With digital audio editing this has NEVER been easier or less expensive to accomplish. It's done ALL THE TIME!

4) You might want to consider having local talk radio talent cut the spot for each market. Example: The hottest morning talk radio show host (most markets have at least one) cuts it and runs it on his/her show. Localizing it with someone they're familiar with will make a huge difference.

5) You might even be able to joint venture with them. Radio stations -- when they're not sold solid -- will work P.I. (Per Inquiry) deals where they get a cut of the seminar ticket sales or whatever. They will run it in available slots... much more often than your client could probably afford to run. They have a vested interest in building seminar sales. You might even "sweenten the deal" by having your client do a "special" seminar for the radio station sales staff -- if your client's materials are applicable to increasing sales.

6) Make sure your client is working the local radio/tv talk shows for publicity leading up to the seminar. This take lead time... If you JV with a strong talk radio station, they'll probably record the interview and then play all of it multiple times -- or at least clips of it.

Hope this helps...

JP's advice is right on the money (as usual.)

Whenever possible, use the host for your voice talent.

One of my coaching clients regularly writes ad copy for spots on Rush Limbaugh's talk radio show. During experimenting with improving the tracking and ROI of the radio spots (by using unique 1-800#'s and URLs for each variation we were testing) we discovered that the spots that featured Rush as the voice talent (while almost twice as expensive) generated almost double the response rate of "standard" spots.

Eric