Writing for Radio & TV - Ad Commercials

WRITING FOR ADS

• Good ad writing means knowing what people think, making a good message, and telling people what to do.

• Before writing, think about these things:

TARGET AUDIENCE & BUILDING A PERSONA

• Why Make the Ad?: What do you want to do? (Tell people about your brand? Sell things? Get people to sign up? Keep people coming back?).

• Who Are You Talking To?: Change your message for who you are talking to. Think about:

  • Age, gender, where they live, how much money they make, what they do for work.

  • What they like, what they do in their free time.

• Target Audience: A group of people who might want your product. Think about what they like and how they act.

• Example: Women, 18-25, Egypt, make a good amount of money.

• Persona: A fake, but real-feeling, person who is your ideal customer.

• Give them a name, age, job, and life story.

  • What problems do they have? What do they want? Why would they buy?

  • What are their goals? What makes them unhappy about your product?

  • Example: Jowyria, 21, Alexandria, makes 2k a month, studies media, likes skincare, loves TikTok.

MAIN IDEA, TONE & STYLE

• Main Idea: What is the most important thing you want to say?

• Make it easy to remember.

• Tone: How does the ad sound? (Serious? Funny? Friendly?).

• Style: How do you write the ad? (Like talking? Like poetry? Short and simple? Like a story?).

• Example: A fancy brand might sound rich and cool. A brand for young people might sound fun and wild.

EMOTIONS

• People buy things because of how they feel, then they try to make it make sense.

• Ads work best when they make you feel something:

  1. Happy (fun, jokes, exciting).

  2. Safe (trustworthy, experts like it).

  3. Scared of missing out (only a few left, only for special people).

• Examples: ads for banks, charities, or to make people aware of something

NARRATIVE FLOW

• Every good ad tells a story:

• Hook: Get people's attention right away.

  • Problem: Show a problem that people have.

  • Solution: Show how your brand fixes the problem.

  • Call to Action (CTA): Tell people what to do next.

  • Make it clear, easy, and make people want to do it.

• Example: An ad for a food app could show someone who can't cook, then show how the app brings food fast. The CTA could be "Order now and get 20% off."

CRAFTING THE COPY

1. Show the problem first (what people need), then the solution (your product).

2. Make the problem or solution sound bigger than it is.

3. Show the problem, give a silly solution, then give the real solution (your product).

4. You can show the problem and solution without saying it directly.