Radio Advertising Types

There are two primary forms of radio advertising: live reads and produced spots. Live reads are commercials read by the DJ, which serve as a type of recommendation (or at least that is how they are perceived by the listeners). This type of radio commercial is extremely effective because listeners think of their local DJ’s as friends, therefore they trust what they have to say, making 26% of them more interested in what is being promoted. Also, as a guerrilla tactic, live reads are less popular, making them an ideal choice, since guerrillas go with the options that make them stand out among the competition.
Produced spots are typical commercials that are either produced by an advertising agency or by the radio station itself. While an advertising agency will usually produce higher quality commercials, radio stations still do a great job, and they typically do not charge to produce the commercial as long as you have purchased spots directly from the station.

An additional option is sponsorships. You’ve probably heard these before when the announcer says something like: “This weather report is brought to you by…” As a sponsor, your ads will be limited to about 30 words, but the advantage is that you will be guaranteed that your commercial airs first during the commercial break.