10 Commandments for Crafting Compelling Radio Ads

radio ads

Radio is an old-fashioned medium that has both retained and grown its reach. Public station revenue has leaped from 624 million to 900 million in the last ten years. The popularity of online streaming means the numbers will only increase.

The radio audience is a devoted one, listening for an average of 106 minutes a day, but the vast majority of this time is spent during commutes.

How can a business make sure that no one changes the channel while their ad is on? A carefully crafted message is all it takes.

Discover the 10 commandments for crafting compelling radio ads below. Obey them to create something listeners will never be able to forget.

First Commandment: Thou Shalt Choose the Right Person for Thy Radio Ads

Unlike television, radio doesn’t have the benefit of visual elements to add interest. It’s all about the audio, which makes choosing the correct people to voice the ad an essential part of the planning process.

It is common for a company leader to provide the voice talent, and doing so has numerous benefits. It creates a sense of authority while increasing trust. 

At the same time, it can be dangerous not to hire a professional. There is a risk of ending up with dialogue that sounds artificial or fails to portray a character effectively.

In the end, deciding who should voice a radio ad is one of the most important choices to make. It is also dependent on other elements such as content and audience. 

Second Commandment: Thou Shalt Record Thy Audio Well

The best radio ad in the world will be ineffective if the sound quality is subpar. A poorly recorded ad will quickly make listeners change the channel.

Using effective equipment and taking your time are two ways to ensure the ad sounds great. Check out our article on best audio recording practices for more tips.

Third Commandment: Thou Shalt Use Appropriate Timing

Time is at a premium in the oversaturated world of radio advertising. This doesn’t just mean to keep ads short; it’s also important to consider when to air it.

Radio stations measure success in terms of listener numbers like television stations measure viewers. However, a radio listener must listen for at least 5 minutes in a quarter-hour period for their contribution to count. An effective radio ad must air during a time when the station’s audience will be listening. It must also keep them from changing the channel for as long as possible.

Fourth Commandment: Thou Shalt Elicit the Necessary Emotion

Many of the most effective ads in any format work so well because they manage to make their audience feel something. Touching the heart of an audience is wonderful, but it is also important to create the correct emotion. Determine what listeners should feel before creating the ad or risk sending the wrong message. 

Fifth Commandment: Thou Shalt Cater to Thy Audience

Increasing listener numbers is great, but it is also important to ensure that the right people are tuning in. Getting someone with no interest in the product or service being advertised to listen is not a great way to encourage sales.

The first step of catering any message is to determine who the audience is. This is done by analyzing their demographics, habits, and other identifying factors. The next is to find out what they want or need, which is as simple as sending out a survey or poll. Lastly, figure out how to make an ad that speaks to both these elements and is relevant to the right people.

Sixth Commandment: Thou Shalt Mention the Product (But Not Too Often)

A commercial that doesn’t showcase a product or service won’t translate into profit. It’s important to clearly indicate what is being offered but not overwhelm listeners with branding.

A study on radio commercial retention showed that while mentioning a brand does help listeners remember an ad, doing so too often can have the opposite effect. Work the product naturally into the message of the ad to achieve the right balance.  

Seventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Maintain Attention

There are thousands of radio stations available to listeners today. Keeping them from tuning to another channel while a radio ad is on is a matter of holding their attention.

There are numerous effective methods to keep listeners. An attention-grabbing opening line, relevant message, appropriate emotional appeal, limited-time offer, and other hallmarks of effective content will help ensure potential customers don’t touch that dial.

Eighth Commandment: Thou Shalt Provide an Enticing Offer

Radio commercials usually only have 15-30 seconds to grab a listener’s attention and prevent them from turning the channel. It’s essential to get to the point quickly and show listeners why they should care about the message being conveyed.

A sale or special promotion is a great time to run radio ads, as they entice customers to buy before the offer goes away. However, there are other ways to turn listeners into customers, such as appealing to their emotions or telling an entertaining story in the ad. 

Ninth Commandment: Thou Shalt Use the Correct Format

Researchers found that, while the old-fashioned announcer-style ad is the most common, a more relatable, slice-of-life story is usually more effective. Just like a picture looks better in a beautiful frame, a radio ad becomes more effective when it uses the appropriate format.

Tenth Commandment: Thou Shalt Write Effective Scripts 

All the commandments come together when it is time to create a script for a radio ad. A script serves as the blueprint for a story, and if it doesn’t convey the right message, the ad will fail.

See an example of how to format radio commercial scripts and more tips on how to write them effectively here.

Are You Ready to Start?

Has learning how to make a radio ad inspired you to use this effective outreach method in your own business? Ready to air radio ads that increase your profit and customer base?

Then check out our radio advertising services and contact us to request a quote today!

Reach of Radio

reach of radio

Radio is a timeless source of entertainment for all ages in the United States. As such, radio is also an important vehicle for advertising. Earlier I’ve written about some tips to get your message to the largest amount of people. Now I’m going to write about the commercial reach of radio.

Who’s Listening?:

Radio reaches more than 243 million American adults each month. That’s about 96% of US adults listening to the radio at some point each month. Every week, 94% of adults listen to the radio. This has been true for a number of the past few years and is comparable to the 94.9% that listen to the radio in 2001. These numbers haven’t changed much over the years, even with the introduction of iPods and music streaming. So it’s reasonable to assume they won’t change anytime soon.

If we break it down further by generations, we can see some of the specifics of demographics. 95% of Millennials listen every month. 97% of Gen Xers and 98% of Boomers listen to the radio weekly. 44.6 million Hispanics and 34.5 million African Americans listen to the radio each month (96% and 97% respectively). Radio reaches most Americans regularly, whether it be driving in the car, listening at work, or having it on at home.

