The field of broadcasting continues to influence a much wider array of career possibiltiies. With the expansion of radio, TV, podcasting, social media and influencer marketing formats, people need broader communications skills at an earlier age to fit into today's job market. A 4-H Radio PSA is a pre-recorded public service announcement. 4-H members are encouraged to prepare Radio PSA's to help promote 4-H locally or statewide. Typically non-profits, such as 4-H, receive free Radio PSA's when there is a gap to fill on the radio daily schedule.
The ability to write and deliver a message which conveys a complete thought in sixty seconds or less is the reality of both broadcast and personal communications. For this reason, Radio Public Service Announcements are a part of county and state 4-H Public Speaking Contests.
For the Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) division of public speaking, the emphasis is on the presentation of radio. For that reason, scoring is based on the content of the material and the delivery.
A.I.D.A. Formula for Writing Copy
A. Attention. Get the listener's attention. Hopefully, something that doesn't sound like all the other commercials. Sometimes it can be a sound effect. It can be a question, but don't get caught starting every commercial that way! The object is to divert their attention to your announcement.
I. Interest. Now that you have their attention, it is time to create the desire for whatever it is you're promoting. For example, "There's no reason to every clean your gutters again with Gutter Clean!"
D. Desire. Now that you have the listener's interest, create a need for the idea or product. For example, "Climbing on your sloped roof or on an unstable ladder can be dangerous, but NOT cleaning gutters can mean expensive repairs to your foundation! With Gutter Clean, you'll never have to clean those gutters again! Ever!"
A. Action. Get them to act on the desire you've created. For example, "Take that short drive to your nearest retailer for a lifetime of clean gutters and receive an additional 20 percent off until December 20th!"
Whether it's a product or a service, the formula works the same way.
Don't use sound effects or music unless it actually adds something to the commercial. It's easy to go overboard and detract from the message with "too much extra stuff."
When using a music background, don't make it recognizable, or people wil pay more attention to the music than the message. It is illegal to use music that is copyrighted wtihout permission. Obtaining rights is very expensive.
Make sure the commercial is not too long, even by one second. If it is, most stations will not run it. The best rule (and the rule used by most radio and TV stations) is 60 seconds, and it should actually be 59 seconds. A 60-second Radio PSA usually takes about 150 words.
Written Notes for Preparation of Radio PSA's
- Type on one side of the paper only.
- Double or triple space, and don't type in all capital letters as they are hard to read in quantity.
- Never continue a paragraph or sentence from one page to another.
- Never split words or hyphenated phrases from one line to the next.
- It's best not to use abbreviations as the words they represent may not come to you as they are being spoken.
- Use contractions whenever possible. Your talk should be given in conversational style, as if you were speaking to just one person. NOTE/EXAMPLE: Contractions should not be used hwen you wish to emphasize a certain word. But don't shy away from using them were appropriate.
- If a title is to be used for a person mentioned in the talk, give the title first. It's usually best to use the title the first time only when mentioning a person's name.
- Don't include middle initials unless they are widely known by initials as part of their name. For example, more people would know the author J.K. Rowling by that name than if their first name were spelled out.
- It's important that you be able to pronounce everything correctly. Use phonetic spelling for difficult words.
- Balance your sentences and keep them simple. Avoid long ones or short choppy ones. Simplify numbers or statistics by using generalizations, such as 'about,' 'nearly,' 'almost,' or 'at least.
- In general, catch the listener's attention with a striking or interesting statement and elaborate or clarify this statement.
Delivery Tips
Practice your Radio PSA. Choose a listener who will give you suggestions on how you can improve your delivery. Speak clearly in a normal, conversational and friendly tone. Think of yourself as talking to one person close by, not to a big crowd. Your aim should be to talk, not read, to the listener. Project your personality. Sell your audience on the points you're making. Be persuasive. Enthusiasm and sincerity will help convince the listener that you believe in what you're saying.
Talk at a natural speed, but avoid monotony. Vary the pitch and volume of your voice to get variety, emphasis, and attention.
Take breaths between units of thoughts rather than randomly. Make your voice pleasant; a smile on your face will put a smile in your voice. Watch enunciation and pronunciation.
Read your Radio PSA out loud:
- Is it the right length?
- Does it sound like something you would hear on the radio?
- Is the headline catchy and interesting?
- Edit your Radio PSA carefully to be sure all of the information is correct.
Working with a Microphone
Place the microphone directly in front of you. This position is called "on the beam." Speaking close to the microphone makes the voice sound more pleasing and gives "presence" to the voice. Radio broadcasters typically sit down with their elbows on the table while they are on the air. A person in this position tends to have a conversational style of delivery. Standing may trigger platform habits such as vocal projection or pacing. Imagine that two friends are on the other side of the microphone. Talk to them, not to the microphone. This means that you won't shout into the microphone because you don't shout at friends at that distance. When sitting, hold your copy in front of you. If you look down to read, your air passage will not open enough to allow you to breathe correctly. Use your natural voice.
4-H Contest Opportunities
Youth enrolled in the Nebraska 4-H Youth Development Program are eligible to participate in the county-based communication contests or the 4-H Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest at the State 4-H Premier Communication Event. Contact your local Nebraska Extension Office for more information.