They’re cheap, easy, and fast. They may look great on paper, but how do they sound?
When venturing into the world of radio advertising, you might consider having a radio station produce your spot for free. But if a successful spot at no cost sounds too good to be true, you’re probably right.
Getting your company’s radio campaign from the station is a bit like getting professional portraits from the DMV. Picture this: you’re a brilliant young professional looking to take the world by storm, starting with a killer headshot that’s sure to turn heads and get all the profile views on Linkedin. You have to put your best foot forward and seem friendly, approachable, earnest, professional, and just about every adjective synonymous with “a good employee” in just one photo. So, naturally, you stand in front of a camera that’s just a smidge above the quality of a webcam while an eternally disinterested government employee that isn’t quite familiar with the concept of being “ready” tells you not to smile. I mean, you got what you wanted: it is a headshot. However, the DMV takes a pretty bare-bones approach to photography. Getting the absolute minimum likely means it’s not going to do the job as well as you need it to.
When you have your radio spot produced at a station, you’re getting the “bare-bones” approach to ad production. The average station brings in no outside voice talent, copywriters, music, or sound effects. You may end up with a single voice that narrates all other ads produced at that station. That means that your ad is going to sound strikingly similar to a million other ads that play in your area.
When working with radio advertising, crafting a striking, attention-grabbing spot is the key to success. One ad in a commercial break full of ads that sound pretty much the same? They’ll probably forget it as soon as the next song begins to play.
So, buyer beware when it comes to free, radio station-produced spots: you get what you pay for. However, sometimes it’s necessary to use these free spots to your advantage. If you’re a company with a very limited budget for advertising, a radio produced spot is the best way to go for now. But when you save up the cash for a bigger marketing budget, a professionally produced spot is the best way to go. Quality voice talent, custom music, and creative copy is well worth the investment.
