A few days back I talked about this radio commercial I produced for WRAPS Pita and how amused I was with the ad.
I remember there was this other radio commercial for another fastfood type product, called the Burger Joint.
If I am not mistaken this must have been somewhere around ‘97.
This site is not quite finished yet, there are still several improvements needed such as a contact form that actually works and the interface where you may check out voice over samples and previous radio commercial projects.
Not to blow my own horn but I was really amused with some of the old jobs that I did, some years back and one of the funniest which never fails to crack me up is the radio commercial I produced for WRAPS which is a restaurant that sells pita sandwiches.
The WRAPS Radio Commercial is probably one of the best written copy’s I believe, not because I wrote it, but because it has all the elements of a great radio commercial: it catches attention, it is funny, witty, delivers the sales message and provides a call to action.
The WRAPS Radio Commercial however does not have the call in numbers of the establishment, I cut them out before uploading it here.
I think I had a few other food related commercials, there is this other commercial I produced back in the late 90s if I am not mistaken, it was for a very popular local burger join, but I will tell you more about that later.
So to recap, should you need to write a good radio commercial copy, keep the following simple tips in mind:
- a great concept that revolves around the product, check out the products attributes or characteristics and play around with that, use such words in the copy to reinforce its good qualities
- catch attention, maybe by using humor (though there are other ways)
- be clear about the sales message you deliver
- provides a call to action
What is missing in the ad sample are specific details what the listener should do, and the sense of urgency to perform the action you want them to. I didn’t include them on the version I uploaded.
I hope you found this interesting and helpful… ’til the next time; keep on radio snacking!
This is the last batch of tips for radio commercials, I hope you have found these most helpful.
8. Sound effects are an important element to radio commercials, however need to be used appropriately. Sound effects are primarily aids in helping the listener picture the scene,and improper use of sound effects might divert the attention of the listener from the main advertising message. When listening to a radio commercial, the listener cannot see the action, and sound effects help in creating the scene, however since most effects sound alike, it is best used in tandem with the radio commercial copy, unless the sound is really unique and obvious. A listener may not be able to differentiate from water gushing on a sink or on a river bed or waves crashing on a shore, but that effect used with the right text such as “nothing beats lying on the sand getting that tan and listening to the ocean”; would be very effective.
9. Present a clear call to action! What do you want the listener to do after hearing the spot? You got their attention, they heard your message, so what next? A radio spot will only generate calls if, at the end, your prospect can answer the question, “What do you want me to do right now?” The answer should always be to get that inquiry, through phone call or walk in. To sweeten the deal, you can even reveal the call in number in a bribe or freebie such as the vioce over at the end of the ad saying, “To get your free brochure on how to lose weight fast by better eating, call (phone number).”
10. Give the listener a sense of urgency, a reason for them to act within a given time limit. Limited time offers are not an exclusive tool of direct mail, they work in every medium, also radio. No one wants to miss out on a good deal. YOu are eventually going to putt your spots out, especially if it is also a dated ad like a sale maybe, so you might as well establish a deadline to force an immediate response.
Welcome to our fourth installment of tips on radio commercials and radio advertising.
7. One of the most difficult tasks when getting started in writing your radio commercial copy is creating the ad’s format. There is actually no hard and fast rule, and it would really depend on what you would feel appropriate to the message and to the product. Here are the common formats being used.
Straight Announcer — This is by far the simplest, a single strong voice talking directly to the listener. The radio commercial copy should be simple, direct, and clear. The voice should speak as if direclt addressing a single person and not sound like someone reading. It is important for the copy writer to write like they were actually speaking to a person right in front of them, taking care not to use words that would distance the speaker from the listener. It does not have to be declarative, the voice can pose a question also.
Dialog — Let’s face it, people are social beings… we love to talk, and somehow we also love to listen to other people talk… if it is in any way interesting. In most cases the discussion revolves around one person’s experience about a product or service, with the other person not knowing anything about it; and thus there is a transfer of information.
The party that is unaware of the product can even pose questions or present opportunities that the product or service may provide.
This is a very powerful method of advertising, especially if executed well and with the voices used match the demographics of the listeners of the radio commercial.
