How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer

Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in, say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your competition.

Of all the different types of writing I've done in my life (and believe me, I've tried practically all of them) writing radio has made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style.

Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your writing style. (Oh, and these tips will also help you write better radio copy too.)

Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good. Especially rules that force you to write a certain way. (Think poetry -- mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your writing style.) Rules require you to slow down and think, to analyze your word, sentence, grammar, punctuation, etc., choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development as a writer.

Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a 30- or 60-second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In that 30 or 60 seconds, you need to capture the listener's attention, explain why they should be interested in buying what you're selling, then let them know what you'd like their next step to be. Oh, and did I mention you need to have the business name in there at least twice and probably a tag line as well? And don't forget about music. Or sound effects.

Now the beauty of this is once you've mastered radio rules, you can apply it to all sorts of things. A 30-second pitch for your business you can tell people at networking events. A 15-second introduction before a speech. A quick product spiel for your voice mail. A 15-second pitch for your novel to spit out at agents and editors at writers' conferences. The possibilities are endless.

Forces you to write tight. Remember, radio is short. Yet, there's still a lot you have to shove into it. So what's the solution? Absolutely no extra words allowed.

Be brutal. Cut out anything you don't need. In fact, radio is where I first learned to start cutting "that" out. Most "thats" you don't need, and nothing shows you this like radio.

Here's how I write radio. I start with a first draft. I read it over. I think it's pretty good -- I have all the salient points in there. I read it out loud.

Now the fun begins.

Usually it's too long. You see, I time myself reading. So I have to start chopping words.

When you have to make a script fit into a certain time frame, it's amazing how many words you suddenly discover can be deleted. Or replaced with simpler, shorter words. Or how many sentences can be trimmed. Or phrases made more concise.

As you can imagine, writing radio has really honed my editing skills.

Writing for the ear. Writing for the ear is different than writing for the eye. The eye is far more forgiving. Oh that sentence is a bit too long, but it's okay. Hmm, yes I do see that awkward phrase, but I'm fine with it.

Not the ear. The ear is brutal. It's like one of those headmasters from a Dickens' novel, standing in front of the classroom with a stick and banging it every time a student stutters on an answer.

The ear catches everything -- sentences that are too long and don't allow you to take a breath; sentences that don't flow properly; long, complicated five-dollar words that twist the tongue in a knot and much, much more.

Focus on writing shorter sentences. Simpler sentences. Vary your sentences. Use simple words.

And that's just plain good old writing advice no matter what you happen to be writing.

Creativity Exercises -- Write a Radio Ad

Now it's your turn. Time to sit down and write a radio ad.

First, choose something you want the ad to be about. Maybe one of your products or services. But choose only one. More than one and you're just asking for trouble. (Rule of thumb -- one message per ad. No more. Otherwise you run the risk of losing your target market. Pick one message and make it very simple and very clear.)

Now do what I do. Write the ad. Start by keeping it under a general word count -- 100 words for a 30-second ad and 190 words for a 60-second spot.

Finished your first draft? Great. Now read it. And time yourself. (Those clocks on the computer desktop are great for this.)

What, you went over your limit? Better start cutting. See how many words you can take out and sentences you can tighten. Or replace words and phrases with something shorter.

