Category: Radio

While it may seem that Americans are shifting from radio to streaming platforms to listen to music, that isn’t quite the case. According to a 2021 Nielsen study, 88% of Americans listen to AM/FM radio weekly. That leaves plenty of opportunities for radio advertisements to reach their intended audience.

If you have a small business, advertising on the radio is a no-brainer. It has an incredible amount of reach, and a relatively low cost compared to other forms of advertising. But when writing a radio ad, what type of radio ad should you choose?  There are many types of radio ads out there and deciding which style to write in can be a challenge.

In this blog, we’ve rounded up the top 6 types of radio ads. Here, you can learn a little bit about what they are, their effectiveness, and the pros and cons of writing in that style.

1. Straight Read

A straight read radio ad is the most straightforward type of radio ad. It’s a produced segment where one or more voices read from a script about the product or service. Typically, the voice talent is talking directly to the audience, telling them about the benefits of the product and why they should buy it. Straight read ads typically will include a call-to-action at the end of the ad, usually directing the listener to call a phone number or visit a website to learn more and make a purchase.

Straight reads tend to be easier to write and produce than other types of radio ads. They’re best suited for shorter ads, as well, usually at 30 seconds or less. Depending on the voice talent, however, they can easily be tuned out by the audience if the line delivery isn’t engaging enough.

2. Live Read

A live read ad is similar to a straight read, but it involves a radio personality reading from a script live on-air. The host of the radio show or DJ typically reads these ads out during short breaks between the other segments of the show.

Live reads can help your company stand out from the crowd, as the host’s familiar voice will hold listeners’ attention. A popular host reading your radio ad can also sound like an endorsement, which could incentivize listeners to check out your services.

3. Jingle Ad

Often combined with the straight read, a jingle ad is one of the most popular types of radio ads. Jingles are effective at getting listeners to remember a brand, due to their repetitiveness and use of melody. When combined with a straight read radio ad, the talent will typically talk about the product or service, and then the jingle will play in the background and/or at the end of the advertisement.

Jingles evoke emotion, increase recognition, and can often get stuck in listeners’ heads. If you combine a jingle with a memorable script for a straight read, you can create an effective commercial that will get listeners to follow your call to action.

Jingle ads can be a little more difficult to produce than a straight read, however. If you don’t already have a jingle for your company, you’ll need to write one or have a songwriter compose it for you. This can be costly at first, but the return on investment of a catchy jingle can be invaluable for future advertising.

4. Personified Ad

A personified ad is a type of radio ad where one or more speakers assume a character to deliver the script of the ad. These ads can be particularly memorable with the right script and voice actors, as they will catch listeners’ attention due to their narrative nature.

A typical personified ad script will usually have a character voice a problem, and then another character offers a solution in the product or service that is being advertised. The characters will discuss the product or service and its benefits, and the ad can close out with a jingle, a call to action delivered by an announcer, or the characters themselves talking about what to do next.

Personified ads can be humorous or play it straight, but either way, you don’t want the script to sound too cheesy. You can run the risk of making your audience roll their eyes, or become annoyed with the ad. A talented scriptwriter and voice actors can sell a personified ad effectively, but it may take several rounds of writing and recording to get it right.

5. Testimonial Ad

Testimonials can be a powerful tool to encourage radio listeners to purchase your product or service. Having a real customer record their thoughts on your product not only provides valuable feedback for your business, but it can be an effective type of radio ad. You can interview customers yourself, or request that customers send you recordings to utilize within a straight read ad. Keep in mind, however, that having a customer record their own audio may result in quality issues. If you or your producer has a good microphone and sound system, it may be worth the investment to interview the customer personally to receive the best quality audio for your radio ad.

6. Sponsorships

Finally, the last type of radio ad is the sponsorship ad. Sponsorships are a little different than most radio ads, as they are more subtle, but they can be quite effective. Like with a live read, the host of a radio show tells the audience at regular intervals that the broadcast is sponsored by your company. The host can then talk about your business, or just keep the ad to simple reminders to check out your product or service and thank you for sponsoring the show.

Sponsorships are more popular in other forms of audio advertisements, like podcasts, but they can still be effective on AM/FM radio. They take advantage of audience attention when they’re the most engaged, which is when they’re listening to the host talk about the topic of the day. You can reach out to local radio stations to ask about sponsorship opportunities.

Killerspots can Write All Types of Radio Ads for Your Business

No matter which type of radio ad is best for your business, Killerspots can write and produce effective and engaging ads for you. Our agency has been crafting killer radio spots for our clients since 1999, with award-winning results. Get in touch with us today for a quote, and you’ll be hearing your company’s name on the airwaves in no time.

AM/FM radio in the United States has nineteen times the audience share of streaming services like Spotify. If your business isn’t making its voice heard on the radio, you need to ask yourself why not!

Custom radio ads for your business can introduce you to a local customer base that you might not reach through other means. An effective radio ad can also drive brand awareness. We’ve all had a charming radio jingle stuck in our heads for weeks at a time – with the right radio ad, that jingle could belong to your business.

Keep reading, and we’ll teach you the basics of creating a custom radio ad. You’ll be all over the airwaves in no time!

Why Advertise on the Radio?

When you advertise on the radio, you can target your audience much more narrowly than you can with TV or digital ads. Radio stations are constantly assessing their listener bases, trying to see what specific demographics like best about their programming. They almost always know which age groups listen when or who tends to like which show.

That makes it easy for you to target the customers you want. When you advertise on the radio, half of your market research has already been done for you!

Radio is also much more affordable than television or digital advertising, even though they have roughly the same reach. Because radio advertising relies on repetition, you get more plays for your money on the radio than on TV. Overall, it’s a cost-effective way of getting your message out there.

And if you’re hoping to target local customers in particular, advertising on local radio stations is a great way to help them find your business. 

When to Place Your Custom Radio Ad

You’ll need to do market research to figure out when to place your custom radio ad. If you know your ideal customer, you’ll be in a better position to reach them. Think about who they are, what they want, and what problems they have that your product or service can solve.

Once you have a profile of your ideal customer, you can investigate which radio stations they’re most likely to listen to. Look into the most common listening times for your target demographics, so you can plan exactly when and where to place your ad.

If you’re looking for the under-35s, try top 40 or alternative radio at peak times of the day. Over-55s are likelier to listen to classical or talk radio, usually at peak hours and sometimes in the evenings. Radio stations will have data on their listeners’ habits, so get in touch and use their expertise.

Figure out which radio stations fit your ideal customer’s persona, then start reaching out to discuss your advertising options. They’ll probably be happy to work with you!

The Cost of Radio Advertising

Radio advertising is more affordable than TV or digital advertising. However, you also need to factor in the cost of producing a radio ad.

Creating custom radio ads for your business can cost between $300 and $1000, depending on the service you use. While it’s possible to save money by creating your own radio ad, you may compromise on quality. Your ad might be less effective as a result.

Running a radio ad can cost anything from $200 to $8,000 weekly. Costs vary depending on when you’d like to advertise, the listening audience size, the demand for radio ad spots in your area, and more. A local radio station in a less populated state will have more affordable radio advertising spots than a radio station in busy, expensive New York City!

When making a radio advertising budget, you’ll need to account for your business’s location and priorities. Remember, the goal is to create an ad that ultimately pays for itself.

Tips for Effective Ads

Want to make your radio ad sing? When it’s time to start production, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Hook

Your ad needs to grab listeners’ attention from the very first seconds. That’s a hook – a striking, unusual attention-grabber, like a catchphrase or even a jingle.

Your hook should tell the listener something about what your business has to offer. But, more than that, it should speak to them in a way they’ll remember. Punchy copywriting, a catchy tune, and an energetic voiceover are all ways to help a hook land with your audience.

Without a hook, you risk listeners tuning out of your ad before you can get to the point. Open strong, and you won’t have to take that chance.

Value Propositions

Once you have your listeners on the hook, it’s time to reel them in. You can do this by talking about your business’s value propositions. Good value propositions explain why your product or service is the best available and why your listener needs it immediately.

