Did you know radio reaches over 93% of Americans age 12 or older every week?

That’s a total audience of 258 million according to US census bureau estimates for 2019.

Advertisers can use direct response radio advertising to reach their target audience. It doesn't matter how broad or niche your product or service is. Advertising on the radio is as effective as TV at a fraction of the cost.

You can write, produce, and schedule radio commercials on the same day. This makes it a great medium for rapid variable testing of creative messages and offers.

Many radio personality endorsement opportunities exist. That means advertisers can leverage a radio personality's relationship with their devoted audience.

I learned these 12 guidelines from the late Fred Catona. He is generally recognized as the father of "Direct Response" radio advertising. His commercials drove 1 billion dollars in sales in 18 months for Priceline.

They're intended for use in 60-second radio commercials. 60 seconds is the shortest length you should use when your goal is an immediate response.

Writing a direct response radio commercial listeners is not an easy task. You have 170 words to get attention, foster interest, develop desire, and drive action.

Follow these 12 guidelines, and your commercials are far more likely to get a response.

1. Use a Grabber Opening.

Your opening must command attention or curiosity. It has to compel listeners to keep listening and not change the dial or zone out.

You could use a free offer that qualifies your ideal customer.

If a celebrity or expert is your spokesperson, have them introduce themselves.

Statistics are also very effective for grabbing attention. Something like "93% of Americans over 12 listen to the radio each week."

2. Use Qualifying Questions.

You can use one or two questions to pique interest or probe pain points.

"Would you like to lose 20 pounds before summer?"

"Would you like to have an income you can't outlive?"

Questions beg a response and create more interest. They should relate to the problems, or address the pains of your ideal customer.

This is critical for engaging the right listeners.

3. Establish Your Credibility.

Radio commercials are most effective when voiced by a trust agent. This could be a show host, a well-known customer, an expert spokesperson, or a celebrity.

Using a trust agent establishes authority and enhances validity. It tells listeners why they should know, like and trust you.

If you're unable to use a trust agent due to budget constraints, quote experts. You can use their authority to prove your credibility.

4. Present Your Unique Selling Proposition.

Next, you present your big idea as a promise. This should be an amazing or incredible benefit of your product or service.

You want to set your product or service apart with a unique benefit like nothing they've heard of. Priceline provided the customer something they never imagined. The empowering choice of setting their own price.

5. Share Your Testimonials.

Your positive customer testimonials are among the most powerful selling tools you have.

Use male and female voices. For gender-neutral offers, you'll want to alternate. I often use three: Male - Female - Male.

If you don't have testimonials, you can use pre-emptive testimonials with no claim. "Exactly what I've been waiting for."

Your testimonials should always use emotion.

Use a mix of the three biggest problems your customers have or the benefits they experience.

State a problem, then present the solution or highlight benefits with your testimonials.

You can paraphrase testimonials a little, but this will often damage their credibility.

Remember, you must have a written record of your testimonials. Also, the person giving the testimonial cannot be you or part of your company.

6. Use a Controversial Statement or Kicker

You want to use a controversial or powerful promise (kicker) that stirs interest but NOT FEAR. The use of fear risks paralyzing the listener.

Controversial statements shock the listener back into listening to the commercial. Here's an example for a recent client of ours, Terminix:

"Homeowners with termite damage spend $3,000 in repairs on average."

A kicker takes the offer to a new level. An example for a business loan commercial might be Kevin Harrington saying:

"I'll invest up to $150k if you can prove your company is a good idea."

7. Showcase Your Free Offer

You should always motivate listeners with "free".

Some examples would be a free DVD, a free video, a free report, a free consultation.

You should use something that's valuable to your ideal customer. It should qualify them, motivate them to act, and build trust or credibility with your company.

8. Build Urgency.

Use urgency to make listeners act. Introduce a benefit and a penalty for inaction. If they don't call or visit your website soon, they'll miss out.

"Call in the next sixty minutes, or..."

9. Introduce Scarcity.

You want to make your offer sound limited to increase how desirable it is to listeners and drive them to act.

"You'll get 30% off while supplies last."

"We only have 8 open slots left this week."

10. Repeat Your Call to Action

You must include your call to action at least 3 times to make it easy to remember. Once early in the commercial and twice at the very end.

Use a vanity 1-800 number or domain that spells out the benefit of your product or service for the best response. These are also crucial for tracking the response rate of your commercials.

Use a different number or domain for each commercial and station you run for clear tracking.

11. Restate Your Offer

At the end of your commercial, restate your offer and the call to action.

"Call now for our special radio offer and get 50% off your next appointment."

"Call in the next 60 minutes & you'll also get our free book, 'How to XYZ'."

"Don't forget to ask for your free DVD, 'How to ABC Faster' - there's no obligation, it's 100% free."

Your commercial should always end with contact info repeated twice.

"Call now toll-free at 1-800-LOW-COST. That's 1-800-LOW-COST."

Don't put anything after your phone number or website repeats twice. Make it as easy as possible for interested listeners to memorize your information.

12. Never use Sound Effects, Music, or Humor.

Never use jingles, sound effects, and music because they distract from your message.

Humor is hard to get right. Plus, it wears out fast. This is especially true on the radio where you want the same listeners to hear your message 2-3 times per week.

Use these 12 guidelines, and you'll have a solid direct response radio commercial.

Choosing the right stations, formats, frequency, and dayparts is beyond the scope of this article. It's as important as tight copywriting for success in radio advertising.

If you'd like to learn more keep an eye out for my upcoming article on station, format, frequency and daypart selection. You can also schedule a meeting with me on AdvisoryCloud by clicking below.

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