Seven Easy Guideline Steps to Writing a 30-Second Radio Ad

Dan O'Day reports:

"There is no formula for writing a 30-second radio ad. There is no one 'right' way. Here is a bare bones, 7-step structure that will enable you [to] write a serviceable radio commercial quickly…assuming you have adequate knowledge of the product or service being advertised...The Call to Action is the one action you want the targeted listener to take as a result of hearing your ad. Because the Call to Action almost always belongs at the end of the spot, with this method you’re beginning by writing your ad’s ending. The Call to Action is the one action you want the targeted listener to take as a result of hearing your ad. Because the Call to Action almost always belongs at the end of the spot, with this method you’re beginning by writing your ad’s ending...My favorite approach is Robert Collier’s copywriting dictum that successful advertising enters a conversation the targeted consumer already is having. Why is it my favorite? Because it’s easier to quickly establish rapport by going where the consumer is, rather than trying to coax the consumer to come to you. With certain campaigns, you need to start the conversation. This most frequently occurs when introducing a new product or service…which may require you to make the listener aware of a problem they didn’t know existed...Radio advertising solves problems. Those problems are the consumers’. Make it clear that you really do feel their pain, that you understand the problem and its ramifications...After you’ve identified the targeted listener’s pain point, don’t move on to your sales pitch. Instead, build upon that pain. It’s not enough simply to identify the problem. Remind the consumer how serious that problem is to them...There’s no point in highlighting the problem without making it clear that you have the solution for them...Most copywriters begin [their approach] with the first line of the commercial...Even a 30-second, single-voice radio spot that speaks directly to the consumer needs to be a story. If you were to break up your copy into paragraphs...each paragraph is the equivalent of a chapter in a book or a scene in a story. The story isn’t stitched together. Instead, it flows [easily] and naturally."