Vignette — We start the ad with a scene like a slice of life scene presenting a situation or problem, followed by the announcer who presents the product or service as the solution. It could be several slice of life scenes punctuated with voice over announcements that. Vignettes can also be in the form of personalities or voices that represent a demographic and a situation they find them self in.
Person on the Street — This is the easiest to produce and has a high level of believability. All you have to do is pick people on the street, persons who represent the demographic that probably already benefits from the product, then ask this real people what they think about the product.
The key is to get them to talk about the product, describe how it’s benefited them and ask if they would recommend it to others. Not all the answers will be eloquent, and may need some measure of editing or cleaning up. Having them sound unscripted, unrehearsed.. REAL is what makes it effective. Hearing real people say good things is one of the best forms of advertising you can get.
Testimonials — This is actually taking the person on the street concept a step further by getting the people you picked to directly speak and address listeners, talking about using the product and its benefits. Testimonials treatments have been used with experts, celebrities, or ordinary people.
Story — This is one of the most difficult to put together, but very rewarding if pulled off. Everybody loves to hear a story but to do it in just 30 or 60 seconds is quite a feat. You would need a plausible, brief plot and voice talents who can properly deliver lines and add to the drama of the scene. Like any good short story, there is a crisis that needs a solution.
Welcome to Day 3 of tips for those who want to know more about radio commercials and radio advertising.
5. When writing a direct reponse radio commercial script, your ultimate goal is to get that phone to ring, or get that listener into your store. The absolute goal is to get inquiries or orders, or inquiries that you now have an opportunity to convert into an order. A really good radio commercial sometimes doesn’t guarantee a sale, but does guarantee a response in the form of a phone call or a walk in inquiry. What happens next depends on you; and what you do or say to that potential customer.
This may be a little off tangent, but here I would like to say something about handling inquiries, where a lot of potential customers are lost simply because the person who does the answering or the entertaining does not know how to handle a customer. When handling an inquiry, don’t simply be satisfied by giving information or making a client more aware about what you are offering. Go a step further, establish a rapport, build a meaningful relationship with potential customers by offering free information, free consultation, a special price, or some other reason to gain their trust.
6. So you have put together your radio commercial copy, the script that is going to get sent to production. You feel its a good script, catchy, funny, compelling. Now, take away the information about the product or the product itself. If the commercial sounds good on its own without the product, then you got a bad copy. Remember to make your radio commercial about the product or the selling message itself.
The mains sales message should come first, and that should what the entire ad revolve around, it is what the creative concept should revolve around.
This is the second installment of tips for radio commercials and radio advertising.
3. Project execution is critical! Once your copy is approved, it goes to the production company or a producer who puts the ad together. A great producer or production house to work with is that who can hear the ad in their head just by reading the radio commercial copy, and know what to do in order to produce the final copy; just the way the copywriter envisioned it to be.
The production house or producer usually takes care of getting the talents, identifying the right voice for the part, identifying the right music and sound effects to be used.
Most of the really good producers I know are those who are technically proficient, know their equipment and know how to achieve a specific sound. Although not an absolute rule, production houses or producers who have strong studio recording experience, a musical background and a good measure of creativity in them have been most successful at capturing the essence of the radio commercial copy.
The first version or demo cut is usually not the final cut and could be subject to changes as agreed by the people involved in the production process.
Have you ever hear a conversational radio ad, two people supposedly talking to each other but rather than sound like they were conversing they sound like they were reading and each from a different planet from the other. Terrible! If a client wishes to save a few bucks by just getting any body to deliver lines, they can save more money by simply not have a radio ad done.
4. Write for a specific length and specific purpose. Radio commercials have a purpose, the messages you deliver are just actions of achieving a specific goal. Are you promoting a sale? Is your ad a long running institutional ad? Do you simply want people to drop by your place during rush hour because its happy hour and drinks at half price for that specific day only? Know your goal, know your message, know how much time you would need to deliver the message.
30 second spots could be straight to the point, and very direct in approach that zeros in on the selling point because you do not have enough time. With a comfortable 60 seconds, you have enough time to set up your scene, sell your product, and repeat your phone number.