Radio Ad Tips

Make your message Relevant and about The Listener

By creating a message that’s relevant to your target demo’s life, they’ll create an interest in your
commercial, and want to know more. Once you get a listener wanting to learn about your product or
service, their minds are open to absorb information, and you can brand your company’s name into their
long term memory.

Illustrate the experience of using your product, show how your service benefits them, and use terms and
concepts that paint a picture. If listeners can see it in their life, they’ll create a need for it. If you start an
ad only with information about your company, you may lose the listener before they even realize they
want what you sell. Give them a relevant reason to care about you first.

Whether on television, video, radio, or print ads, you need to know what audience will be consuming
your ad. How old are they? What’s their gender? What are their income levels or spending habits? Can
you describe the person that’s most likely to hear your commercial?

Because different radio stations have different demographics, make sure you target the right
audience. For example, you wouldn’t put an advertisement targeted for teenagers on a channel that is
for middle aged listener.

Find the relevant stations, channels, or shows where the demographics fit your consumer market. For
example, if you’re trying to sell a new energy drink, target stations with a younger, outgoing audiences
like alternative rock, hip-hop, or metal channels.

By understanding the people you’re trying to reach, you’re already on the right path to an effective radio
ad. Ask yourself; Are you trying to reach someone that’s already interested in your product (today’s
buyer)? Or are you trying to reach someone who may someday be interested in your product
(tomorrow’s buyer)? Ads for Today’s buyer can be easier to create, as the target demo is already
interested in your product. They may just be looking for a good price point, special promotion or extra
service to get them to buy, so a hard sell or direct ad can work effectively in this case.

However, Tomorrow’s buyer may not even know about your product and won’t currently care, so you
really need to interest and educate them with unique creativity. But if you do this well, your company will
be Top of Mind the day they decide to buy. You’ll also want to keep in mind the age range, gender, and
professional status of your target demo so your ad relates to them in their lingo, and you choose the
appropriate kind of radio station to advertise.

Make your message Interesting and Hard to Ignore

A common ad is a common mistake. When creating, don’t fall into the trap of worrying about what a
radio ad should or typically sounds like. Try to avoid being like others. If your commercial has unique
elements, it’ll better stand out in the commercial clutter and make people curious to learn more. If it’s
filled with common clichés and generalities, not many will remember it.
Since today’s consumers are hit by over thousands of advertisements a day (signs, tv, online, etc), you
really need to be different to make an impact. Find one or two really interesting and beneficial points,
and don’t let people ignore the message, or even worse FORGET it. But how do you avoid being
ignored? Be entertaining, make an interesting point, tell a story, be anything but the usual.

Start Strong

If you can’t get the listeners attention, you’ve lost the battle. If your listener is in a car, they might switch
the station. If they are online, they might mute the commercial. Don’t waste time with boring
introductions or verbose (wordy) explanations because most radio slots are short. Get straight to the
point and start hammering the benefits. Since you’ve taken the time to know your audience and what
they want, you can craft a powerful intro that captures their attention and creates interest.

Try adding an endearing jingle or a funny story or dialogue to keep the audience listening along. Also,
avoid confusing the listeners with complicated words or sentence structures.

Make your Message Simple and Clear

Many ads out there are too complex. Being too clever can sometimes go over listener’s heads and
they’ll never remember it. Or promoting too much information that distracts or bores them can lose them.
You can’t expect a person that has work, family, health, daily chores, errands, street signs, etc on their
minds, to figure out a complex message. Narrow down what you want to say to only the most compelling
point(s), and KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Repeating the main point is also never a bad thing. While it may sound redundant to you (the business
who’s close to the product) consumers can sometimes need reassurance of what they just heard is
correct. If it’s clear how your business can help the consumer, simplicity will help you be Top Of Mind.
Help the listener, don’t outsmart them.

Know Your Target Demographic

By understanding the people you’re trying to reach, you’re already on the right path to an effective radio
ad. Ask yourself; Are you trying to reach someone that’s already interested in your product (today’s
buyer)? Or are you trying to reach someone who may someday be interested in your product
(tomorrow’s buyer)? Ads for Today’s buyer can be easier to create, as the target demo is already
interested in your product. They may just be looking for a good price point, special promotion or extra
service to get them to buy, so a hard sell or direct ad can work effectively in this case.

However, Tomorrow’s buyer may not even know about your product and won’t currently care, so you
really need to interest and educate them with unique creativity. But if you do this well, your company will
be Top of Mind the day they decide to buy. You’ll also want to keep in mind the age range, gender, and
professional status of your target demo so your ad relates to them in their lingo, and you choose the
appropriate kind of radio station to advertise.
An Awesome Voiceover

Radio is the art of speaking effectively. Without a visual medium, everything relies on the voice,
tone, pace, variety, and emotion. The speaker needs to sound scared, excited, nervous, calm, etc. if
that’s the feel of the commercial; failing to get the perfect sound for your ad will lead to wasted sales
and, worse, wasted money. Get a professional voiceover to fits the message of your commercial and
demographic of listeners.

A Simple and Strong Call-To-Action (CTA)

Ask yourself: What is the one thing you want them to do at the end of the commercial?

Visit your website? Call a phone number? Visit your store? Whatever it is, make it crystal clear to your
audience.

Then, keep it simple. Unlike explainer videos on websites, radio listeners can’t click on a button while
driving in a car or listening to Radio while on a treadmill. Many of them don’t have the chance to write
down a phone number on a piece of paper or memorize a complicated URL Make the next step a
breeze by following a few simple rules:

 Make your phone number easy to remember. For example, (800)ABC-. It’s relevant and cinch to
retain.

 Make your URL simple or use words that fit your mission. “Rememberthemilk.com” is an online
to-do list that simplifies task management. (It’s also a clever and memorable name.)

 Repeat your CTA several times. They may not have caught it the first time because they’re still
digesting your information.

 Get them to act. If your listener hears your commercial and becomes interested, you need to
strike when the iron is hot, otherwise they’ll put it on the back burner along with the hundreds of
other things they need to think about. Give them a limited-time offer. Explain that the first 100
callers will get a special discount. Create a sense of urgency and give them an irresistible
incentive.

Remember…

 Know the audience and understand who is listening to your ad.

 Grab attention by starting strong.

 Use a great voiceover to convey the right message and resonate with the audience.

 Always test your advertisements to get the best results.

 Finish with a strong call-to-action to strike when the listener is motivated.