Build on your hook, and tell your listeners exactly why they need to buy your product. Focus on what your business can do that other businesses simply can’t. Whether that’s local expertise, long experience, or state-of-the-art technology, make sure your ad lets them know!

Call-to-Action

The best radio ads end on a call-to-action or CTA. Don’t leave it to chance: tell your listeners exactly what you want them to do once they’ve finished listening to your ad.

Give them a phone number, a web address, or a store to visit in person. Encourage them to buy the product, sign up for the service, or call your business for further information.

If you don’t offer a clear call-to-action, your customers may not know how to access your business, and you may not get the best results from your ad. Be brief, clear, and specific, and your ad will do the rest!

Custom Radio Ads for Your Business

If you’re looking to produce custom radio ads for your business, Killerspots can help! We’re the industry leader in radio ad production, with decades of experience helping companies to speak to the world. No matter your budget, we’re ready to work with you.

Reach out to us for a quote today, and we’ll get your business the killer spot it deserves.

If you think radio is a dying medium, think again – over 272 million Americans listen to the radio every month. That’s a huge percentage of the total US population.

Radio isn’t going away any time soon, which is why you need to understand what it can do for you and your business. Understanding the ins and outs of commercial radio production can unlock whole new audiences for your business. It can help you to expand your customer base and raise the profile of your brand.

If you’ve ever wondered what commercial radio production involves, keep reading! We’ll take you on a tour of the world of commercial radio, so you can sell your business with confidence.

Public vs Commercial Radio

There are two main types of radio stations in the US: public radio and commercial radio. Though the differences might look superficial at first, they operate very differently. If you’re planning to advertise your business on the radio, it’s important to know the difference between the two.

Public radio is considered not-for-profit and doesn’t air ads. Instead, a public radio station will air sponsorship messages from organizations or businesses that support the station financially. This is because the FCC forbids public radio stations from promoting for-profit businesses.

Non-commercial radio isn’t dependent on ratings to function and can offer more varied and unusual programming as a result. But for businesses, the obvious downside is that it’s hard to advertise on public radio without directly investing in a public radio station.

While sponsoring public radio will catch the attention of that station’s audience, it’s a big commitment, and it may not be accessible to every business.

Commercial radio stations know their niche, and they target it carefully. Commercial programming is built around a clear, specific audience, and so are commercial radio ads. These radio stations make money by selling ad spots, so they have a vested interest in promoting your business.

In 2020, there were over 15,000 commercial radio stations in the US. No matter your target demographic, you’ll be able to find a radio station that can reach them.

The Limitations of Commercial Radio

While commercial radio is an effective way to promote your business, it isn’t perfect. Before you commit to a campaign of radio commercials, you need to consider the limitations of commercial radio as a medium.

Because commercial radio stations target niche audiences, you may not be able to reach all the listeners you want by advertising on a single radio station. You could end up paying more money to promote your business on multiple stations, just to reach your core customer base.

You could also end up paying more for the time spots you want on a commercial radio station. These stations are run for profit and will charge you more to advertise at peak times. Depending on the audience you need to reach, those costs could add up fast.

You should also keep in mind that, while radio ads are a highly successful form of marketing, they can be seen as intrusive. This is especially true in comparison to non-commercial radio sponsorship messages, which listeners perceive as more philanthropic and trustworthy.

But these limitations aren’t the end of the world, and they shouldn’t stop you from looking into your commercial radio advertising options. Ultimately, commercial radio advertising still offers the best value for money compared to any other form of advertising. The drawbacks are minor, and they won’t stop your business from reaching the audience you need it to reach.

Commercial Radio Production

Commercial radio production is the creation and direction of what you hear on commercial radio. It’s usually a behind-the-scenes process, as radio producers aren’t often the same people who present or announce on the radio.

Radio producers working on commercial radio might produce anything from talk shows to radio ads. An audio producer will design sound effects, jingles, and musical cues. A content producer will oversee the production of radio shows and content, whether selecting callers for competitions or finding a voice actor for a radio ad spot.

A radio producer’s job, particularly in the competitive field of commercial radio, is to create the kind of content that people want to listen to. They’re specialists in putting across a clear message in a limited amount of time, in a way that will catch listeners’ attention.

Working With a Production Company

Making ads is a big part of commercial radio production. Working with a professional radio production company can give you the expertise you need to promote your business on the radio. Sure, you could try to produce a radio commercial on your own – but without knowing the ins and outs of commercial radio production, the quality of your ad would take a hit.

Here are just a few things a commercial radio production company can do for your business:

• Scriptwriting
• Jingle writing
• Sound effect production
• Music cue production
• Voice actor casting
• Delivery to radio stations

That’s everything you need to get your business out on the airwaves. It’s worth the investment to hire a company that can do everything necessary to kick-start your promotional campaign. 

Make Your Business Heard

If you think radio advertising is a good fit for your business, get in touch with Killerspots today! We’re the market leader in commercial radio production, with commercial production rates to suit any budget. Plus, with decades of experience in radio, we know exactly what will turn your listeners into repeat customers.

Send us a message now, and let’s work together to spread the word!

Radio ads tend to be one of the more underrated outlets chosen as a form of marketing for new or smaller businesses. In reality, radio has the greatest reach across every age group in American culture. Radio can reach over 243 million American listeners in just one week. Compared to other media outlets, radio tends to have the most consistent listeners. Most people get in their cars in the morning and choose to listen to something, whether it be music, podcasts, etc. on their drive to work. Some people choose Apple Music, Spotify, or even regular AM/FM radio. Regardless of the platform users choose to stream, each of those platforms respectively has advertisements they choose and/or get paid to stream.

If you’re looking to increase exposure to your brand, advertising on the radio is a worthwhile outlet to learn more about. Below are 5 things you should know about radio ads before starting on your radio advertising journey:

1. Audience

Before you draft scripts for your radio ads, you will need to know who your audience is. The product or service you’re advertising will largely determine your target audience. These demographic factors are some of the ones you’ll want to account for:

• Sex (Males or Females)
• Age (Kids/Teens, Young Adults, Middle-Aged Adults, or Seniors)
• Urban, Suburban, or Rural
• Geographical Location (East, West, South, Midwest, or Other Countries)
• Income Level
• Education Level
• Occupation
• Family Status

Create a couple of profiles of your ideal customers based on the list above. Once your profiles are complete, then you can start drafting bullet points for a script your target audience would respond to.

2. Platform

With your audience in mind, you should then determine the platform your radio ads will play on. As we already said, AM/FM radio reaches millions of listeners every week. But there are other audio platforms that also run “radio” ads. You can choose to run ads on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, or Amazon Music.

What will your ideal audience listen to the most? Age, income, and occupation will likely be the most important factors. If your product is geared towards rural retirees, you would want to stick to AM/FM radio. However, if your ad is targeting middle-class millennials or Gen Z, you would want to run your radio ads on music streaming platforms. You can also do both for maximum exposure, but as we’ll cover later, the cost will largely be the determining factor for this decision.

3. Stations

If you choose AM/FM radio ads, you also will need to determine the stations on which your ads will play. Large, national stations will have the largest audience, but they will also cost more to run ads, and they may not target your ideal audience. You may want to select a local or independent station to run your ads if your target audience is rural, or if you have a local product/service you’re trying to promote. The number of listeners may be less, but the quality of your leads will be greater if they’re more likely to have a use for your product.

4. Frequency and Timing

The next thing you need to consider is when your ads will be played and how frequently. Your target audience will be actively listening at different times during the day, so it’s important to go back to your audience profile to make this decision. If you’re targeting white-collar workers, the morning commute hour would be prime time for multiple airings and the same with the afternoon or evening commute. If your target audience is stay-at-home mothers, mid-afternoon or evening would be the best time to catch their attention.

Unless your audience is overnight workers or night owls, chances are you won’t have much luck airing in the middle of the night. But look closely at your audience profile, and the optimal times to reach them could surprise you!

5. Cost

Finally, you’ll need to take into consideration your budget and the cost of radio ads. Radio tends to be of much greater value than television and print. Even so, knowing what you’re spending your money on is imperative. To get the most bang for your buck, making sure that you’re informed on the ins and outs of radio advertising before heading into a business will prove to be highly beneficial.

