Radio Ad Script Examples for 15, 30, and 60 Seconds

Choose a radio ad script around one listener action: visit a place, consider a product, attend an event, or book a service. Put the business and reason to care into spoken language, then give a next step someone can understand without seeing a screen. The original examples below cover 15-, 30-, and 60-second briefs for small businesses and creators preparing audio copy.

The lengths in the headings are intended placement briefs, not measured recording durations. All businesses, products, domains, events, and characters are fictional. Copy the ideas and adapt the wording after verifying your own facts. Download the original radio ad script pack for plain-text versions and a blank production brief.

Choose one action before writing the radio ad script

Write the action at the top of the brief before drafting the opening. A listener asked to visit, call, subscribe, download, and follow is being given several jobs. Pick the action the campaign will actually support. Then check its destination: a booking page must work, opening hours must be current, and the advertised item must be available.

Four original radio ad script examples

15-second location reminder

Your next ride starts at Cedar Lane Cycles. Find commuter bikes, lights, and practical advice at our Market Street shop. Visit Cedar Lane Cycles this Saturday. Bring your questions. We'll help you choose.

Original fictional radio ad sample

A short reminder gives the listener one business, one location, and one invitation. The sample is intended for a 15-second brief, not certified to fit it. If the station needs an address or another required line, cut a product category rather than squeezing that detail into the last breath.

30-second product explanation

Packing a desk for a weekend trip? The Foldwell laptop stand folds flat, then opens to support your screen on a tabletop. Keep your charger and notebook in the bag, and set up your workspace when you arrive. See how it opens, check the dimensions, and choose your finish at foldwell dot example. Foldwell. A stand that travels with your work.

Original fictional radio ad sample

This product read describes an observable function instead of inventing a productivity improvement. The product and domain are fictional. For a real product, confirm the mechanism, supported devices, and dimensions before adapting the copy. The repeated brand name is purposeful because the first mention explains the object and the final mention identifies the action.

30-second community event invitation

A repaired chair. A fixed jacket. A lamp ready for another evening. The Northbank Repair Day brings neighbors and volunteer fixers together on Saturday, November seventh, at the community hall. Bring one small item and meet the people who can help you plan a repair. Check the accepted-item list and book your arrival slot at northbank repair dot example. Northbank Repair Day. Start with one thing.

Original fictional radio ad sample

The event read has a different job: help a listener decide whether to attend. Its date, venue, accepted-item list, and booking process are fictional details to verify or replace. Avoid guaranteeing that every item will be repaired. If there is a fee or capacity limit, reserve room for that information rather than hiding it behind a fast website instruction.

60-second dialogue about a useful service

CUSTOMER: I found the paper I wanted. Now I have to work out the sizes. ADVISER: Bring the print, the wall measurements, and a photo of the room. NARRATOR: At Fieldstone Frame Workshop, choosing a frame starts with the piece you want to display. Compare wood finishes, look at mount samples, and discuss how the finished frame will sit in your space. CUSTOMER: Can I see the options together? ADVISER: That's the idea. We lay out samples before you decide. NARRATOR: Book a consultation at fieldstone frames dot example, or visit our River Road workshop during opening hours. Bring your artwork and your questions. Fieldstone Frame Workshop. Choose the frame around the work you love.

Original fictional radio ad sample

The dialogue turns an abstract consultation into a specific decision: comparing samples before choosing. It is an original fictional scene, not a customer testimonial. The quoted customer does not report a real purchase or outcome. For a real campaign, confirm the booking process and service before recording. Speaker labels and directions are production notes, not spoken copy.

Script length estimates for planning

The table counts whitespace-separated spoken words in the original examples, excluding leading speaker labels. The duration column is calculated at an assumed 150 words per minute: words divided by 150, multiplied by 60. These are planning estimates, not measured performances. Pauses, music, effects, turn changes, and time needed to show an action are not included. Time the finished audio or video before using it.

Make the script fit without rushing the listener

Ask the station or publisher for the booked length, delivery requirements, and any required wording before finalizing the copy. The finished audio includes pauses, music, effects, and transitions, not just the words. Keep a version with those directions separate from the clean spoken script so you do not count a production instruction as narration.

As one platform-specific reference, Spotify's audio ad specifications recommend no more than 65 words for a 30-second ad and 100 words for a 60-second ad. These are Spotify's recommendations, not universal broadcast-radio word limits. Use the placement owner's current brief, and judge the final recording rather than treating a word target as a guaranteed fit.

Use the speech time calculator to estimate a first draft. It cannot measure your performance. Record or generate the intended voice, leave the planned space around the business name and next step, and compare that actual duration with the brief. If the recording overruns, reduce the information load before changing the pace.

1. First cut: remove the second benefit if it repeats the first.
2. Second cut: shorten a long opening scene to its essential moment.
3. Third cut: remove a contact route that is not the primary action.
4. Keep: the business identity, the promise you can support, important conditions, and the usable next step.
5. Recheck: the complete mixed file, because music introductions and end tails take time too.

Use a blank script and production brief

[OPENING: one situation the listener recognizes.] [IDENTITY: business or product name.] [REASON: one verified function, offer, or relevant detail.] [NECESSARY CONDITIONS: include where the offer needs them.] [ACTION: one usable destination or instruction.] [ENDING: optional short repetition of the identity.]

Blank radio ad script template

Fill the structure in ordinary language, then read it to someone who cannot see the page. Ask them what is advertised and what they would do next. This is an editing exercise, not a conversion test. If they remember the scene but cannot name the business, move the identity earlier. If they remember the business but not the action, simplify the final instruction.

• Placement and intended duration: [station or publisher; booked slot].
• Audience and listening situation: [who; when this is relevant].
• Campaign action: [one next step].
• Verified facts: [product function, dates, hours, price, availability].
• Spoken destination: [short address, location, or number].
• Production directions: [speaker changes, music, effects, pauses].
• Approval owner and expiry date: [person; date the copy must stop running].

Keep the brief with the clean spoken copy and the final audio. A dated event ad or temporary offer needs an end date that the production team can see. If you prepare several placements, name the versions by purpose and intended slot. Do not assume that an approved 60-second dialogue can be reduced to 15 seconds by speeding it up.

Review claims and avoid common audio-copy mistakes

The Federal Trade Commission's advertising guidance says advertisers need evidence for claims and that advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive. In the script review, mark every factual promise: a price, a guarantee, a delivery window, a comparison, or an outcome. Confirm each with the business before recording. Do not invent survey percentages or customer quotations to make a draft sound established.

A crowded address can be harder to follow than a simple location. Avoid reading a long URL path or several phone numbers unless the campaign genuinely depends on them. If the destination is a website, speak it exactly as intended and have another person type what they hear. Replace every dot-example domain in this guide; they are sample destinations, not live businesses.

Sound effects should explain the scene rather than interrupt it. A bike bell can place the listener in a cycling context, but three seconds of effects still use three seconds of the slot. Treat music and effects as separate production choices with their own usage permissions. The voiceover export guide helps distinguish an editing master from the delivery file your station requests.

If the audio is part of a visible product walkthrough instead of an audio-only ad, use the product demo script template. That brief can pair actions on screen with narration; a radio listener needs enough spoken context without those visuals.

Frequently asked questions