According to reports, those who are more educated and have a higher annual income, listen to radio more often. As you move from not working to working, levels of education, and average annual income, the higher percentage of people listen. For example, 71% of working people in the survey listen to the radio, compared to 61% of non-workers. 74% of degree-holding people listen to the radio, 62% of those with some college, and 56% of those with no college.  On the salary side of things, people who make less than 25k have about a 50% listening rate in that demographic. 61% of those in the 25k-$44.9k range, 68% of those in the $45k-$74.9k range, and 75% of those in the $75k+ range.

Why do people listen to the radio?

Finding why people listen to the radio is helpful information when you begin crafting your ad campaign, but the answers tend to be less than helpful. Targeting a popular DJ is always a good shout for a consistent audience but surveys show that only about 24.5% of people listen to the radio for its DJs or show hosts. Most people listen to the radio because it’s free and convenient to listen to in the car. About 57% of the 18-34 demographic listen because it is free. That number rises as you get older with 61% and 66% in the 35-54 and 55-75 age groups respectively.  There’s no single reason why people listen to the radio. 200 million people listen to the radio every month for a variety of reasons. Here’s the full list from Deloitte.

Conclusion:

TV and Newspapers have struggled in recent years, but Radio has stayed relatively consistent. The TV has seen a 50% decline in viewership from the younger demographics in the past few years, and newspapers as a medium are struggling. Radio doesn’t have these problems, and it’s just as relevant now as it was 20 years ago. That means it’s still a viable platform for advertising and marketing. Any more questions? You can contact us here!

3 Reasons Why Radio Commercials Boost Sales and Leads

Radio Success

Think video killed the radio star? And YouTube killed the video star? Think again. Radio is still a compelling marketing medium and has the power to target consumers who don’t use the Internet. Here’s why you need to incorporate radio commercials into your digital marketing strategy. You’d be a fool not to.

1. Radio Commercials Target Lucrative Markets

 

You hear a lot about millennial, the so-called lucrative consumer segment that most brands spend all their money on. However, the over 50’s are one of the fastest-growing and richest demographics in the United States, according to research [1]. And with a great radio commercial, you can target this group effectively and generate more leads to your business. It’s not just the over the 50’s, however.

All age groups listen to the radio at some point, providing you with ample marketing opportunities.

2. Online Radio is Big Business

 

Online radio might play second fiddle to more dominant digital marketing platforms like video streaming, but it still provides a hefty return on your investment. In fact, studies show that the number of Americans over the age of 12 who listen to online radio has skyrocketed in recent years, and was the highest it’s ever been in 2016 [2]. Online radio offers customers more choice and lets you get your message across in mere seconds. The result? More customers, higher sales, and greater revenue. Use radio as the basis of your lead generation strategy.

3. People Listen to Radio For Longer

 

Radio resonates for longer than other mediums. In fact, studies show that average radio listening times have more than doubled in the past five years [3]. While a YouTube ad or banner ad might be momentary, radio commercials continue to produce results. Consumers hear the radio on their commute to work, for example, making this a profitable marketing opportunity.

Radio advertising is known as the “theater of the mind.” This is because the images created by radio are ones that come from inside your mind. With only 60 seconds to convey a message compelling your otherwise distracted audience to act, you can see why radio commercial production is such an exciting challenge.

There are three main parts of creating a radio ad you must always consider. These include:

    • Casting is vital.

      • Without the right voice talent, you’ll waste a lot of time and money. For this, you’ll need to really understand the ad’s tone. Not only do you want the voice to grab attention, but it must also be believable and resonate with your audience.

    • Directing the voice talent towards creating an effective ad occurs in several steps.

        • It’s important that your pre-session consists of just one person talking to the voice talent so they’re not overwhelmed. You must also be ready to produce any sounds you’re envisioning. Make sure you can articulate this to your voice talent. In this regard, you’re acting as a coach.

      • Producing crisp, clear sound is important.

        • Loud music either distracts your audience or drowns out your voice talent. In either case, you don’t want this to occur. So, if it isn’t necessary, don’t include music in your ad. Once you have your ad created, make sure you save it as a .wav file so quality isn’t lost when you’re working on different drafts, which happens with MP3 files.

Killerspots Agency, specializes in radio marketing, creative creation and strategic media buying that is not only engaging but trackable.  ROI that turns listeners into traffic through your doors.

Hearing is believing. Click to hear some of the custom Radio commercials produced for businesses all over the United States in many different industries.  It may just inspire your creative juices for some effective radio to drive sales!

Radio Commercial Production: Cost Effective & Time Efficient

radio commercial production

As a business owner, you’re always looking for new ways to advertise your service and/or products. If you haven’t done so already, consider radio commercial production as a way to reach more people. Radio is an effective and efficient way to spread the word to a large number of consumers.

Advantages of Radio Commercial Production:

Cost Effective

Since you don’t need as much production time compared to some other forms of advertising. A radio commercial doesn’t take as long to create and is therefore less costly. Also radio spots are more affordable than many other types of media. So your ad can run more times, enabling you to reach additional people with your message. According to a report by Nielsen on the effectiveness of radio advertising, “each dollar of ad spend generated an average sales return of $6 from the listeners in the 28 days after they heard the ads.”

Time Efficient

Because of targeted radio stations, you have a wider variety of choices. You can reach your demographic easier and more quickly. Based on the type of listeners — such as a country station or a station that plays oldies. You won’t waste time advertising to people less likely to find your product of interest. Also, you only need a small amount of lead time in radio, so you can get your ad out and running more quickly. According to another report produced by Nielsen, “More than ninety percent of Americans listen to radio each week.” So don’t overlook the time efficiency of marketing to such a large audience.

Contact us for more information on radio commercial production. We’re a full service, digital marketing, production and media agency. We help clients to develop and grow!