1. The Copy Workshop Workbook
Sound Advice for Radio
The Copy Workshop Workbook

2. 3 kinds of radio commercials
The pitch: The announcer talking to you. Basic tools are voice and words. Can add sound effects.
The situation: Create an event, a small drama that places your product in a situation of your own creation. Often funny.
The song: Music gives words new dimension.

3. Combinations
The bed: A pitch with a song in the background. Song might move to the foreground to sing the theme. Announcer talks, music creates a mood and reinforces copy points.
The donut: Song with a hole in it. Pitch is in the middle of a song. Begins with a song. Announcer pitches the product. There’s singing.

4. Combinations
The tag: A pitch at the end of a song. Announcer tells you where to get the product or provides other information like a special promotion.
The vignette: Flexible format uses all three types in any sequence. Short situations and bits and pieces of the pitch often held together in a song.

5. Radio structure
Context … Beginning
Content … Middle
Conclusion … End

6. How do these work? The pitch
Context at the beginning: Establish the brand theme, selling idea or problem. Establish a relationship with the listener with tempo, tone of voice and attitude.
Middle moves to content: information, reasons for buying.
Conclusion is the end: State the theme, wrap up the sale. Provide purchase information. Encourage listener to act.

7. How do these work? The situation
Context at the beginning: Place and personality. Who is speaking? Where? What’s the problem?
Middle moves to content: Builds through dramatic interaction.
Conclusion is the end: Payoff … a punch line, a problem solved.

8. How do these work? The song
Beginning is the intro. Establish musical context – tempo, musical attitude.
Use the first verse to establish context.
Develop the content with a verse, chorus or less-traditional musical structure.
End is the chorus and features theme as the hook or memorable music phrase.

9. Structure: beds, donuts, tags, vignettes
Most common is a combination of the three basic types.
Beds: Song is the background or pitch. Match structure of the song with the pace of the pitch. Words and musical mood should match. Tempo and attitude should match.
Also can start with announcer and bring in music as you introduce product.

10. Structure: beds, donuts, tags, vignettes
Donuts: Structure of the song is written and the concern is making the pitch match the size of the “donut hole” and song attitude. Donut varieties like double donut and donut with tag.
Tags: Open place at the end of the ad. Address and offer info.
Vignette: Interweave all different elements.

11. Structure Don’t talk like you write. Listen to what you write.
Horizontal dimension: time and tempo
Vertical dimension: sound

12. Time & tempo Horizontal time line 60 seconds long. That’s time.
Pace that you move at is tempo.

13. Time & tempo: the pitch The pitch
The tempo of announcer’s delivery can be a distinctive part of the ad.
Extra emphasis can be used for effect.
Pauses … can add … importance … to key ideas.
Repetition ties script together. Repetition works to build rhythm and emphasis.
Parallel construction in repetition can help build a solid rhythmic script.

14. Time & tempo: the pitch Mood and attitude can affect tempo.
Build excitement by pushing the tempo.
Add importance by moving slowly.

15. Time & tempo: the situation
Establish the situation, introduce characters, problem and product.
Then product is key part of the drama.
Then product is hero.
Tempo affects the mood and attitude.

16. Time & tempo: the song Tempo is critical but don’t rush it.
Find the tempo that’s right for the mood and attitude.
Make copy fit the tempo.
Think about natural rhythm.

17. Natural rhythm Writing for the ear.
Writing and phrasing is built with the natural rhythm of the words you use. Emphasis. Em-pha-sis. One-two-three.
Phrases have rhythm, too. One of the best. One of the best. One-two-three-four. One of the best. One-two-three-four. Oneofthebest. Onetwothreefour.

18. Natural rhythm
As you become more aware of the natural rhythm of words, your writing will improve.
You’ll find natural rhythmic emphasis will merge into your message and strengthen your writing.

19. Good habits for radio writing
Read your scripts aloud.
Leave time for pauses and special effects.
Underline words you want emphasized.
Indicate pauses … in your written script.

20. Po-Mo
Post-modernism movement. Ironic, knowing, self-reverential, rebellion.
Done right, it’s a shared joke. Creates a loop of shared understanding.
Understand what’s meant even if it’s different from what’s said.

21. New school jingles
One of the best ways to connect with a target is playing music he or she listened to as a teen.
Songs send much different messages than jingles. They work nostalgically and subliminally and create an emotional environment.
New school jingles add emotional content to a brand’s message.