INFORMATION SPOT

The information spot is designed purely to inform. In this type of announcement, you are not trying to get the audience to do anything or to change attitudes. You simply want to give them information.

The information spot differs from the selling spot in purpose and structure. In writing the information spot, you begin with attention and follow it with appeal. Because no response is desired from the audience, you have no need for an action step. Your job is to compose the message in a clear, concise form and to get the maximum amount of interesting information into the brief 10, 20, 30 and 60 seconds

Figure 13-4. - 30-second selling spot announcement.

Figure 13-5. - 30-second information spot announcement.

you may be allotted. Figure 13-5 shows the information spot announcement.

SPOT WRITING TECHNIQUES

In writing either a selling or information spot announcement, you should remember the following four techniques that will pay dividends in quality:

1. Plot the pitch carefully. Before you put a word on paper, you have to know the type of audience you want to reach. If the audience is in the lower income bracket, gear the spot to the special needs and wants of this group. One approach could be the economic security angle; another is the "get-ahead-in-the-world" appeal. On the other hand, audiences in small rural towns might find the travel theme exciting and interesting. Spot writers must study prospective audiences if they are to be successful at communicating with them.

2. Look for new target audiences. Although the stress in writing may be recruiting, you should be prepared to write spots that will sell the public on attending a command public visitation, a parade or a demonstration. These special events appeal to many audiences. Some spots might be directed toward fathers, children, teen-agers or even to mothers in the audience.

3. Develop a direct, personal writing approach. Even though the audience may consist of several thousand people, the copy is directed at one person. Make that individual feel that the message is personal. Address the listener in terms of "you," "you've," "your" Canal "you're." Always refer to the listener in singular form and in a friendly manner.

4. Select words carefully. Write spots in the active voice with such positive and colorful verbs as follows:

go, see, take, try, get, visit, ask, call, be and buy. Be conversational, but avoid slang. Keep your words simple, and do not try to impress the listener with an extensive vocabulary. Speak to the listener in the language that person knows. You also should avoid special military terms and abbreviations that are unfamiliar to the listener.

Format and Preparation

Whether you are writing a spot announcement for an NBS detachment or a local commercial station, you should adhere to the following general rules concerning format and preparation:

1. Follow the appropriate style. Write your spot following the style guide of the station. A station manager might reject your spot if it is not in the style his announcers are used to reading.

2. Submit clean copy. All announcements you submit to radio stations should be free of errors.

3. Submit the proper number of copies. Check to see how many copies of an announcement each station needs.

4. Meet deadlines. If a station manager asks you to have a spot at the station by a given time, do not miss the deadline. Your violating this rule is the best way for you to keep your copy from ever reaching the airwaves.

Timing the Spot

Timing is extremely important in spot writing. On commercial stations, you will be competing with other public service agencies for free air time. Naturally, a station can allot only so much time for public service announcements.

If you use music or sound effects in your spot, you must remember to take these into consideration in your timing. A 30-second spot with 10 seconds of sound effects averages four to five lines of copy. A stopwatch will help you in timing spots.

Whenever you write a spot, it is best that you include a "kill date" and cutoff time so the station will know when to stop using it. A spot heard over and over, day after day for along time, soon gets dull and irritating to the listener. Also, if you have a spot telling people to visit your command on Sunday, it would certainly sound ridiculous to hear it the following Monday.