BROADCAST COPYWRITING

Radio Commercials

Please! Please! Please! No matter how tempting it may be to have the radio station write your commercial for free, it’s the biggest mistake you could possibly make. Trust me, you don’t want your account executive, an on-air announcer, the overworked production manager, or someone’s Aunt Sally writing your radio commercial. Hire a professional like me and you’ll reap the rewards in a heartbeat. You’ll know a radio commercial written by these folks when it the announcer is reading 100 mph, there’s more than one idea or theme, overused unoriginal cliche’s (ex: we will not be undersold; the best prices, selection and service, family owned and operated, yes and no questions that insult listeners’ intelligence (ex: do you like saving money?), unneeded phone #’s, long-winded addresses, and meaningless percentages of savings. My radio commercials:

Present your core message - Why are you better?  What's your marketing advantage?  What do you do better or what do you offer that no one else does?  Why should people give you their money?  Then prove it with a tangible statement!

Touch emotions – Taps into the emotional state of your target audience.

Paint a picture - Radio is a visual medium and also called “theatre of the mind”. A strong radio commercial tells a story that listeners can relate to.

Sell results - The listener has a problem.  You have a solution.  Demonstrate the product.  What are the results of them paying you money? While your product or service is dear to your heart, the listener doesn't care about it. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and ask yourself the question "what's in it for me?"

Talk about the listener and not your business - People don't care about your business. They only care about themselves and the ones they love. Therefore, to captivate their attention, you need to talk about them. Where is their "headspace". What are their problems? What do they value in life?" Once you've reached them "where they live" you are better prepared to have them answer this question: "Why would I pay my hard earned money to this business?".

Have a call to action - What is it you want the listener to do? Does the listener need to call you to make a reservation? Do they need to buy tickets? Do they need to come to your store to buy a product at a special price or before it’s gone? A call to action generates the need to respond.

Infomercials

An infomercial by definition is a commercial or audio program, or relatively long commercial segment offering consumer information related to a sponsor’s product or service. There are two forms of this advertising medium: the short form which is 1-2 minutes in duration and the long form which is 30 minutes long. I write infomercials that create urgency and get the order right on the spot.

Television Commercials

A great television commercial begins and ends with a great concept and script. You can have all the flashy graphics, dramatic lighting, and cool cinematography you want, but without a strong script and concept, you have nothing. I conceptualize and write television commercials that are highly creative, make sense, are well thought out, and most importantly drive business to your doorstep. Not many copywriters have directed and produced the commercials they’ve come up with, but I have. I’ve worked closely with animators, small and large camera crews, talent, sound people, and editors from script to screen on hundreds of projects over the years. Another added benefit of my production experience is that when I develop your script I am thinking of it from a production standpoint with all logistics taken into consideration as well. Most copywriters just write the copy, but are not looking at the whole picture.