The cost of your advertisements will vary greatly depending on a few factors. Radio advertising can range roughly anywhere from $200 – $5,000 per week depending on your location. There is a significant difference in costs for advertising in a smaller regional marketing station, as opposed to a larger city metro station. Radio ads are priced through the evaluation and consideration of factors such as frequency of play, reach, and cost-per-point. Cost-per-point is what it may cost to reach 1% of your ideal audience.

If you’re going the streaming service route, the costs will be different. Spotify has a minimum of $250 to advertise on their platform, with each individual ad play costing fractions of a cent. Pandora charges between $8-12 CPM for audio ads, which means that for every thousand people Pandora shows your ad, you’ll be charged that amount. They also have a $250 minimum spend.

You’ll need to do your research and determine what your budget is for radio ad spending. Ask around, get quotes from different stations and different platforms. Using the factors above and your audience profile, you’ll be able to determine which station or platform will be the most lucrative, and how frequently your ads should run to reach your target demographic.

Killer Radio Ad Production from Killerspots

With all this in mind, you may be wondering how you can draft radio ads that will grab your audience’s attention. Killerspots has been producing radio ads for our clients since 1999, with many awards under our belt. When it comes to radio—we can do it all: script writing, voiceovers, producing, jingles, media buying, and ad placement. We do all this while delivering the best ads with the most value for your budget. Get in touch with us today for a quote, and in no time at all, you’ll be hearing your business all over the airwaves.

Despite claims to the contrary, radio remains a dominant form of media, entertainment, and information in the digital age. On World Radio Day in 2016, 44,000 radio stations worldwide were able to reach approximately 70% of the entire global population.

Since that day, the number of stations and radio shows has only continued to grow. With that in mind, where do radio ads fit into the mix?

Custom radio ads for business can be an excellent way to advertise your company to a huge number of people at once. Read on to find out more about radio ad production and why you should be investing today.

Just How Effective Are Radio Ads in the Digital Age?

First, we’ll answer the main question posed by this article; are radio ads still effective?

The short answer is yes, radio production is still a viable way to advertise your company in 2022. Not only is it viable, but it can also be superior to other forms of advertising available to companies today.

Studies have shown that radio adverts are, in fact, 20% more effective at building brands than other mediums.

This was the result of a comprehensive study pitting televised adverts against radio ads. Not only were radio ads found to work better in the study, but they were also found to be a far more cost-effective solution.

This is because creating TV ads today can be expensive. You need to think about filming locations, actors, scripts, lighting, and considerably more. This is even before you think about trying to get your TV advert syndicated.

Radio adverts are a far cheaper solution, which makes them more attractive for many SMEs in 2022.

But how exactly can you produce a successful radio advertisement?

How Can You Produce a Radio Advert to Ensure Success?

Producing a radio advert might be cheaper than TV, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely easy. There are a lot of areas to bear in mind to ensure your advert works as well as it possibly can.

The first thing to bear in mind is the brand voice you are attempting to portray in your advert. Per the study above, radio adverts are at their best when they’re used to build a particular brand.

That means you need to research beforehand to ensure you know what kind of brand voice your company should be broadcasting. To do this, you should first assess your target demographics.

Think about your ideal customer and what they like to do on a day-to-day basis. Then, you need to consider how your branding can appeal to this particular person.

As radio is an audio-focused medium, you need to consider also how your advert is going to sound. It’s advisable to work with a professional radio advert producer to get the highest quality sound possible.

But you should also consider whether or not to create a jingle. These can make your business more memorable for consumers if they’re designed appropriately.

Are Scripted Radio Adverts Effective in 2022?

Some companies may want to create adverts off the cuff. But for the vast majority, scripting a radio advert is a preferable option.

With scripting, you can set out everything you need to say in a radio ad ahead of time. Since radio adverts work best as short snippets, this is an essential task.

Scripting a radio advert can be easier if you’ve seen some radio advert script examples ahead of time. Read through successful adverts, and figure out how exactly they achieve that success.

Then, it’s a case of modifying that layout or design and fitting it in with your own brand. Sometimes humor can be a reliable approach to take with radio ads.

Humor is hard to achieve, but when you’ve written something funny, it’ll ultimately become more memorable to listeners. 

Another common approach is to create a hypothetical scenario built around your brand. For example, if you’re managing a restaurant, you could simulate a conversation between a waiter and a family of diners.

This makes the listener feel like they’re already a part of your brand by listening to a dining scenario. 

The only barrier to a successful radio advert script is your imagination. Understand what makes your company different from others, and use that to your advantage.

What Else Should You Consider When Creating a Radio Advert?

Production value really matters when you’re working with radio commercial production. This is why, as mentioned above, you should work with a professional company where possible.

Make sure to record your adverts in a designated studio space with the right equipment. 

A good trick to bear in mind is thinking about how your radio advert stands out from others. Making a unique radio advert will make it stick in your customer’s minds for a longer period of time.

This can then hopefully convert them to paying customers later down the line. But uniqueness isn’t easy. First, really take the time to listen to your competition’s radio adverts.

If they don’t have any of their own, you’re already at an advantage. But think about using sounds or scripts that surprise and engage the listener.

The last thing you want to do is create a radio advert that sounds like everything else on the radio that day.

Finally, make sure to do a trial run. Create a target group of customers who can listen to your advert ahead of time. Then, listen to the feedback they have, and tweak your advert where necessary.

As long as you believe in your business and your customers, you can create a successful radio advert in 2022.

Where Can I Find Out More About Radio Advertising in 2022?

You should now know that radio ads are hugely successful in 2022. You should also know how to create your own, and what to bear in mind if you’re doing so.

We provide radio advert production assistance as well a host of other services for digital marketing. If you’re interested in recording an advert of your own, make sure to contact our experienced team directly.

Even with so many modern-day competitors, radio is still a popular medium. A 2021 NPR study reported that 63% of American adults listen to the radio daily. Therefore, a radio commercial is still a viable marketing strategy. 

In addition, there are many other ways that your business can benefit from radio ads. This article will cover a good number of them. In case you need more convincing, read on. 

Radio Advertising ROI Is Higher

Radio commercial production is one of the cheapest marketing methods. Producing a radio commercial only costs $1K to $2.5K. Airing a commercial on the radio costs $200 to $5K per week. 

In comparison, a TV advertising campaign can cost a lot more. The entire production of TV advertisements can cost up to $50K. Broadcasting a 30-second ad on a national network can cost up to $1M. 

Radio Commercial Production Is Less Complex

It’s also easier to create a radio commercial than it is to create a TV one. To create a TV commercial, a TV production company needs actors, a set, makeup, costumes, cameras, microphones, and more. All a radio commercial production company needs are voice talents, microphones, soundproofing equipment, and audio mixing software. 

Because of this, a radio commercial can be written, recorded, and mixed quickly. In addition, recording companies can make necessary changes without losing much time. 

In contrast, a television commercial will take longer to complete. Any missing element can lead to production delays. 

Radio Is More Trustworthy

Surveys taken over the years have asked consumers which media format they trusted more. In many of these, including this one, radio had a higher trust ranking. This is in contrast to media like television or social media, which ranked lower. 

This trustworthiness is also present with radio advertisements as well. Surveys such as this one prove as much. As a result, consumers will see your brand as more trustworthy when you advertise on the radio. 

Radio Data Appears Faster

It can take months for you to learn the results of a print, internet, or television campaign. In contrast, you can get radio marketing campaign results almost instantly. 

There are many ways that you can measure radio advertisement interaction. One of these is how much customers spend after hearing a commercial. Another is how many of them visit your website or business location.

In addition, receiving information faster can help you change your campaign faster. If the metrics aren’t what you want, you can pull the current ad. Then you can make a new advertisement or cancel the campaign altogether.

Such flexibility isn’t possible with most other advertisement types.

Radio Personalities Can Be Effective Influencers 

It’s no secret that celebrity endorsements can boost a product or service’s profits. Brands have been using music, movie, and sports celebrities to promote their products for ages. In fact, a recent study showed that 66% of brands were going to increase their influencer-based marketing budget. 

