DAN O’DAY TALKS ABOUT RADIO

A Loyal Reader Writes:

“What do you think about using spots to try to find new business?  Not in these particular words, but a la ‘Here’s why you should advertise on WXYZ radio.’ “

There’s nothing wrong with the concept of a radio station’s advertising on its own airwaves to attract new business.

Unfortunately, almost all stations that do so make the same mistake that most of their advertisers do: They talk about themselves, rather than talking to the targeted listener about that listener’s biggest problems.

Typical Example

If you’re a (Local) business owner, you want to get your

message out to as many (Local) residents as possible. That’s

why advertising with Radio X is such a wise choice. Did you

know that X% of (Local) residents listen to Radio X each

week? And Y% of the highly desirable 25-35 year old female

demographic say they tune in to Radio X more often than any

other (Local) radio station. When you advertise with Radio X,

one of our expert specialists will work closely with you to 

craft an ad campaign specifically for your business and your

needs….

A typical radio commercial, right? The advertiser talking about how great the advertiser is…and asking for your business.

Here’s a generic example. I wrote it in 5 minutes for a fictitious client, making up the facts and the problem as I went along.

I own a printing shop in downtown (Local). Been a printer all

my life. But the business has changed a lot over the past 20

years. Probably within the past week YOU’VE printed

something at work or even at home that years ago you

would’ve taken a printer, right? Invitations, letterheads,

maybe even your own business cards. But there’s still a lot of

printing that you really need to have done by a professional. I

sat down with Marcie, one of Radio X’s account executives,

along with the station’s Creative Director. They really put my

business under a microscope, and together we realized that no

matter how much you can do on your own computer, you

really need us for your company’s full color, glossy

brochures. Our Radio X advertising campaign began 3

months ago, and they were right: We’ve increased our overall

sales by 14%. I’m Al Smith from Smithee The Printer, and

that’s my story.

ANNOUNCER: Radio X loves to help (Local)
businesses solve problems. (Call To Action goes here.)

Notes:

1.  I don’t identify the client who gives the testimonial until the very end, because:

A) I want some listeners to wonder, “Is this real? Or is this some radio announcer pretending to be a local business owner?” Saving his name (and the name of his business) until the end wipes away that doubt.

I love it when my audience enters into the conversation as skeptics…if I know they’ll conclude I’m “for real” before I’m done.

B)  I don’t want it to sound like a commercial: “Hi, I’m Al Smith from Smithee The Printer, here to tell you why advertising on Radio X is the smartest thing I’ve ever done….”

2.  I don’t have the guy giving the testimonial also give the commercial’s Call To Action, because that would transform him into a pitchman.

So to return to the original question: I can’t recommend a campaign that attempts to convince people “Why you should advertise on WXYZ radio.”

But a well-written, well-produced campaign (not necessarily testimonials) that shows local businesses how other local businesses have solved specific problems by advertising on your station? That could be a winner.

This video originally appeared here.

I heard this on a Southern California radio station:

“And now, continuous light rock continues….”

A Loyal Reader Writes:

“I’ve had a few clients who truly believe because they enjoy writing, they know exactly how to construct an effective commercial.
 
“One of my clients has a employee who writes poetry. One day, the client told me they’d like to run an ad the employee wrote, so I asked her to read it to me. Eagerly, the employee snatched the phone and read me her ad.

“To sum it up, it started with a cliche, talked about how great the client was…and said nothing about what they can do for the listener.

“To let her down gently, I told her I can use ‘something like it’ and asked to speak to the client.

“She was very offended that I wouldn’t use her copy, and she hung up on me.

“Later, the client called our sales rep and made it sound like I was being rude, disrespectful, and ignorant.
 
“Other times I get scripts from clients who attempt 2-voicers. Often, they’re so bad  I can’t even entertain the thought of putting them on the air.

“Usually they’re chock full of unrelatable human conversations, and the core message is buried somewhere in the announcer tag.
 
“What’s the best way to handle these clients?

“How can I encourage them to stick with providing just the copy info?

“I know writers (including myself!) are sometimes a testy breed. I want their commercials to work, but I don’t want to insult our clients.”

It’s all a matter of the account executive (not the copywriter) educating the client ahead of time regarding what radio advertising is, how it works, and how your station employs people who are expert at creating it.

In other words, before the client ever talks to the copywriter, the client has to believe that the copywriter knows more about writing effective radio advertising than the client does.