Radio Script Guidelines And Sample printable pdf download

National RTAP

Marketing Transit Toolkit – Radio Guidelines

Radio Script Guidelines and Sample

A radio ad usually is 30 seconds long. Some stations also will air 15-second spots.

Because radio commercials are fleeting, and your commercial is just one among many for

various items and services, information has to be repeated in order to be heard and

remembered. If you purchase a radio schedule on a local station, that station may help

you by airing the same ad at no charge as a public service announcement. Generally,

listeners “hear” a message at least three times before it registers with them, so repeating

an ad frequently in the same time periods is more effective than a “shotgun” approach.

Stations often are willing to air public service announcements without a complementary

paid schedule, too, but you will not have control over the time periods when your ad runs.

Some tips for writing your 30-second radio spot:

 Think about the message. The important points are your identity – the system

name – the benefit you have to offer, and how to get more information.

 Because it takes a moment for people to start listening to an ad, the first few

words usually are not heard as clearly as the information that follows; save the

essential information until a few seconds into the spot and then repeat it.

 Thirty-second radio commercials are approximately 75 words in length. When

you have drafted your spot, time yourself reading it aloud and adjust the copy

accordingly.

 To make it easy for an announcer to read and record your spot, type the copy in

all capital letters, 1.5 line spacing, and avoid breaking a word at the end of a line.

Format your script for the station on your letterhead, with your contact information at the

upper left corner.

Center text as follows:

:30 Radio Announcement (or :15 Radio Announcement if it is a 15-second spot)

To air (Month, Date – Month, Date, Year)

WHEN YOU NEED A RIDE IN THE TWIN PINES AREA, TWIN PINES TRANSIT

IS THE WAY TO GO! TWIN PINES TRANSIT OFFERS CONVENIENT SERVICE

DAILY TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS A RIDE, FROM LITTLE PINES VILLAGE TO

BIG PINES TOWNSHIP. FIND OUT WHY MORE PEOPLE ARE USING TWIN

PINES TRANSIT FOR SHOPPING, WORK, MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS,

COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASSES AND EVEN AREA RECREATION. VISIT

TODAY. OR CALL 000-0000.

TWIN PINES TRANSIT IS THE WAY TO GO!

Radio Script Guidelines And Sample