The popularity of this advertising method is no accident. Studies have shown that the ROI of these campaigns can be as high as 11%. Also, this type of advertisement is very effective with younger consumers. 

You may believe that this form of advertisement won’t work with radio personalities. It may appear that their popularity level is less than that of TV and/or social media influencers. 

This isn’t true. According to this survey, radio listeners know a lot of personal information about their favorite DJs. Therefore, a DJ endorsement can be as effective as one from other influencer types.  

Radio Listening Happens Everywhere

Television and the internet are not very portable forms of entertainment. Even if consumers can access either of them with a phone or tablet, Wi-Fi is difficult to get. Consumers need to stay in an area with free Wi-Fi or pay a lot for wireless data. 

Radio is different. All that a consumer needs is a good quality radio. Then, they can mostly access stations whenever and wherever they want. 

In addition, less focus is required to listen to the radio. Listeners don’t need to focus on radio visually as they would on television and the internet. They can easily do any other activity, such as driving, working, and so on. 

Therefore, your company’s radio ad will probably get a lot more attention than those in other mediums. 

Radio Marketing Is Targeted Well

Each form of radio content has a specific demographic. These data points include age ranges, locations, and so on.

For example, younger generations more often listen to newer music. On the other hand, older individuals lean towards the music of their youth.  

All of this is available to radio stations. When you purchase airtime, they can match your ad with your preferred demographic. Then, they will air it at the appropriate time. 

Radio Stations Can Also Host Events

Along with hosting your ad, radio stations can also offer your business marketing with events. Radio personalities or guests can test your products on air. A contest where winners receive your products or services is another option. 

These sorts of events are more difficult to do on social media or tv. A consumer can easily turn away from these campaigns to do something else.

However, a radio listener may be stuck in their car. Therefore, your audience can be partially captive. 

Make a Radio Commercial With Us

Of course, even with the best medium, a poor commercial can make your marketing campaign fail. Therefore, it’s also important to create an effective radio commercial. With this, your business is more likely to profit from the benefits of the radio medium.

If you need help with creating an effective radio commercial, we can help. Our radio ad production process can offer your business everything it needs. This includes incredible voice talent, persuasive scriptwriting, and attractive sound effects and music. 

What are you waiting for? Hire our services ASAP. 

Do you think radio advertising is outdated? Radios have been used for personal use since the 1920s, but the radio advertising possibilities constantly evolve to keep up with technology and trends.

Radio ads are just as relevant and effective as digital marketing when used correctly. A strategically created ad can reach and resonate with your target audience, giving you a huge return on investment.

Keep reading to learn some of the many benefits of radio advertising.

1. Remote Reach

Radio makes your advertising available to consumers wherever they go. Unlike TV ads, which are limited to people who are sitting in front of a TV, your radio ads follow your target audience when they’re on the go. That versatile reach makes radio comparable to mobile ads.

People most often listen to the radio while they’re in the vehicle. That means they might hear your commercial when they’re already out and ready to shop, which could persuade them to visit your business. Radio reaches people when they’re closer to the point of sale since they’re more likely to listen when they’re away from home.

With options to listen to radio stations online, people can also hear your ads from anywhere when they listen from their mobile devices. These mobile options often make it easy to combine your radio ad with banners that listeners can easily click and reach your website or social media pages.

2. Both Wide and Targeted Audiences

Radio is the widest reaching platform for adults with 92% of Americans listening to the radio each week. TV comes in next, reaching 87% of adults with smartphones following closely at 81%. Every month, radio reaches 244.5 million adults. 

It’s also a diverse audience that listens to the radio. People of all ethnicities and ages listen to the radio, often in large numbers.

With so many people listening to the radio, it’s safe to say your company’s target audience is listening, too. When you advertise on the radio, your potential audience has a good chance of hearing about your company.

While a wide reach is good, a targeted audience is even better. Having a good idea of the type of music and the local radio stations that your audience listens to helps you choose where to place your local radio advertising.

Ad a local business, putting your ad on local radio stations helps you reach people in close physical proximity, which also helps narrow your target audience.

3. Targeted Ad Timing

Radio ad spots are available 24/7, which means you can target when your ads air based on when your audience listens. Timing your ads right can make them more effective and improve your ROI.

Daytime hours often have the highest number of listeners. However, your specific audience might stay up late or get up in the wee hours for an early-bird commute. Knowing this helps you choose those time slots to maximize reach for your specific audience.

Repeating your ads at these target times helps get potential customers to take notice. Most people need to hear your message three times before they start noticing you. They’ll like need to hear the ad even more to really remember you or go beyond just listening to take action or interact with your brand.

4. Lower Ad Avoidance

DVRs make it possible for consumers to skip TV ads easily. If they don’t, they often get up during those ad times and do other things. Online ads are easy to dismiss, block with ad-blocker programs, or skip on videos. 

Radio has a lower ad avoidance rate than many other platforms. You often have a captive audience in vehicles. Listeners can’t simply skip an ad like they can online or when watching a TV show on a DVR.

Some people might change to a different radio station, but many stick around and listen to the ads. People tend to be loyal to radio stations, waiting through the commercials for the music or talk show to resume.

5. Time-Tested Yet Modern

When creating a marketing strategy that keeps up with your modern business and target audience, you might think older methods such as radio won’t work. However, it’s time-tested longevity shows that radio advertising still works. Radios are still added to new vehicles, and people are still listening, which means this proven advertising method is still relevant.

Despite its long history, radio advertising isn’t stuck in the past. New research and technology makes it possible to create radio ads that are relevant and engaging to your modern audience. Online streaming options for radio stations also keep this platform current and relevant.

6. Creative, Memorable Options

How many business jingles do you find yourself singing randomly? Audio advertisements, when produced well, can be very powerful and memorable.

These ear worms keep your audience thinking about your business long after they hear your radio spot. Someone who hears your ad might not need your services or products immediately. However, if they do encounter a situation that matches your business offerings, recalling that catchy radio ad could encourage them to reach out to you.

Advertising on the radio gives you a wide range of creative options. First up, you can decide if you want to go the humorous route, get sentimental with listeners, or make a dramatic point based on what you’re trying to do and what feelings you want to evoke.

Audio options can include voices, music, and sound effects to guide listeners. Various voice actors, or even your own staff, can provide a voice that appeals to your target audience and helps set the tone.

Radio stations often offer other opportunities for advertising your business as well. Endorsement ads are paid endorsements where radio personalities talk about your business. Since many people listen to radio stations loyally due to trusting their favorite radio personalities, they might pay more attention to those ads.

7. Theater of Mind Effect

A great radio ad uses what’s often referred to as theater of mind. Because radio ads are heard and not seen, listeners have to use their imaginations to create pictures in their minds based on what they hear. All other ad types have a visual component that spoon feeds the message and doesn’t require users to engage their brains as much.

This actively engages the listener with your ad. When someone hears your ad, they’re thinking about what they’re hearing instead of just staring at a screen. That engagement can make the ads more memorable and appealing to listeners.

8. Personal Experience

It might seem difficult to connect to potential customers via radio ads. After all, listeners simply hear an ad you recorded previously.

But a well-crafted ad helps develop brand awareness and helps listeners feel connected to you. That’s especially true if your voice is heard in the ad. Your radio ad is your chance to express your branding, share your values, and help listeners get to know your brand.

You can also add an emotional side to your radio ad to get listeners personally invested. It’s much easier to convey that emotional feeling with sound than it is with a print ad or online ad that has no audio or video.

9. Quick Turnaround and Cost Effective

Creating radio advertising is relatively quick compared to producing a TV commercial. It’s often much easier to record and edit the audio than it is with video, which means your ad is ready to go much faster. Once produced, you can often get it onto the radio with days.

Radio advertising costs are also budget-friendly compared to some other options. A local radio ad can cost anywhere from $200 to $5,000 weekly. The exact cost depends largely on where you are with larger cities costing significantly more than smaller markets. 

The cost is usually calculated based on a CPM rate, or the cost per 1,000 people listening. That rate is multiplied by the number of people listening to determine the total cost of the spot.

