Making radio commercials that engage, resonate, and reap the right results takes a lot more thought than simply reusing the words from your poster or TV ad. Here are five key points to consider from our Creative Copy Lead, Sue Storey.

1. Start strongly

Ads breaks are when people go off to put the kettle on. Give them cause to stop and listen with a strong hook, whether it’s asking them a question, grabbing their attention with a curious sound effect, or sometimes simply employing a commanding silence in a noisy world.

2. Remember that less is more

The more information you pack into your script, the faster your voiceover will have to speak to get it all in, resulting in a rapid-fire ad that’s very difficult for listeners to process, let alone recall. Give your words space to sink in.

3. Let your audience’s imagination work for you

Who says radio isn’t a visual medium? Use your words, sound effects and silences to paint scenarios in people’s minds, evoking feelings that are all the more powerful because they’re personal.

4. End with a strong call to action

Make it clear what you want people to do – and make sure they’ll remember who’s asking them to do it. How many times have you heard an interesting ad and then couldn’t remember what brand it was for?

5. Keep web addresses short

Long-web-addresses.co.uk/with/slashes-and-hyphens not only sound very silly when voiced, they’re also impossible to remember, so a waste of expensive media time. Keep them simple, and/or keep your brand high in search rankings so people can find you online by name alone.

Want your radio to reach further and resonate more? Say hello@differentnarrative.com