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315.01 Writing & Producing Radio

Spring 2010

Wednesdays, 3:30-6:20pm

Guidelines for Writing Radio Spots

1. At the top right corner of the page, type your name, the clients name, and the

length of the spot (e.g., :30).

2. Practice your spot out loud (including sound effects and music). It should time out

to about 3 seconds short of its official length. (A :30 second spot should time out to

about :27 seconds.)

3. Anything not spoken as part of the commercial is typed in all capital letters. Thisincludes speakers names. Describe the tone of voice or personality of the speaker

when its distinctive.

4. Sound effects are indicated as SFX and underlined. Music can be included as a

sound effect. Indicate the number of seconds required for all sound effects and

music. (See page 169 for an example.) Be realistic about the sound effects you

specify. They must be instantly recognizable to the listener.

5. Be sure to describe (in caps so its not read out loud) the sound effects and music

so a producer will know what theyre supposed to sound like.

6. Type abbreviations of elements and names of speakers along the left margin.

After the last letter of the longest name or abbreviation, tab over 5 spaces and begin

typing dialog and descriptions. There are several examples of this in chapter 8 in

your text. Do NOT follow the example on page 163.

7. Repeat the product name at least 3 times during the spot. Use a tagline like you

would in a print ad to help position the brand.

8. Remember that it takes, on average, about one second to read aloud 16 typed

characters. Straight (one voice, no SFX or music) commercials can be delivered at

the rate of about 160 to 170 words per minute. But its best to limit 60-second

commercials to no more than 153 words and 30-second spots to no more than 75.

Sound effects and music reduce the number of words you can include.

9. Capture the listeners attention quickly. If you havent "hooked" him/her in the

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first 3 to 5 seconds, you never will.

10. Use short sentences and simple writing. Avoid using numbers such as phone

numbers or street addresses.

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1) How to determine Your Radio Commercial Length

First of all, know the length of the radio spot that you need to write. Most radio stations

these days sell :15, :30, and :60 commercials. You'll need to be precise. 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 double spacing

between each line. With this in mind, here is a simple guide to follow:

* :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 write each

number as text to give you a more accurate line count.

Read more at Suite101: Writing Effective Radio Ad Copy: Six Steps to Successful Radio

Commercials http://radio-

advertising.suite101.com/article.cfm/writing_effective_radio_ad_copy#ixzz0dH1YY4by

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 that you need

to have included. These should be key attributes and selling points that 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 confusion on the listener's part. If your

company is blessed with multiple key attributes, consider running multiple ads thatincorporate the different attributes, but be sure to maintain the same "feel". You want

your script to have a natural flow, not be crammed full of as many words as you can fit

within the time limit.