Some radio stations offer per-spot pricing, which means you’ll pay less for times when not as many people listen. This can make your radio advertising costs lower.

Since marketing is an investment, it’s important to look not only at the cost but also at the return on investment. Studies show that on average, every dollar spent on radio advertising yields $12 in sales.

10. Compatible With Social Media

The great thing about most advertising methods is you don’t have to use them in a vacuum. It doesn’t have to be radio or social media; radio or print ads; radio or TV spots. Depending on your marketing budget, you can and should incorporate multiple advertising avenues to expand your reach.

Radio might not seem compatible with social media, but you can easily use the two methods to promote one another. By combining radio and social media, you can meet people where they are and give them options that fit how they prefer to interact.

Some radio advertising examples that incorporate social media include promoting your social media accounts in your ads or hosting a social media contest that you encourage people to enter via radio ads. 

You can also go the other way, promoting your radio ads through social media. Include the audio of your radio ad on your social media accounts, for example.

Take Advantage of Radio Advertising

If you’re still waiting to jump on radio advertising, stop waiting. Creating a radio ad can expand your current marketing plan with a broad reach, boosted brand awareness, excellent ROI, and many other benefits.

Not sure how to get started? Instead of searching for radio advertising near me and taking your chances, contact us to get a quote. We can help with a variety of marketing services, from radio ad production and video production to social media marketing and SEO.

More than 90 percent of American adults still listen to the radio on a weekly basis. That’s a lot of ears for a business to be missing out on.

As the numbers show, radio is a powerful tool for reaching listeners. Whether a business wants to reach listeners countrywide or prefers a more local approach, radio could be the right tool.

That said, some business owners have discounted radio as an effective advertising tool for their organizations. That could be because they’ve made some radio ad mistakes with previous campaigns.

To be successful, advertisers should watch out for these eight common pitfalls. This guide can help the savvy advertiser not only avoid them but build a better campaign too.

1. Talking in Cliches

One of the most common radio ad mistakes is using clichés in the ad copy. Almost nothing gets listeners to tune out faster than turns of phrase they’ve heard dozens of times.

Why are so clichés so ineffective? They’re common phrases that many other radio advertisers are drawing on too. When all used car lots are advertising themselves as “the #1 choice to get a car!”, the words stop having meaning. If everyone is the top pick, how are listeners supposed to choose?

The same is true of many other common phrases:

• “We won’t be undersold”
• “#1 in Customer Service!”
• “Storewide savings”

The best bet here is to avoid these phrases altogether. Is there another, better way to say that customers can get great service?

Avoiding clichés helps a business stand out. Listeners perk up when they hear something different. The uniqueness of the phrasing is more likely to stick with them.

As an added bonus, the advertiser now sounds different than their competitors. They stand out, which makes them more memorable. The next time a customer is looking for a service or product, they’re likely to look up this business.

2. Too Much or Complex Information

Another very common misstep with radio advertising is trying to cram in every minor detail. A 30-second spot may seem like a lot of time, but trying to list every single product that’s on sale is probably a poor tactic.

Complex information is also a problem. Keep in mind that people are listening to the radio, which means they have to retain information in their heads. They may not have a pen and paper handy to jot something down.

What’s a radio advertiser to do? Focus on the highlights. What are the best deals in the store right now?

Highlight a couple of products or deals, then entice the listener to get in touch or pop into the shop to check out more great savings.

If there are complex details, like legal copy, it might help to consider a line like “see store for details” or “visit us online for full contest rules.” That offloads the work the ad has to do, and it makes it easier for potential customers to remember.

What about details like contact information or driving directions? Again, simplifying is the best bet. Try to think of the easiest way to describe directions to the business location.

If that can’t be done, directing listeners to another resource, like a website, could be a good option. This may be especially helpful if the business has several locations. It allows people to find the location nearest to them.

3. Radio Ad Mistakes with Airtime

Many radio advertising campaigns also make mistakes with airtime. There are a few different factors to consider in this arena.

Many advertisers think they need to get their ads on during what’s known as “drive time.” This window usually includes the morning and afternoon commutes, when people are most likely to be in their cars. They’re typically listening to the radio.

The problem is that radio stations will usually charge a premium for what’s considered “prime time” in the industry. Advertisers will pay more to get one of these slots.

Research indicates this may not always be the right choice. Running an ad at an off-peak time could be just as effective, if not more effective. Many people who are listening during drive time also listen at other times of day.

Some groups may not listen during drive time at all. Retired people may not have a commute, so they may be listening at off-peak hours in the morning or early afternoon.

Office workers may actually listen to the radio all day, and many stores and professional offices have the radio on to entertain clients.

Another common issue is ad frequency. Even if an advertiser chooses an effective slot, they may decide only to run their ad at one time in the morning. They might also not run the ad campaign long enough.

The end result is that the listener doesn’t hear the ad often enough to take action. As a general rule of thumb, a listener needs to hear an ad at least a few times per day over a couple days. If a business only runs their campaign for one week with one slot per day, even listeners who tune in every day may not hear the ad enough to act.

4. Using the Wrong Budget

Budget is a big concern when it comes to radio advertising. Using the wrong budget can cause problems for a campaign. Too small a budget may mean an advertiser runs a shorter campaign, which can lead to ineffectiveness.

There’s also a question of how to spend the budget. Many advertisers make the mistake of overspending on drive-time ads, as mentioned. Effective ad spend, though, might mean choosing slots outside the premium times.

In turn, the budget can go farther. That may mean advertisers can keep the campaign running longer, while also optimizing ad spend and improving returns.

5. Not Knowing the Audience

Another very common stumbling block with radio advertising is not knowing the audience. This can factor into choosing the wrong time slots, but it can also mean making mistakes like choosing the wrong stations altogether.

Advertisers should always consider their customer personas. Who actually buys this product or this service? Who is this ad trying to reach?

If a dentist’s office is trying to advertise a deal on dentures, choosing the local pop station playing all the latest hits may not be the right choice. Just as the audience might be older people listening outside “drive time,” they might also be listening to a different channel altogether.

6. Overwhelming Listeners with Numbers

Advertisers often have lots of numbers they want to include in their radio spots. Think price lists, phone numbers, or discounts.

Yet including too many numbers can make the ad overwhelming for listeners.

Why? Remember that most people are listening and don’t have a handy place to take down information. They might be driving or away from their desks.

That means they need to keep all the information they hear in the ad in their short-term memory. If they hear too many numbers, they may mix them up or get confused. When they try to call the business later, they find they have the wrong number.

Stick to fewer numbers whenever possible. Instead of advertising every individual price, include a range or “starting at.” Repeat the same numbers to help listeners remember them.

7. Falling Short of Amusing

Many advertisers wonder what types of ads are most engaging for radio listeners. Lots of people assume humorous ads get the best results.

It’s true that an amusing ad is likely to bring a smile to a listener’s face, and they’re likely to remember it. Many advertisers try too hard to be funny or quirky, though. The result often falls flat.

Trying too hard to be amusing can be more annoying than anything. It may have listeners reaching for the dial and switching stations.

It can also work against delivering important information in a clear way that’s easy to remember. If the ad isn’t amusing in a naturalistic way, it might be better to try a different angle. In fact, ads that pull off “funny” or “amusing” are few and far between, but plenty of radio spots are successful anyway.

8. Not Working with the Professionals

Perhaps the biggest mistake in any radio ad strategy is not working with the professionals. Many business owners decide to go it alone for a number of reasons.

One may be that they think it will cost too much to hire a script writer, head to a recording studio, or hire a voice-over artist.

The result may be an ad that doesn’t sound natural. The script might be clunky or fail to deliver key information.

Even deciding not to work with an agency to get the right placements or develop campaign strategy can be a big misstep. It leads to misspent budgets, ineffective placements, and ads that don’t perform.

Instead, look to get the professionals on the ad team. With their help, better ads and improved performance are guaranteed.

Radio Can Work for Any Business

Radio ad mistakes like these can really trip up a business strategy. By working to avoid them, advertisers can create more successful campaigns.

