Top 5 Tips for Effective Audio Advertising

Writing Effective Audio Ads

Writing an effective audio ad is challenging because writing for the ear to listen is different than writing for the eyes to see. A person cannot stop and re-read what was just said to them, so the opportunity to lose the listener is far higher within an audio advertisement. However, that does not mean it isn’t possible to have effective streaming audio advertising that captures the listener’s attention and pulls them into your message. Read our top five tips for effective audio advertising, below:

Keep it simple

The longer your message, the more airtime you need to speak it. The average attention span of the average adult America is somewhere between 8-15 seconds—the goal is to capture the listener within those first few seconds. A good rule of thumb is to keep sentences under 25 words each.

Have a strong call-to-action (CTA)

A strong CTA is key—ideally, it should be repeated within the script at least two times. An example of a good CTA has a clear and direct action that the listener can immediately take. If the intention is for the listener to come into a store, make sure those exact words are said within the CTA.

Consider your tone

Sometimes it is not what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it— one study found a connection between audio advertising and the features of phonoaesthetic function (vocal pitch, timbre, intensity, etc.). Voice is a crucial component of an audio advertisement because there is often no image alongside it to capture the listener’s attention. Read the script out loud a few times to see how things sound!

Utilize the power of silence

Play with inserting short pauses after each sentence—these allow the listener time to digest the first thought, before jumping into the next. Frequent pauses also make it easier to edit the audio file later.

Put thought into ad verbiage

Consider words that sound alike or similar and pay attention to context. Remember, listeners cannot see the words you’re saying—watch out for words like “two” and “too” because this can sometimes be confusing to the listener. Also think about the way people talk in everyday conversation and avoid formal structuring (i.e., that of a formal written paper)—keep it conversational!