8 Steps to Writing an Effective Radio Ad Script

A radio ad of 30 seconds doesn’t seem like much time to convince someone to buy your product. But, if your script is captivating, 30 seconds can be more than enough – especially when your 30-second ad is repeated periodically on several popular radio stations.

In this Step By Step Guide, we will be taking you through the process of how to write an effective radio advertising script. It is worth mentioning that there is no “right” way to write a radio script, but this step by step guide will propel you in the right direction.

Before we jump in, let’s highlight the main components that need to be covered to ensure that your ad captivates your audience and brings you the return on investment you’re looking for. When writing a radio ad script, you should:

• Highlight the consumer’s problem in an attention-grabbing way
• Show empathy
• Stress the pain the problem causes
• Mention how your product solves this problem
• Guarantee the customer’s satisfaction
• Include testimonials if possible
• Conclude with a call to action

Radio ads are meant to be short and sweet. Remember, when you book radio campaigns, you work on certain slotted times. Keep this in mind with this handy table outlining the typical amount of time is takes per number of words in your script.

An important factor to keep in mind when producing your radio ad is sound. Sound effects and background mood music help build an atmosphere. Sounds also trigger memories and emotions in the listener.Now, let’s dig into how you should tackle writing your perfect radio advertising script.

Begin your radio ad script by identifying the action you want the listener to take. You’re running this campaign for a reason, what do you want the listener to do? Know about your brand? Visit your nearest store? Generally, radio ads leave this Call to Action (CTA) at the end of the ad, but in order to create a successful script, first understand what exactly you want to achieve. Let’s use the example of a travel agency. Their CTA would be: “Call us on 0800 FLIGHT to book your next dream holiday!” They’re actioning the listener to phone their direct number. Other examples are: “Visit flights.com to see our current specials” or “Visit your nearest flight centre to enquire“.

What usually makes your ears perk up when mindlessly listening to the radio and an ad comes on? Perhaps it’s the voiceover artist talking about a particular problem you’re currently encountering. This will resonate with you because it’s something you’re actively dealing with. Then the ad pitches the solution and you’re intrigued. You want to catch the listeners attention immediately so that they don’t change the station to look for something more interesting. By using a conversational language you avoid running the risk of sounding too promotional, instead, you sound more advisory. Starting with a question often engages listeners in a way that a statement wouldn’t. Let’s take the travel agency example again:

• “Struggling to find great travel deals this holiday season?”
• “Have you always dreamt of enjoying a refreshing drink on a beautiful white sandy beach?”

Empathy goes a long way. It can also be a highly effective methodology to use in radio advertising scripts. By making your listener feel like you have been where they are or that you understand their situation, they are more receptive to think you are best suited to give advice about the topic. A listener is more receptive to listening to a solution from someone who clearly understands the problem. Our fictional travel agency could use something like ” We know just how frustrating it can be when things don’t go according to plan while on holiday.“

Now that you have identified the problem and made the listener feel like you know exactly what they are going through, you can now offer them the solution to the problem by explaining how your product or service will help them. A smooth transition toward your product or service. Our travel agency example could slide in with “With our easy yet comprehensive travel solutions, you can make sure that you a have stress free holiday!”

In your radio ad script, be sure to mention your guarantee if you have one. By mentioning this, you send a message to your listeners that they can trust you because you’re willing to stand behind your product. Minimal risk will make the listener more interested in pursuing what you’re offering.

If there is enough time, another great hook is including testimonials from previous clients. This will add more credibility to the effectiveness of the product.
Here are some ideas on where to generate the copy of testimonials from. Use your existing reviews if you have any on channels such as Google reviews, website reviews, reviews provided via email for successful completion of projects and even social media reviews. If you don’t have any live reviews, you might want to source reviews by creating a survey for your client base with the kind of information you’d like to find out. For example, surveying customers for a star rating on how amazing your product is, may result in a phrase in the ad such as “..That’s why we’ve already received over 500 5 star ratings from ecstatic customers..” between sections to push trust/benefits. You can ask specific queries to get the desired benefit you need in the radio ad.

Tell the listener what they need to do now to get the benefits that have just been highlighted to them. Example- Call Us Now on 0800 FLIGHT! Make sure the CTA is easy to remember.
Accelerate responses with a time limit; people don’t like to miss out on a great offer, give them a little push by putting a time limit to the deal. For example- “offer valid until the 30th of June only!” This step you can include if time allows, and don’t forget to mention that Ts and Cs apply.

Test your script to make sure that it sounds logical and flows like a good story. Check if you can “picture” the story as you are reading it; remember people can’t physically see what you are advertising but if you have a great script they should be able to picture it. It is always a good idea to read your ad out loud to one or two people and get their feedback.

At Empire, we have had the pleasure of creating and executing radio campaigns around the globe for years. We are well versed in understanding how different markets react to different type of radio ads. Below are a few examples of successful radio campaigns we have run for our clients in the past.

Empire has years of radio industry experience and we’ve not only crafted thousands of radio ad scripts, we also have access to some of the world’s best voice over artists. We are able to craft captivating scripts for your campaigns, have access to world class recording studios and we can assist with guidance on what placements on which radio stations would work best for your target audience. If you’re looking to launch a radio ad, no matter in which country, contact us and our team will gladly help.