Radio is a tool that can work for businesses of every size, all across America. Get in touch with an expert team now and discover the difference a great radio ad campaign can make.

Radio advertising has been around for a long time, but it has not lost its potency. If anything, radio ads have become more helpful to businesses in recent years due to the advent of online radio advertising.

92% of Americans listen to the radio each week. And 25% of listeners become more interested in a brand after hearing an advertisement for it. This can make a huge difference for your brand.

Radio ads can be critically helpful to the success of your business. But some of the ways radio advertising can help you might surprise you. If you have not considered radio advertising for your business, you might be missing out on the ways it can benefit your brand.

Keep reading to find out the five surprising ways that radio advertising can help your business.

1. It Helps You Reach Your Target Audience

Radio advertising is one of the most effective ways of reaching your target audience. You already know who your potential customers are. Radio lets you reach them directly. 

Not all radio stations are created equal. Every station will have a target demographic of listeners. You can discern what that target demographic is by the type of radio program the station produces. By choosing which radio station to advertise on, you are targeting your potential customers directly.

Additionally, radio stations have a local focus. On-air radio will target a specific city or region. This is truer for radio than it is for television.

If your brand has a local focus, you stand to benefit substantially from radio advertising. This is because your ad will be geographically relevant to every listener you reach.

If your brand has locally based locations or events, on-air advertising is very effective for publicizing them. You know that the listeners live in the vicinity of your brand, and can attend your events.

At the same time, radio has a wider reach than some other modes of targeted ads. Radio ads can reach anyone in the region with interests related to your brand.

In summary, radio advertising can be incredibly beneficial to your business because of its wide reach with a targeted focus.

2. It Induces Cognitive Thinking

Watching television can be a passive experience. Same with scrolling through your phone. But really listening to a radio program requires active listening.

This engages the cognitive part of your brain.

Cognitive skills help you do things like think, learn, reason, and remember. You want listeners to be engaging in these activities when listening to your ad.

Active listening means that listeners are actually engaging with your advertisement. This does a few things that can be helpful for your brand.

First, it creates better retention. Even if listeners don’t immediately seek out your brand, they remember your advertisement. When they need a product or service like yours, they are more likely to seek you out, because they have heard of you.

For more information on how to make your advertisement memorable or unique, click here.

Second, listeners are more likely to think about your service or product and whether they need it. Even if it hadn’t occurred to them to seek out that service before, they might now.

Radio has traditionally been called the “Cinderella medium.” This is because when things go right, the results can be incredible.

One of the reasons it can be so incredible is that the radio can be heard from pretty much anywhere. Think about it: most people listen to the radio when they are in their cars, traveling from place to place.

This can be beneficial in its own right. If your target customers are listening to the radio while they are out running errands, they are already in the buying headspace. If they are thinking about shopping when they hear your ad, they are more likely to seek out your product or service.

3. It Can Bolster Your Online Presence

Radio as the “Cinderella medium” has never been truer than it is now.

In addition to listening to the radio in the car, you can now stream radio programs and stations on the internet.

Some people think the radio is outdated because many people don’t have traditional radios in their homes anymore. But they are wrong.

Even though many people don’t have a traditional radio anymore outside of their car, many people have a smartphone. And if you have a smartphone, you have radio access.

This is great news for online brands. When your ad plays via online streaming, it can be paired with an advertisement banner. When listeners want to know more about your product or service when they hear your advertisement, they can click on the banner. From there, they will be led to your product site.

This can help you make a sale, or even gain social media followers if you link your banner to an Instagram or Facebook page. Before long, you will be able to advertise to your target customers from multiple platforms.

It also allows your brand to engage with listeners in multiple mediums. By listening to the audio advertisement and then seeing your graphic banner, they are engaging two of their senses with your brand. This means that they are more likely to remember you.

4. It Personalizes Your Brand

Given the choice, consumers will always opt to support a brand that they have a personal connection with. Radio advertising gives you the chance to form that personal connection.

It gives them a chance to know you, and to know your voice. This is why it is helpful to have consistency amongst your ads in terms of whose voice the consumer hears.

It might be your voice, as the business owner, or it might be a voice actor, standing in. Either way, it gives your brand a personal touch. Before long, consumers feel like they know you.

By introducing a voice to your audience, it helps you create an identity for your brand. Consider producing your advertisement with professionals who can help you craft that identity for your target customer.

This is the best thing that could possibly happen to your business. Consumers are more likely to go with brands they trust. By offering up a human side to your brand, you are inviting them to trust you. 

We know by now that advertising is more effective when it engages emotions. By triggering memories or images or by telling a story, effective advertising can speak to people on a human level.

Radio advertising will allow you to do that with the sound of your voice. Never pass on an opportunity to connect emotionally with your audience.

5. It Maximizes Your ROI

Maximizing your ROI, or Return on Investment is crucial to any advertisement. Radio advertising helps you do this in a couple of different ways.

First, radio advertising can be a decently affordable way to get your message out there. Combined with the fact that you are almost definitely reaching your target audience, you are getting the most bang for your buck.

Secondly, the effectiveness of advertisements is maximized when they are repeated. Repetition will drastically affect your ROI. The more times a listener hears and engages with your advertisement, the more they are likely to remember it and act on it.

Repetition will drive home the point that your product or service is available and preferable to other similar services. This is also why it is productive to use a repeated tagline or phrase in your advertisement.

Thirdly, if your advertisement plays over online streaming, it is ultimately easier to track and measure your ROI. That’s because you get real-time results. This can help you figure out what works about your ad and what doesn’t.

Knowing how effective your ad is ultimately does two things for you. It tells you what you should change or keep the same for next time. As a result, it increases your ROI because you won’t make the same mistakes twice.

In this case, you are looking at radio advertising as a long-term investment. Your second ad will be better than your first, and your third will be better than your second.

If your radio ads are effective, you’ll want to keep producing them. Repetition over a long period of time will turn your voice and brand into a household name.

Radio Advertising Can Bolster Your Brand

Radio advertising may be one of the oldest forms of advertising, but it is just as relevant now as ever. Perhaps it is even more effective today, since the advent of online streaming. Radio advertising can bolster your brand by inducing cognitive thinking, adding personality to your brand, reaching your target audience, maximizing your online presence, and ultimately boosting your ROI.

To start planning your radio advertisement today, click here.

With all the different media options available, there is still something incredibly appealing to the radio. Radio is an intimate form of media that has been a staple of American homes for many generations. 

Have you ever dreamt about becoming a radio host? Have you ever wanted to be part of the great American radio show tradition?

Well, if you want to – then you have to have what it takes to be a great radio broadcaster.

Audio is an effective medium. Whether for entertaining, informing, or advertising it’s a great medium for reaching others.

But, it’s not as easy as it may look. Here’s what you need to know:

Be a Great Speaker

This may sound obvious, but being a great speaker is challenging. You might be the center of attention at the dinner table or a party, but that doesn’t mean you have a knack for broadcasting.

So how do you improve your speaking skills? We suggest practicing public speaking. While a broadcast might be by themselves in a studio, they are speaking to a large audience. Public speaking will teach you how to enunciate, persuade, entertain, and address a large audience.

You will also learn the importance of expanding your vocabulary. You’ll learn how to form your sentences to say as much as you can with a limited time frame.

Have a Great Personality

To be a great on-air personality, you need to think about what you want your style to be. Take a moment to think about famous talk show hosts – whether they are on the radio or television/video.

Do you want to be direct and matter of fact like Brian Lamb? Do you want to be confrontational like Joe Pyne? Easy-going like Bill Boggs or Dick Cavett? Or abrasive like Alex Jones?

Your on-air personality should be best-suited to what you are as a person. Your personality should be one that appeals to your listeners. The main theme, regardless of the personality you choose, is that you should be relatable.

Have a Sense of Curiosity

Regardless of what type of show you host, every broadcaster must have a sense of curiosity. If you are advertising a product, you must convey to the audience that you are interested in the product.

If you are telling a story or reporting the news, the listeners must be able to hear the interest in your voice. If you are interviewing someone, you should be curious about what they have to say.

