{"id":19494,"date":"2017-01-30T00:16:25","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T08:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/?p=19494"},"modified":"2017-07-24T00:51:55","modified_gmt":"2017-07-24T07:51:55","slug":"avoid-radio-copywriters-block","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/avoid-radio-copywriters-block\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Always Avoid \u201cWriter\u2019s Block\u201d When Writing Radio Commercials"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tips<\/a>
\nDuring a recent teleseminar about writing radio commercials<\/a>, I was surprised by my response to an innocent and undoubtedly common question:\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do when you have writer\u2019s block? What do you do for inspiration when you\u2019re on a deadline but you just can\u2019t think of a good way to write a particular spot?\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I thought for a moment and then replied, \u201cI never experience writer\u2019s block.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not because I\u2019m an endless fount of creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s because I think in terms of \u201cstories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And before I can land on a story that effectively delivers the commercial\u2019s sales message<\/a>, I need to understand:\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/span> What does your product or service do for the people who buy it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually the client\u2019s first answer is either indecipherable industry mumbo-jumbo or a collection of meaningless advertising clich\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n

I doggedly continue to ask the question repeatedly until finally, exasperated, the client blurts out, \u201cIt _______!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The client thinks that blurted answer is obvious and too insignificant to mention; \u201ceverybody knows that,\u201d the client thinks.<\/span><\/p>\n

But I didn\u2019t know it until the client told me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that I understand the answer to my first question, I move on to my second question:<\/span><\/p>\n

2)<\/strong> <\/span>How does that positively affect their lives?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow does our medicinal cream that alleviates arthritis symptoms positively affect our customer\u2019s lives? It alleviates their arthritis symptoms, dummy!\u201d<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

They may not use those exact words, but that response evident in the client\u2019s tone of voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, I can make semi-educated guesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow they can pick up their grandchildren!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow they can play tennis again!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

But before I begin writing, I don\u2019t want to guess. <\/span><\/p>\n

I want to know.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe the targeted consumer for this particular arthritis remedy suffers mostly from pain in their toes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s their knees. <\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe a major side effect of the pain is constant sleep deprivation.<\/span><\/p>\n

I just keep asking until I get an answer that enables me to understand how, specifically, the product or service positively affects the lives of the targeted consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/span> Why should the targeted consumer purchase the product or service from your company and not from one of your competitors?<\/span><\/p>\n

Believe it or not, they don\u2019t<\/em> usually say, \u201cBecause we have a friendly, knowledgeable staff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Often they know why they want<\/em> people to purchase from them instead of from their competitors, but they haven\u2019t thought much about why<\/em> those people should purchase from them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I just keep asking that question until finally I get an answer that I understand and that I can use in their advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n

Radio Advertising Solves Problems.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m good at problem-solving, and I have a natural affinity for story structure \u2014 for what makes a story \u201cwork.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Once I understand the problem and the solution, it\u2019s just a matter of explaining in story form how the client can solve the targeted consumer\u2019s problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do I Never Suffer from \u201cWriter\u2019s Block?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Because I don\u2019t sit down to write until I already understand the problem. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once I\u2019ve zeroed in on the problem, multiple story ideas vie for my creative attention. <\/span><\/p>\n

When I do sit down to write, I may not know precisely how I\u2019m going to tell it but I have a good idea of the story I\u2019m going to tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

For The Record….<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cWriter\u2019s Block\u201d is not the same as \u201cAvoiding Writing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Like most good writers I know, I\u2019ll do almost anything to avoid actually sitting down to write.<\/span><\/p>\n

That common writers\u2019 behavior is caused by fear \u2014 fear that they won\u2019t \u201chave any ideas\u201d when they do try to write.<\/span><\/p>\n

But once I know what story I\u2019m going to tell, the fear is replaced by an eagerness to \u201cwrite it down\u201d — to get that story told<\/a>.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During a recent teleseminar about writing radio commercials, I was surprised by my response to an innocent and undoubtedly common question:\u00a0 \u201cWhat do when you have writer\u2019s block? What do you do for inspiration when you\u2019re on a deadline but you just can\u2019t think of a good way to write a particular spot?\u201d I thought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"yoast_head":"\nHow I Always Avoid \u201cWriter\u2019s Block\u201d When Writing Radio Commercials<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I was surprised by my response to the question: \u201cWhat do you do for inspiration when you just can\u2019t think of a good way to write a particular radio spot?\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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