Now read it again. Still too long? Or maybe now it's too awkward. See previous paragraph. Keep repeating until you end up with something that sounds smooth and fits in the allotted time.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:49:19 GMT Nobel Prize awarded for AIDS, cervical cancer research - Los Angeles Times Times Online Nobel Prize awarded for AIDS, cervical cancer research Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago Luc Montagnier dedicated his award to AIDS sufferers and predicted results on a "therapeutic vaccine" for the pandemic within four years. 2 AIDS researchers receive Nobel Prize Chicago Tribune Work tied to HIV, cancer earns scientists Nobel Prize Detroit Free Press People's Daily Online - International Herald Tribune - Philadelphia Inquirer - Hartford Courant all 1,117 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:01:27 GMT Supreme Court opens term with cigarette marketing case - Los Angeles Times Canada.com Supreme Court opens term with cigarette marketing case Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago The public lines up outside the Supreme Court on the first Monday in October, the traditional start of the court’s term, when justices hear oral arguments. Supreme Court Opens Term With a Tobacco Fraud Case New York Times Suit on Tobacco Ads Sparks Feisty Debate Washington Post USA Today - CNN - The Associated Press - Daily Press all 467 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:01:27 GMT Scores homeless after Tibet quakes - CNN Xinhua Scores homeless after Tibet quakes CNN - 44 minutes ago (CNN) -- Nine people were killed in the pair of earthquakes that struck Tibet, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs reported on Tuesday, lowering the toll of 30 that had initially been reported. Government officials head to quake site in Tibet Xinhua Schools closed for safety after Tibet quake Reuters UK Aljazeera.net - United Press International - The Associated Press all 732 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:04:47 GMT New prenatal test may be less risky than amniocentesis - San Jose Mercury News ITV.com New prenatal test may be less risky than amniocentesis San Jose Mercury News - 6 hours ago By Lisa M. Krieger Building on the latest developments in DNA science, Stanford University researchers have designed a prenatal genetic test that appears to be just as accurate - but much safer than current methods like amniocentesis - by using a ... Safer prenatal Down's syndrome test found in US Reuters Blood Tests Ease Search for Down Syndrome New York Times Bloomberg - WebMD - Telegraph.co.uk - The Missoulian all 175 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:10:40 GMT Red Sox squeeze past Angels, advance to ALCS - Washington Post Red Sox squeeze past Angels, advance to ALCS Washington Post - 1 hour ago BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Monday at Fenway Park to advance to the American League Championship Series for the fourth time in six years. Rays, Red Sox will play for pennant Detroit Free Press Relentless Rays dominate ALDS MLB.com New York Times - FOXSports.com - Sports Network - Newsday all 2,394 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:48:05 GMT 'Saturday Night Live' is buzzworthy again, thanks to Tina Fey as ... - New York Daily News Sydney Morning Herald 'Saturday Night Live' is buzzworthy again, thanks to Tina Fey as ... New York Daily News - 31 minutes ago Once upon a time, TV viewers would have had to stay up late to watch Tina Fey do her Sarah Palin routines on "Saturday Night Live. Alive from New York, Fey's Palin Paces SNL E! Online Palin may appear on ‘SNL MSNBC Boston Herald - Reuters - Washington Post - New York Times all 402 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:17:55 GMT UPDATE 1-Qantas jet hits turbulence from Singapore; 30 hurt - Reuters ITV.com UPDATE 1-Qantas jet hits turbulence from Singapore; 30 hurt Reuters - 1 hour ago SYDNEY, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Over 30 people were injured, some with broken bones and lacerations, when a Qantas passenger jet flying from Singapore to Perth struck turbulence on Tuesday and had to make an emergency landing at a remote Australian airport, ... Mid-air incident forces Qantas flight to land just after takeoff guardian.co.uk 40 hurt in mid-air jet 'incident' in Australia CNN International Bloomberg - The Press Association - BBC News - Flight International all 153 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:46:41 GMT Affiliate Data Feeds Amazon RSS

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food

Did you know that jobs writing about food are available?... Read More

How To Become Qualified As A Proofreader

The field of proofreading is not as easy to get... Read More

Touching the Prospect?s Emotions in Your Sales Letter

Your prospect has emotions? and you MUST touch these emotions... Read More

3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal!

Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs... Read More

10 Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets

1. Use a hand written letter on your ad copy... Read More

Your Article Headlines will Make or Break Your Business

Most people with an online presence will have to regularly... Read More

Writing Great Website Sales Copy

Many small businesses fail because their owners don't pay enough... Read More

A Copywriters Rant: Either You Get it, Or You Dont

Today I am having a rant inside of my own... Read More

The Lost Art Of Fundamental Copywriting

What ever happened to good old fashion, fundamental copywriting? Has... Read More

How to Start and Sustain a Career as a Freelance Writer

Have you wondered how you can make a career writing... Read More

10 Tips for Aspiring Freelance Copywriters

Every week I receive a couple of emails from people... Read More

12 Copywriting Tips to Make Your Advertising More Profitable

Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response... Read More

Advice From Successful Freelancers: Starting & Maintaining A Freelancer Career

For the e-book, Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built... Read More

Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 2 of 2

In part one of this article series we began looking... Read More

The Second Most Important Element of Your Ad... after the Headline

Hi {FIRSTNAME Friend},Next time you're flicking through your local newspaper,... Read More

Five Tips for Writing Eyeball-Grabbing Headlines

If you made it this far, the headline for this... Read More

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important... Read More

Art Of Writing Profitable Classified Ads

The art of writing profitable classified adsEverybody wants to make... Read More

Three Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy

The difference between good copy and great copy is the... Read More

Top 7 Things To Do Before You Hire A Copywriter

Now that you've decided to hire a copywriter, how do... Read More

Cleaning Up Your Copy

When you are beginning to write, you gather as much... Read More

Freelance Writers: Double Your Income

Freelance writers are a strange group of people when it... Read More

Pulling Sales with Your Ad Copy

One of the best marketing tools available to your internet... Read More

Why Copywriting Is The Secret To Your Online Success

Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their... Read More

How To Be Creative

Network marketing is an art as much as it is... Read More