You want to arouse an interest in your listeners. This can only happen if you show any interest in your subject.

You Must Know How to Listen

Being a broadcaster is not just about talking. You also have to give importance to listening. You can tell that a broadcaster is mediocre if they don’t listen to others. No one wants to listen to a broadcaster who only likes the sound of their own voice.

For example, when you are interviewing someone on the radio you want to make sure that you don’t constantly interrupt them. You want to make sure that you are actively listening to them. If you don’t have great follow-up questions and your interview doesn’t have a conversational style, your listeners will realize that you don’t give importance to listening.

Learn the Technical Aspects

While you may not need to ever handle the technical aspects of radio, it’s always important to understand them. Watch the sound engineers at work and ask them about what they specifically do.

You should be aware of the latest technologies so that you can adapt. You should know which are the best microphones and headphones for broadcasting audio.

If you ever decide to branch out into starting your own radio station or hosting a podcast, now is the time to learn the technical aspects.

Work Under Pressure

Any job in the media is demanding and requires you to work under pressure. This is an important skill to cultivate if you wish to work as a radio broadcaster.

You will have to know how to complete an interview or a news report in a short amount of time. If you are asked to advertise a product, you’ll have 60 seconds maximum – sometimes you’ll barely have 30 seconds.

If you have to report the news, you may only have a moment’s notice to broadcast breaking news.

The time limit and urgency are what makes the radio industry exciting. It’s also what adds tremendous pressure on broadcasters. Make sure you cultivate the habit of being calm and professional under pressure.

Work Well With Others

While you may be the solo host of your own radio show, working as a broadcaster is not a one-man job. It is a team effort and you will have to learn to work well with others.

Make sure you know how to work alongside your producer, sound engineer, etc. If you have a co-host or are interviewing a guest, you will need to know how to accommodate them.

Be Accurate

When you say something on the air it has the potential to be heard by millions of people. You want to make sure that you are responsible for what you broadcast. If you are broadcasting the news, make sure that you don’t twist the facts.

You want to make sure that you adhere to any guidelines or protocols that your producer has decided. You want to make sure that you maintain a high level of integrity.

Respect Your Audience

Finally, as you continue broadcasting you will build a loyal audience. It’s imperative to always show them respect.

Your audience is your lifeline. Make sure that you treat them with respect and that you always keep them in mind while broadcasting. They are always going to expect a high-quality broadcast. If you are consistent with your quality, the audience will remain loyal and will continue to grow.

Become an On-Air Broadcaster

Now that you know how to be a successful on-air broadcaster, we wish you good luck as you start your journey. Follow the steps in this guide and you are sure to have a successful career in radio.

Part of being a successful broadcaster is to have a great brand. Check out what we offer to see how we can help you with your brand.

The startling fact is that 92% of Americans still listen to AM/FM radio, despite the plethora of digital platforms available. That’s higher than TV viewership (87%), or the use of PCs (54%), smartphones (81%), and tablets (46%). Most people use the radio to listen to the latest music, popular talk shows, or their favorite sports broadcast. From a marketing perspective, radio is still an effective way to reach your target audience. We’ve compiled a list of nine simple ways to make the most of those radio commercials, lasting a mere 10, 15, 30, or 60 seconds. Check it out!

1. Create Attention-Grabbing Radio Commercials

With a 60-second commercial, you’ve got 15 seconds at most to grab the attention of your audience. Your ad needs to answer the following listener questions quickly:

• What’s in it for me?
• How will this product/service make my life or the life of someone I know easier, happier, or better?

Remember that most people are not interested in the detail of innovative products. They simply want to know if it is better in some way than what came before. Once they get that message, you’re half-way to winning them over as a buyer, because they will listen more attentively to the rest of the ad.

2. Good Sound Quality

Unlike television or online ads, radio has no visuals. This means that it’s critical to get the sound production right. Poor sound quality, annoying voices, and other glitches will not endear the audience to your product or service! While the wording of your advert is important, how it is heard is paramount.

The best adverts are those with a clever script that sounds good too. Employing professional sound technicians, and voice-over professionals, is well worth the investment. It could be the difference between an ad campaign bombing out or being a run-away success.

3. Invest In a Good Jingle

Jingles are one area where opinion is divided. That’s because we have all heard bad, corny jingles.

The hallmark of a good, catchy jingle is that it can easily be sung by a wide range of people. Besides that, the lyrics of the jingle need to be clearly enunciated and include the name of your brand or product. Jingles can also include useful information, such as a telephone number or web address.

It is a well-known fact that people find it easier to remember songs than plain old prose. If you want your product ad to feature a brand jingle that millions of people will remember for decades, then invest in a good jingle.

Just as with the rest of your advertising copy, your jingle should include a call to action. Both the jingle and your copy provide ample opportunity for creativity. Use it!

4. Get The Right Time Slots

Most radio stations have a scale of fees depending on the time slots you choose for the airing of your radio commercials. Don’t fall for the trap of selecting the cheapest time slots.  They are the cheapest because very few people are listening during those hours.

You need to tailor your time slot to your target audience. For example, if you manufacture breakfast cereals for children, the best time to air the radio commercial is at breakfast time, when kids will be listening. They will nag their parents to purchase the cereal in question they next time they are at the supermarket!

Similarly, advertising sportswear is best done in the commercial breaks during a sports broadcast. Advertising sportswear at breakfast time, or breakfast cereals during the live broadcast of an evening basketball match just doesn’t make sense.

As well as tailoring your time slot to the most appropriate target audience, you also need to tailor your budget to produce a full-length ad campaign.

5. Get Your Ad Frequency Right

You need to build recognition of your brand or product.  It is said that someone has to hear an ad three times before they recognize it.  Most advertising agencies will recommend that your ad is aired 21 times per week for 52 weeks in succession so that you gain optimum frequency and recognition.

Too many ads in one time period and your listeners will get sick of hearing your ad and zone out.  Too infrequent an airing and no one will even remember you advertised in the first place.

Rely on your public relations and marketing consultants to interpret your marketing data for you, and recommend the best way forward on the frequency of your radio commercials.

6. Keep Them Nibbling At Those Sound Bites

Everything is a process. Once your listening audience gets used to hearing (and liking) your radio advertisements, you need to start an ancillary or follow-up campaign.

Big-brand advertising is very careful about phasing out the old ad and introducing the new one. You don’t want to upset the listeners too much by suddenly depriving them of their favorite ad!

7. Get the Right Radio Station

Consider the location of your business and the reach of your product based on reliable target audience data. For instance, there is no point in creating a radio advertisement that’s played exclusively on East Coast radio stations when your business and most of your customers are on the West Coast. There are three things you can do to find what you need. 

Search for US radio stations by State. Alternatively, check out surveys to find out which are the most popular radio stations.

The third option, and perhaps most viable if you want to link your radio commercials to your other online platforms, is to choose to sponsor a local online radio station.

Online radio broadcasting has the advantage of being both national and global in its reach and can be a particularly good choice for those of you who have niche products or services. 

Engage Marketing Consultants

A PR company like Killer Spots Agency knows what they are doing.  We have made it our business to develop in-depth knowledge of all aspects of audio production.

As an award-winning marketing company, we invite you to listen to the countless samples of radio commercials that we have produced  Contact us via live chat or get a quick quote via virtually any page on our website.  We can certainly point you in the right direction, and soon have you coming out sounding like a symphony!

For years, the “announcer voice” was the go-to for commercials, televised events, radio ads, and of course movie trailers. You know the voice: deep, clear, almost inhuman, but authoritative. When an announcer voice showed up you knew to pay attention because, well, you didn’t have much of a choice with that booming voice going on.

Now, you don’t hear the announcer voice too much. It’s fallen to the wayside in favor of other types of voiceovers, particularly the conversational tone. If you’ve ever wondered why that might be, keep reading to find out!

How Did Announcer Voice Start?

Announcer voice makes a lot of sense on paper. If you’re trying to be heard, talking in a loud and overpowering voice ensures that people will listen and put some sort of priority on your voice. If we go way back to the days of town criers, newspaper boys, and circus announcers, the voice makes a lot of sense as the speaker is trying to get their message out over the sounds of a crowd.

