Day 2 of 7 Tips for writing ads

When I moved into the advertising side of radio 22 years ago, these were some of the principles that I followed to maximize success.

Here are the first 2 tips from Craig Arthurs Blog:

7 Tips for Writing Radio & Television Ads

by guest writer Sonya Winterbotham

Clutter V Clarity. It is better to tell one idea well, than to tell ten badly. Are you trying to put too much into your message? Try to strip all the information bare and find the strongest message, so you can tell that story well. Put aside all the client information that meets our expectations and go digging for that one little piece that surpasses our expectations, that piece of new information that will surprise the customer. Simplify that core message down to one sentence, even one word, than start to build your masterpiece from there. This little piece of gold is your foundation... now you can build the creative and it won't fall over.

Commercial speak is passé... My rule is simple - write the way you speak... don't follow Dorothy and Toto down the yellow brick road to Adland. Customers live in the real world - so should we. Be natural in your writing style, it's warmer, fresher and more welcoming. Think about the very basics - use contractions, use natural stumbles and hesitations (Think Big Pond's ‘Too Many Rabbits' ad), use slang, most importantly get out there and study real life and real speech.

If there are words and phrases in the script that you wouldn't say in a conversation with a friend, then, don't put them in your commercial either.

Sphere: Related Content