So why am I doing this? 

That’s the question I asked myself before I set out to write articles to inform others how to write better radio copy.  My answer to the question ended up being multi-faceted.

First and foremost, I love radio.  I think that started when I was a kid.  I talked a lot – and many, many people told me I should put that voice to work for me.   I heard them, but in those days I always wanted to play sports.  I wanted to play professional hockey (I was a huge Ken Dryden fan).  But what you should also know about me is that this was truly the impossible dream.  You see I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis since I was an infant. And I was significantly disabled from the age of 4. Over the years a lot of what’s happened in my life has been dictated to some part by that simple fact.

Sometimes Love Is Not All You Need – sorry John.

When I finally realized that there are no professional hockey players, playing in a wheelchair, the seed that was planted all those years before must have taken firm root.  Because somewhere around age 15 or 16, I finally decided I wanted to have the kind of fun working, that I imagined those I listened to on the radio were having. They always say you should “do what you love!”

Well now, many years in radio later – almost 25 to be exact – I still love radio.  But I don’t love what I’m hearing so much anymore.  Especially all those saying, “radio is dead”.  And I decided I wanted to do something to try to change that.

Write What You Know Best 

Since what I know best is radio copywriting – that’s what I wanted to focus on.  And because I also wanted to have an avenue to take all that I have learned (so far), and simply write it down, this seemed like the best way to do it.

Secondly, I wanted to take advantage of this remarkable time in which we live, and try to give something back by helping those people who are just starting out, as well as those who’ve hit the wall and are looking for ways to improve their writing.  Because as I researched this topic, I really could not find that many people actually writing about writing for radio ads.

Also along the way, I hope to achieve number 3, by continuing to learn myself, using these posts as a venue to open discussion on this and probably many other topics related to radio, but most specifically writing as it applies to radio and marketing. 

Will I succeed in achieving all of my goals?

 I guess to use a cliché “only time will tell”.  The first one is easy.  As long as I continue to compose and post blog content, I’ve got number one covered. 

Number 2 actually depends on others reading these posts and taking some of my suggestions to heart. 

Numbers 3, well that one is sort of out of my control.  It relies on someone else (like you) reading these posts, offering their thoughts and getting the discussion going.  I’ve always been of the belief there is no need to re-invent the wheel if someone else has already done it.  My honest opinion is that as much as I think I have learned over the years, both through practical experience and by researching and learning from the best in the business – there is still so much that I have left to learn. 

So if you have some thoughts and ideas related to the topic of radio copywriting and marketing – let’s talk.

I think it could prove to be really interesting and educational! 

And if you just want to pick up some tips on how to write some gooder ads (that’s for all the grammar cops out there), or you’re a business owner who’s looking to delve into the world of radio marketing, and just want to know a bit more about it -- then come back over the next little while and check out my blog. I have no idea exactly where this journey is going to lead – but I hope it’s a fun and educational ride for everyone who hops on board!

By the way, I can’t promise every post will be about the very limiting topic of writing radio ads – but my goal is to make sure that the majority of what I write about focuses on radio and marketing.  I also intend to point you to some of the great thought leaders in this industry that I frequently follow in my effort to improve.