Radio is dead.
That’s a fairly common misconception in the world of advertising. It’s also wrong. Radio isn’t dead, or dying. While it has changed and is evolving, you might be surprised to learn that traditional broadcast stations, our old friends AM and FM, reach roughly 93% of the country’s 18 and older population.  It reaches 92% of the coveted Millennials. According to top ratings firm, Nielsen, every dollar spent on radio ads brings in a $12 increase in sales. To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of radio’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
There is no formula
So, let’s talk about writing a radio commercial. There is no formula. You can be funny, silly or serious. There are no official rules, but we have unofficial ones.
Rule #1: Don’t be boring.
Rule #2: Don’t break rule #1.
Radio is limitless
Rule #3: Think outside the familiar.
You can go just about anywhere, do just about anything. Your commercial can take place in a kitchen or Kiev. It can be at the beach, in a boat, in a bodega. Radio has no limitations; if you produce a spot that takes place on the International Space Station, that’s where the listener will imagine it. Radio requires the listener to create the visual which saves you a ton of money. We’re not recommending you go there, but reminding you that you can. It’s okay to use your imagination.
Get us at “hello.”
Rule #4: Compel my attention.
It can be a statement, the first lines of dialogue, a question, a laugh, a song, a poem, a car horn, a fog horn; it doesn’t matter how you open, but start with something sticky, make us keep listening.
This isn’t real life
Rule #5: Write better than real.
We’ve all walked away from conversations and an hour later we realize what we should have said. Writing a script means you have the time to think before anyone utters a sound. You have the time to come up with the better comeback, the funnier line. You are literally putting words into someone’s mouth; make them good ones.
Lean and mean, not fat with facts
Rule #6: Less is more.
Most radio commercials are 30 seconds long. Don’t believe “experts” who say that’s 60 or 75 words. Don’t go by word count. We don’t speak at the same speed all the time and words aren’t all the same length. Time yourself reading it at a relatively leisurely pace. Do not try to cram everything you know about your company or product into one commercial. Allow the voice talent to breathe. Write as much as you want for the first draft, then edit it down. Then edit more. Once you’ve boiled it down to a single important, good point, it’s done.
That phone number again
Rule #7: Please stop telling us your phone number.
Yes, you want people to call your business, but you don’t need to tell them your phone number seven times. Keep in mind, with an area code, your phone number isn’t the 10 Arabic numerals on your print ad; it’s ten words. You put your phone number in a radio ad to let the listener know you’d like them to call. They aren’t going to remember it, but if they are interested they’ll find you online. Your website is actually more important to include.
Conveniently located
Rule #8: Avoid clichés.
We all get lazy and reach for the familiar cliché. “Don’t miss out!” “What are you waiting for?” “Now is the best time!” “Conveniently located!” Review your script and get rid of them.
These are some basic rules, but none are official and rules in any creative endeavor were made to be broken. What’s helpful is the fact that great radio commercials aren’t hidden in a vault somewhere, they are quite public. They are actually on the radio. And, a Google search of “great radio commercials” turned up 32 million results, in half a second. It would have been nice if it took 30.