Radio ads: production and buying

Radio is bought by the spot and works by accumulation. The most common mistake is buying too few spots across too many stations.

Frequency over reach

A listener needs to hear a spot several times before it registers. A campaign of twelve spots spread across three stations gives four exposures per station, which reaches nobody often enough.

Concentrate: one or two stations, 20 to 40 spots per week, two to four weeks. That is the minimum viable campaign.

Writing for the ear

The business name repetition feels excessive when writing and is essential when listening. The listener has no logo, no image and no second chance.

What thirty seconds contains

1. A hook in the first three seconds, before attention is decided.
2. The problem or occasion, in one sentence.
3. What you offer, specifically.
4. The name, repeated.
5. One action, with a number or a memorable address.

That is approximately 70 spoken words. Anything more must be cut, not read faster.

Production

Station production is often included or cheap and is usually adequate. Independent production costs more and is worth it for a campaign running several months.

The variables that matter: the voice, which should suit the audience rather than the advertiser's preference; the pace, which should be slower than feels natural; and music, which should be quiet enough that the words are clear on a car radio at speed.

Avoid two voices in dialogue unless the script genuinely requires it. Most local radio dialogue scripts are painful.

Buying

Rates vary by daypart. Morning drive time is most expensive and reaches commuters; daytime is cheaper and reaches a different audience; evening and weekend rates are low.

Negotiate: package rates, bonus spots, and remnant inventory close to transmission. Stations discount considerably to fill unsold time.

Ask for a schedule showing the actual times, and check it after transmission against what was booked.

Measuring it

A dedicated telephone number, a code word, or a regional holdout where the station's coverage allows it. Radio response is immediate and short-lived, so watch enquiry volume in the hours after transmission rather than weekly totals.