by Wayne Dunham and Corrine J. Sidney

• When developing a script, talk with people from your target audience to find out what their hot buttons are.
• Determine what to emphasize. Will people attend because of special activities? Will they come because the hall is easy to get to and has adequate parking? Will they meet a celebrity? Or is the show itself enough of a draw?
• Remember shorter is better. You must catch the listener early. The story should be told in the first two or three sentences.

• Script checklist:
  • Use simple, declarative sentences.
  • Round off numbers.
  • Avoid direct quotes.
  • Personalize whenever possible.
  • Avoid extended descriptions.
  • Avoid hackneyed expressions and cliches.

• Use show name, location and dates at both the beginning and end of the spot.
• Hire the best talent you can afford. A radio ad is only as good as the talent used.
• Radio stations generally need a minimum of two weeks to write a script, revise it and get it produced.
• If you write the ad yourself and have the radio station produce it, there is usually no production cost.
• Ad agencies need anywhere from 45 to 60 days to produce high-quality, effective ads because of research and talent search factors.
• If you use an agency, expect to pay from $4,500 to $6,500, depending on how many voices you use and whether or not you use music. Preparing the script will cost from $3,000 to $4,500. Production costs will range from $1,500 to $2,000, including the talent, sound studio, music and tape reproduction.

Excerpted from the January/February 1993 and February 1997 issues of EXPO.