There is much to be said about writing scripts for commercials. Books have been written. Seminars have been taught.

But after listening to commercials all my life, I have boiled good commercial writing down to three very basic principles. Here they are in all their glory.

1: IDENTIFY THE NEED – create or identify a need. Something they don’t have; a problem that needs solving; something they are likely to need. Of course, this requires an excellent understanding of your target audience.

2: PROVIDE A SOLUTION – present your product or service as the solution to that need. Describe what you are offering, and how it will meet that need. Identify how it is superior to other solutions on the market.

3: GIVE A CALL TO ACTION – tell people what to do next. Do they go to a store? Do they visit a web site? Do they lobby their politician? Do they dial a toll-free number? If you are giving people something they need to remember (like a phone number or address), say it last.

Pretty basic…but it works. You can have a single voice, multi voice, dialogue, or even a song. The principle is still the same.

Happy broadcasting