Writing Radio Announcements

TYPES OF SPOTS: There are two types of spot announcements: selling and information. You tell your listener to take a specific action in the selling spot, but take more of a “soft-sell” approach in an information spot. You’ll want to be brief, keeping the sentence length short – no more than 20 words – in both types of spots.

SELLING SPOTS: The selling spot both informs your listeners and tells them to do something.

A selling spot has three steps: attention, appeal, and action. The attention step must grab your listener’s attention and set the tone for the spot. It might be a startling fact or statistic, a question, or a sound effect. Anything that gains your listeners’ attention and prepares them for what’s to come. The appeal step (body of the spot) tells your listeners what’s in it for them. It’s called the appeal step because you’ll address a specific appeal, or need, that your audience has. The action step demands some kind of activity. Even if you write to motivate your listener to some kind of action throughout, be sure to include a specific call to action in the last sentence of your spot.

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INFORMATION SPOTS: The information spot informs your listener without any direct call to action. Of course, the information you present should start your listener thinking about acting, but you do not address the action specifically.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are short, “noncommercial” announcements aired on radio or television to provide information to the public. A noncommercial announcement contains information that benefits its intended audience, rather than the company that created it. For example, a PSA that provides health information differs from an ad that promotes the sale of a health product. Consequently, most PSAs are produced by nonprofit associations, but commercial, for-profit organizations may also use them to promote their community-building activities and events. Free PSA air time (usually 10- to 60-second spots) on television and radio is available to groups such as community associations, community foundations, advocate groups, nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations that are promoting their community or nonprofit events. TV and radio stations donate this air time to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s public service requirements.

PSAs are used by organizations to: Familiarize the public with their organization

Publicize community events n Provide health and safety tips

Assist in fund raising efforts & Inform and influence public opinion

PSA messages: Must contain information that is beneficial to the community. Should not include controversial or self-serving material. Many radio and TV stations have guidelines for acceptance and production of PSAs. Some radio stations require audio PSAs that are ready to air.

Many radio stations encourage the preparation of live-copy PSAs, which are short, scripted announcements to be read by the station’s on-air talent during regular programming. (“Copy” is a term used to refer to text in brochures, press releases and, as in this case, a broadcast script.) PSAs are read as part of a community calendar or used whenever there is spare broadcast time. It is important to contact the public service directors at radio stations to determine the preferred format and length for PSAs.

Guidelines for radio PSAs Length

Fit your message into the standard time slots of 10, 15, 30 or 60 seconds. Names and phone numbers included in the message should be included in your timing. If you are submitting live copy, read the message out loud and time yourself.

Many stations prefer PSAs that are short.

·         Message: Include the most essential information in the first paragraph (the lead paragraph).

·         Use the active voice.

·         Print the PSA, if possible, on your foundation’s or fund’s letterhead (or with a heading that includes your organization’s name, address, numbers, etc.).

·         Type PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT at the top of the page so the journalist immediately knows what she’s reading.

·         Indicate whether the announcement is for immediate release or for a later release date.

·         For example, you can type “For Immediate Release,” “For Release on November 1, 2019” or “For Release On or After November 1, 2019.”

·         Include a contact name (most likely yours) and phone number. Be available to answer questions or provide further information. Call the reporter back promptly with responses to his or her inquiry.

·         Include a reading time (how many seconds it should take to read the PSA on the air).

·         Provide a short headline that summarizes the content at a glance. Try to include your foundation’s or fund’s name in the headline to build instant name recognition.

·         Format (for PSA copy)

·         Type on only one side of the 8½" x 11" piece of paper—never print copy on the back side of the paper.

·         Triple-space the entire PSA so that it can be easily read.

·         Indent all paragraphs.

·         Leave at least 1" for left and right margins. This gives the station space for editing, and makes your live copy easier to scan.

·         Try to limit your PSA to one sheet. If it spills over to a second sheet, try to end the first page with a completed paragraph, or at least a completed sentence.

·         Type “-more-“ (without the quotation marks) in the bottom center of the first page.

·         At the top of the second page type a brief heading (flush left or right, but not centered) that includes the name of your organization, the date, page number and topic of the announcement (in case it’s separated from the first page).

·         Mark the end of your announcement with “###” or a “-30-” (centered and without the quotation marks) to signal that no additional copy follows.