Radio ad script
generator

Write a radio ad in seconds. Tell us the business, the offer and what listeners should do next, pick a length and we'll write a script timed to fit, with music and sound effect cues ready for the desk.

Radio ad script examples

Three examples at the most common lengths. Use the generator above to write one for your own advertiser.

15 second retail ad
Groove Records weekend sale
About 14 sec read aloud
1. [MUSIC BED: funky breakbeat, under]
2. VOICEOVERCrate diggers, this one's for you. This weekend only, everything on vinyl is twenty percent off at Groove Records in Leeds. New releases, rare finds and bargain bins. Groove Records, Kirkgate Market. This Saturday and Sunday.
3. [MUSIC: stinger]
30 second restaurant ad
Luigi's midweek pasta
About 28 sec read aloud
1. [MUSIC BED: warm acoustic guitar, under]
2. WOMANLong day?
3. MANThe longest.
4. WOMANThen let Luigi's do the cooking tonight. Tuesday to Thursday at Luigi's Trattoria on Main Street, any pasta and a glass of house wine is just fifteen dollars.
5. MANMade fresh?
6. WOMANEvery morning, by Luigi himself.
7. MANAnd dessert?
8. WOMANTiramisu's on the house when you book online.
9. VOICEOVERLuigi's Trattoria, Main Street. Midweek pasta and wine, fifteen dollars. Book your table today at luigis dot com, or just walk in.
10. [MUSIC: up and out]
60 second event ad
Riverside Food Festival
About 1 min 1 sec read aloud
1. [MUSIC BED: upbeat brass band, under]
2. VOICEOVERSomething smells good on the riverside. The Riverside Food Festival is back on Saturday the fourteenth and Sunday the fifteenth of June, with more than forty street food stalls lining the river path from the old bridge to Mill Park.
3. VOICEOVERThere's wood-fired pizza, jerk chicken, Korean fried chicken, vegan bao and the doughnuts everyone queued for last year. Grab a drink at the craft beer tent, or bring the kids to the free cooking workshops, every hour on the hour.
4. VOICEOVERLive music runs all afternoon on the main stage, with local bands, a steel band and our own breakfast DJ, Priya, spinning from four till close.
5. VOICEOVEREntry is free, and the stalls open at eleven both days. Bring a blanket, bring your appetite, and leave the car at home, because the number twelve bus stops right outside.
6. [SFX: crowd cheer]
7. VOICEOVERThe Riverside Food Festival. June the fourteenth and fifteenth, Mill Park. Free entry, eleven till late.
8. [MUSIC: up and out]

Radio ad script template

Prefer to write it yourself? Copy this 30 second template and fill in the brackets. It follows the same shape as the examples: hook, offer, reason to act now and one call to action.

[MUSIC BED: upbeat, under] VOICEOVER: [The hook: a question or line your listener recognises, e.g. "Hungry after work?"] VOICEOVER: [Business name] is [what you do] in [your town or street]. VOICEOVER: [The offer: one clear deal, with what, how much and until when.] VOICEOVER: [Why now: the reason to act this week.] VOICEOVER: [Call to action: visit, call or book, said slowly.] That's [business name], [where to find you]. [MUSIC: up and out]

How to write a radio ad script

Grab attention in the first three seconds. A question or a line listeners recognise works better than the business name, which they haven't tuned in for yet.

Make one offer and say it plainly. Listeners can't scroll back, so a single deal with a clear reason to act this week beats a list of everything the business does.

Name the business at least twice and end with one call to action. Keep web addresses short and say them slowly, and read the script out loud before it airs: at about 150 words a minute, a 30 second ad is around 75 words.

Related tools & resources

Need a show opener, station ID or announcement instead? The radio script generator writes those too. For more on the craft, read our guide to writing a radio ad, and if you're selling airtime, see how your online radio station can make money.

FAQs

How do I write a radio ad script?

Open with a hook listeners recognise, make one clear offer, name the business at least twice and finish with a single call to action. Write for the ear: short sentences, everyday words and nothing listeners would need to write down. The generator above writes a first draft in that shape, and the template on this page gives you the structure to fill in yourself.

Read our guide to writing a radio ad

How many words is a 30 second radio ad?

Most voiceovers read at around 150 words a minute, so a 30 second ad is roughly 75 words. A 15 second ad is around 35 to 40 words and a 60 second ad is about 150. Leave room for music and pauses rather than squeezing in extra copy.

What is the format of a radio ad script?

Each spoken line starts with the speaker in capitals, like VOICEOVER or HOST, and production directions such as music beds and sound effects sit on their own lines in square brackets. That way whoever is reading knows what to say and whoever is on the desk knows what to play.

How long should a radio ad be?

Thirty seconds is the most common length and gives you room for a hook, an offer and a call to action. Fifteen seconds works for a reminder of something listeners already know, and sixty seconds suits events or offers that need more explaining.

Can I use these scripts on my station?

Yes. Everything the generator writes, and the examples and template on this page, are yours to edit and read on air. Check any details like prices, dates and web addresses with the advertiser before the ad goes out.