We get a lot of clients who wish to write their own scripts. This isn’t a problem as long as you understand the format and styling of the radio medium. If you’re thinking of going down this avenue, here are some helpful tips to get you started and get the best results:

1. Grab the listeners’ attention from the start.

2. Make sure you have an offer or benefit for the listener that will promote the need for your product or service.

3. Don’t include too much information in your script. The simpler your message, the easier it is for a listener to retain and act on it.

4. Don’t be too subtle or rely on a complex joke to get your message across. Once you ad has aired, a listener can’t go back and listen again. That’s not to say jokes are bad, but make sure they are easy to understand without needing any further research or explanation. Read your script out to colleagues and friends and get some feedback.

5. Make sure you haven’t included too many words. Once you know your ad duration (eg. 15 seconds, 30 seconds) read out your script aloud and time it. It’s very easy to read a script in your head and have it time out perfect, only to have a voiceover artist read it at a speed that’s more similar to a race call than a radio ad to fit it in time. Get someone to listen to you read the script to make sure you’re not reading too fast for the average listener.

6. Lastly, remember, you are writing for a listener, not a viewer. Audio productions are often referred to as the ‘theatre of the mind’. Write your radio ad stories, jokes, scenarios with sound effects and music in mind. Your listener can’t see into your head, so anything that needs to be known to the listener must be expressed through sound effects, music or dialogue.

If you have any questions about writing a radio script or getting it professionally produced at our studio, please feel free to call us on (02) 62622439 or email info@nimic.com.au.

Nimic Productions – A creative marketing partnership with one thing in mind… your success.