Tips and tricks to writing radio scripts

Have you ever heard a radio ad that has kept you in staying in the car? Or maybe after getting home you went online and registered for whatever the advertisement was promoting?

Over the years I’ve been able to collaborate with others in this field and been able to learn about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to writing radio copy. I’ve worked on radio messaging around local elections, Christmas appeals, charity campaigns, radio promotions and ticket giveaways.

There is definitely an art to writing radio scripts. I’ve been drafting some radio scripts recently it got me thinking about the process.

Writing for radio can be a lot of fun and it’s great to be able to experiment with this medium.

Tips to writing a great radio script include the following:

• Keep it simple! If you wouldn’t say it, don’t include it!

• What is the main message you are trying to deliver?

• Who is the target audience? Am I writing to their wants/desires/needs?

• What is the main CTA (Call to action)?

• Read the script out loud! If it's hard to read out loud it's going to be hard to understand in a car/on the move etc. Not many people are just purely sitting listening intently to a radio ad.

• What audio can I use to evoke ‘theatre of the mind’? Can I use sound to get the attention of the listener?