Radio Sales Café

Here's this week's Friday poll question:

Where's the first place you turn for inspiration for writing ad copy?

Please post your replies below - thank you!

Junk email! Bad jokes, solicitations (take the words for a... uh... well... medical pharmacutical produce... if you know what I mean) and turn it into a furniture ad! Take one of thoise "you know you are old when" jokes that people pass around and write a nostaligia ad for a long time business! I love spam. It makes me MONEY!!!

When we get "writer's block" we get as many staff members as we can together in a room, tell them about the client and ask everyone to contribute whatever they're thinking. Some of that can't be used on the air for various reasons, but we always come up with something that can, or something that is a thought starter. Your staff can be your greatest resource if you encourage them to participate.

If there is a product or service out there that needs to be expressed, I immediately try it out myself. If it's a Brett's rib joint, go eat there. If your promoting Bob's house of sox, do your laundry there. Take a look at the surroundings. The people, decor, employees, ext. But make sure that you are there during the peak period. If it's a restaurant, go during breakfast/lunch/dinner. If it's the local launder, get up early on a Saturday morning, or head there late at night. There's nothing wrong with taking a note pad with you. Make a few notes, strike up a few conversations, then come back to it later. If you have trouble after that, then Google the key words from your notes. You're bound to be creative. Plus, on a side note, if your client see's you testing his/her product... what a fantastic way to build a relationship.

I just try to relax and take some time to think about the copy that needs to be written....I try not to put pressure on myself trying to produce the spot within a few minutes or even a few hours. If I am not inspired to write the copy at that moment...I'll just get back to it later in the afternoon or evening. In fact, sometimes I find writing copy first thing in the morning is the best way to approach the issue....Coffee and copy.....it always works for me.
John Harper
WMEL Talk Radio
Cocoa Beach/Melbourne, Florida

The first place I've always turned is to the client...they have "some" ideas...what makes them unique and not cliche? My whole approach is to paint a picture that calls for action...and to use a few cliches as humanly possible. What's going on in the world...in popular culture...what are this month's buzz-words...what has worked in this category before...what ads have I seen or heard that might be adaptable to this situation?...all are questions that I will ask myself.

I've always tried to rely on my own wit and clever ideas. If I'm really stuck, I shoot darts. It helps me regain focus. One time, though, I had to write a recruitment spot for HOOTERS. I knew I wanted to use music from the movie "Stripes" as my bed. I listened to the theme and from that was born my copy. So I guess you could say I turned to Hollywood for inspiration. And now that I think about it...I "borrowed" a line from Letterman once.

Trying to experience the business from a customer's perspective is always a good idea. If you can't become a customer, at least talk to other customers. Quite often they'll provide valuable information that can be distilled into commercial copy. Each customer has his own unique take on the business, of course. But if you make it a point to visit with a number of customers, you may observe common denominators in their responses, patterns that provide a clue as to what might resonate with listeners who are not familiar with the business.

I like to google different topics to get ideas, but using experience, etc from the local store

At RAB SLOVENIA we have four little inspirational angels when we stumble upon a writer's block.

1. We put 5 different pieces of music on (5 different genres) and we just write like crazy about a specific subject in mind (our client's story etc)
I tell my people not to worry about grammar or making sense ... just write. Be inspired by music.
It is amazing how 5 genres bring 5 different stories into our hearts and minds
(we have a little Green magic room, with speakers, radio and CD's and comfortable chairs and it is amazing to write there)

2- We grab a random book from our petit library at the office, open the book at a randomly selected page, and just point with a finger to a word - magic happens from then on

3. We imagine to write in the "shoes" of someone else (for example: Mickey Mouse, Gandhi, etc).

4. I give my people a random sentence I find interesting (different, unconventional, with a great perspective) and they just need to use it as the first sentence of a radio ad. Again, magic happens!

Take care.

Love from your Slovenian radio girl.

Lenja

p.s. Some of these ideas come from Roy (the Wizard) and some from Dan O'Day. Tanks guys!

I bring in "The Jingle Man" he lives locally and for a very reaonable cost he creates a jingle for my clients that tells the story about their business accurately every time....I always have a branded message this way and only have to come up with the :30 :20 voiceover about what's happening that week, month etc. Jingles is the way to go.....This guy turns a jingle around in a week and helps me make long term relationships and long term business......Just did one this week...sold an annual....too much fun.

The first place I turn to is the info that I have. I start by writing what HAS to be in the ad. Sometimes that is just the CTA but just getting your fingers typing gets the mind working. Yesterday I started writing an ad like this... and found out it had 45 seconds of MUST have info in it- and it was to be a :30! No room for creative there... then it was a matter of what can we cut?

I almost always pull from personal experiences or those experiences of people I know. I consider how the product or service has made a difference to people. It also really depends on the mood my client would like the commercial to take on...funny, serious, happy and upbeat.

Take the points your client really wants to push and create "theater of the mind" to make the listener really see it. For instance, I have a client who owns a bakery and really wanted to push that her product is always fresh, never frozen dough and she likes funny ads. I created a two character spot where there were two frozen doughnuts out in the blizzard staring longingly at the warm, fresh doughnuts inside the bakery, wishing they could be a fresh doughnut too.

The client loved it. It was memorable and funny, but very simple to write.