The exact origins of announcer voice aren’t well known, but the trend seems to go a long way back. The Mid-Atlantic accent is one place to look. It is a blended English and American accent used by actors in the early 20th century for its mixture of poshness and accessibility.

This made up accent became the norm in many films, used by people such as Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. From there it became desirable and was taught to aspiring actors in schools. Now, it seems the industry wants nothing to do with it.

Move Aside, Announcer Voice

One problem with the announcer voice is its tone, often described as “parent-child” read. When someone talks in an announcer voice they’re placing themselves above you, telling you what you should think about something, and demanding that you listen to them. This worked fine in the beginning, but now it comes off as condescending and untrustable.

Nobody likes to be talked at, which is the main reason that announcer voice has died. Another reason is that the announcer voice saps all humanity out of the speaker.

If you’ve heard any number of movie trailers from the 90s and before, you’ll notice that all the announcers sound nearly identical. The voice ends up being cast in our minds as being “corporate” and “cold”, like some sort of company robot. Humans identify more with other human voices and respond better to a more conversational tone rather than one that’s not only telling us how to think but telling us how to think in a strange voice.

Some companies still choose to go with a more conventional narrator, such as car commercials, and even a lot of radio ads for things like furniture stores. These companies may be following an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality or may be paying homage to these old-school narrators that once dominated the field. There’s a certain nostalgic quality to hearing a booming narrator now that will work for some people.

The Rise of Conversational Speech

Nowadays, people want an announcer or narrator that they can relate to. People don’t want someone whose voice is stiff, overly-rehearsed, and booming like those radio announcers of old. Instead, they want someone they can imagine having a conversation with, and maybe a little jingle to top it all off.

These more approachable and conversational announcers are sometimes known as non-announcer announcers. They’re a lot easier for a listener to connect with, and much more approachable. When the announcer speaks like an actual human, it makes the listener feel less like they’re being advertised to or told what to do, and more like they’re being informed or spoken to by a person rather than some machine.

The two things a company should strive for in advertising is trustability and relatability, and a non-announcer voice makes this much easier.

How to Talk Conversationally

While the announcer voice is commonly referred to as parent-child read, the more conversational side can be referred to as peer-to-peer. The perfect voice-over actor will sound like they’re speaking to a peer and telling them about something. Keep the voice and tone relaxed, don’t use words that are too fancy or “industry deep”, and above all else don’t come across as condescending.

The conversational announcer is still able to speak loud and clear without sacrificing the conversational tone. They can use simple, relatable language and allow subjectivity into their delivery. As a voice-over actor, don’t tell the listener what they should be thinking, rather tell them what you think about a product you’re announcing, as if you’ve tried it yourself.

Put some emotion in your speech and try to relate with the listener, don’t try and sell to them so explicitly.

The last thing people want now is an announcer that sounds like they’re reading from a script. This is unavoidable at times, but the more the voice sounds like real human speech — being made up on the go — the more the listener will be able to relate. Script-read announcing just brings people back to the corporate robot and makes them all-too-aware they’re being advertised to.

Get Conversational

The announcer voice is dead, and it probably won’t be coming back any time soon. Times change and so do peoples’ preferences. Nobody wants to be talked at by their television sets or radios anymore.

People want deeper connections and trustable announcers behind their products. Using a conversational tone is the best way to achieve this.

If you’re looking to hire a voice actor, check out our product page and find out how you can do just that. Feel free to contact us with any comments or concerns.

Got a good script and a clear idea of your radio ads? That’s good and all but you won’t get anywhere without a voice artist.

However, hiring the right voice over talent isn’t a quick and easy process. They play an essential role in a successful radio campaign.

But don’t fret. We’ve got a few voice over tips you should follow when looking for the right talent. Read on below and fine-tune your hiring process:

1. Know Your Target Audience

Before and during the hiring process, make sure you keep your target audience in mind. Voice over work for a political campaign, for example, is vastly different compared to the work intended for an explainer video or an Instagram ad. 

Identifying your audience can narrow down the type of voice, accent, and style you need. You can immediately cut out the applicants that don’t fit the bill. 

For example, a good radio campaign needs a strong, clear voice. You might also want to stick with a flat tone instead of something emotional, riddled with too many high and low pitches. 

2. Check Voice Samples

Even when you have a good idea of what you want, don’t hesitate to listen to a few samples.  You might hear voice quality you weren’t necessarily looking for but it might click with your campaign needs. 

Once you got a list of potential candidates, listen to as many samples as possible. Get their full portfolio and take time to listen.

You might like a voice actor during the interview only to discover they struggle pronouncing certain words or names. One of the voice actors you weren’t too keen on may have a sample showcasing their full potential, turning them into top candidates for the job. 

Remember that the bigger the portfolio, the more experience and training a voice actor has. Let’s dive deeper into the importance of experience.

3. Experience Matters

Did you know Tara Strong is 46 years old, as of the time of writing? Despite her age, she plays a myriad of young characters. She voiced characters like Bubbles in Powerpuff Girls, Timmy in Rugrats, Batgirl in the Batman Animated Series, and Twilight Sparkle in My Little Pony. 

This doesn’t mean you have to hunt down older voice actors. Age isn’t a measurement of work experience. It’s often the case but you shouldn’t disregard young voice actors immediately.

You might find voice actors below the age of 25 already brimming with experience. Not all of their work might be official. There are many fan-dubbing projects for anime shows and foreign television shows that have no official English versions.

4. Try Different Emotions

Launching a radio campaign doesn’t always require a flat, monotone voice. Think about it this way: you’ll need to convey different emotions if you’re running a radio ad for products compared to a political ad. 

For the prior, you need an energetic voice. The latter demands more authority and certainty. Don’t hesitate to run tests with your applicants and see how they perform with different campaigns or scripts.

Keep in mind that with voice over work, the audience can’t see the speaker. They have to elicit emotions solely through their voice work and the eloquence of the script.

Have the voice actors read the same line in different ways.  Let them try to elicit excitement in one take and a tone of dread or authority in another.

5. Different Mediums, Different Talents

Gone are the days when the term “radio” simply meant broadcasting on a radio station. Nowadays, the term can also refer to podcasts or streaming projects. Make sure you know the kind of medium you’re hiring voice talent for.

Don’t always assume that you can use one kind of voice talent for different mediums. Different mediums demand different kinds of talents.

Going for a traditional radio broadcast ad? You might do better with someone who can speak quickly but clearly. Traditional radio ads cost a lot and they charge you per second, after all.

Looking to make an ad for a podcast commercial? These give you more leeway so you might want someone with more energy and better annunciation. You can also get playful with different accents and intonation variations too. 

6. Long-Term Considerations

One of the most crucial voice over tips when hunting for talent is to have long-term considerations. Look at the long game instead of hiring solely for a one-and-done project.

If you were around in the 1980s to the early 2000s, movie trailers always had a voice-over narration. More often than not, the voice work was by the same talent, providing consistency. When people heard that voice, they knew it was for a movie trailer.

Emulate this practice and consider the long-term reliability of your voice talents.

This builds trust and comfort. You need both if you want your radio ad campaign to become a success. Set expectations early by planning and hiring voice talent you know you can rely on for multiple projects.

7. Get a Few Recommendations

Sure, you’re bound to get a few cold applications. That said, you’ll need to conduct a few auditions to sort out the talents and narrow down the ones you like. You can simplify this process by getting a few recommendations.

Why are recommendations often good hires? 

They come from people who already worked with them. There’s already a sense of trust and reliability. You also get the guarantee that they have some training and experience, otherwise, no one would recommend them to you. 

It’s always a good idea to take the recommended talents and give them a try. Audition them like everybody else. They might end up easier to work with, even as early as the hiring phase.

Follow These Voice Over Tips When Hiring!

Hiring the right talent isn’t too monumental a task with these voice over tips. Don’t rush the process and go over things like their portfolio, different samples, and style to find the talent you need.

But getting the most out of your campaign doesn’t end here. Why not read our other guides to get one step ahead of the competition? You can start with our post about the reach of radio right here.