Guidelines for Writing Radio Commercials

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Guidelines for Writing Radio Commercials
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• 1. At the top right corner of the page, type your
  name, the clients name, and the length of the
  spot (e.g., 30).
• 2. Practice your spot out loud (including sound
  effects and music). It should time out to about 3
  seconds short of its official length. (A 30
  second spot should time out to about 27
  seconds.)

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• 3. Anything not spoken as part of the commercial
  is typed in all capital letters. This includes
  speakers names. Describe the tone of voice or
  personality of the speaker when its distinctive.
  

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• 4. Sound effects are indicated as SFX and
  underlined. Music can be included as a sound
  effect. Indicate the number of seconds required
  for all sound effects and music.
• Be realistic about the sound effects you
  specify. They must be instantly recognizable to
  the listener.

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• 5. Be sure to describe (in caps so its not read
  out loud) the sound effects and music so a
  producer will know what theyre supposed to sound
  like.
• 6. Type abbreviations of elements and names of
  speakers along the left margin. After the last
  letter of the longest name or abbreviation, tab
  over 5 spaces and begin typing dialog and
  descriptions.

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• 7. Repeat the product name at least 3 times
  during the spot. Use a tagline like you would in
  a print ad to help position the brand.

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• 8. Remember that it takes, on average, about one
  second to read aloud 16 typed characters.
• Straight (one voice, no SFX or music)
  commercials can be delivered at the rate of about
  160 to 170 words per minute. But its best to
  limit 60-second commercials to no more than 153
  words and 30-second spots to no more than 75.
• Sound effects and music reduce the number of
  words you can include.

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• 9. Capture the listeners attention quickly. If
  you havent "hooked" him/her in the first 3 to 5
  seconds, you never will.
• 10. Use short sentences and simple writing. Avoid
  using numbers such as phone numbers or street
  addresses.