How to Write a Radio/TV Commercial.
Or one for a Podcast and YouTube channel.
This is for all you Freelance Writers and Copywriters out there.
The question of how to write a TV commercial came up a few months ago on a Copywriting Facebook group that I was in. It was obviously from someone who doesn’t have broadcasting experience like I do.
Yes, I do have one from 10 years ago. However, most of my experiences were in radio and podcasting. But I do know the format of writing a great TV script.
The Big Difference Between Writing a Script vs. Any Other Form of Writing.
The most significant difference between writing a script and any other form like writing a blog, is time constraint. For screenwriters, a page is a minute. So 90 pages is an hour and a half. The same does go for writing for television, radio, or a podcast. But know that the time limits for those shows are 22 and 45 minutes.
The podcast that I have right now is 45 minutes. I use a stopwatch on my phone or David Tyler — Script Timer. To help me time my script.
If you are writing a commercial in audio or video form, the standard time limits are 15 seconds, 30 (The basic standard), 60, and 90 seconds. The reason for this is because that’s how long a human attention span is.
The best way to time your commercial is to use a stopwatch on your phone, and you do have to read it out loud to make sure that it is the correct time. Reading quietly to yourself won’t do because everyone cannot talk at the same speed that they read. Remember that a voiceover is going to record this.
What does a Radio Commercial Script Look Like
A radio/podcast commercial is what I would call the theatre of the mind. The above example, is one of my best scripts that I had written for two local department stores before they started doing it nationally.
What does a TV/Video
The biggest difference between writing a commercial for radio/podcast and writing for TV/YouTube is obvious video.
Even though I haven’t written for video/TV in years (The last time was in Broadcasting School), I have a sample of what the script format looks like:
And you do have to write in both columns.
Do I have to Write What Camera Angles to Use For Video?
For a new Copywriter, you don’t have to worry about what camera angles to write down. But you know something about screenwriting, then you could. However, it’s best to let who is going to direct this worry about that.
How do you Sell in a Commercial?
It’s the same copywriting formulas, no matter the medium you choose. For a refresher, here they are:
- AIDA — Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
- Problem-Agitate-Solve.
- Feature-Advantage-Benefits.
- Clear, Concise, Compelling, and Credible.
- Useful, Urgent, Unique, and Ultra Specific.
Like in all forms of copywriting, you need an attention-grabbing headline in the first or second sentence of your script and a Call to Action. In the case of audio scripts, it’s better to say the web address compared to a phone number. Anything with a .com is easier for a listener to remember. Plus it’s easier for the voiceover to say compared to numbers.
Call to action in TV/Video is better because you can write the business address, phone number, and web address in the video column. It will appear on the screen as a text for the view to read.
I hope that you did learn something new. So you better write one now.
