Scripting Tips for Audio News Releases (Plus a Sample for You)

Audio news releases (ANRs) ? press releases with MP3 audio files
embedded ? can be an uncommon way of getting a radio show or
Internet broadcast producer's attention in order to land an
interview.

And when done right, the content of the ANR itself can be used right
on the air, giving your company or client immediate exposure,
whether or not you ever land an interview.

We talked with Rodger Roeser, VP Justice & Young Public Relations,
about the elements of an ANR, and how to put one together.
The script

An audio news release script should be either 30 or 60 seconds long,
and it should be in three segments:

-- Voiceover 1: The introduction of the release, read by you (the
"talent" in this situation), talking about why the topic is
interesting and newsworthy.

-- The Actuality: This is the body of the release, read by your
client. ?This is the part that the client is speaking to,? Roeser
says. ?It?s as if you were the news station and you were doing the
interview.?

-- Voiceover 2: The close, again read by you, summing up your main
points.

Script tips:

o Tip #1. The sections of the script are generally divided into 10-
to 20-second segments. In the script, include the amount of time
allotted to each segment. ?That's standard radio protocol,? Roeser
says. ?Everything is timed; that way they know how long it should
reasonably take to do.?

o Tip #2. Have ?audio news release? in your subject heading.

o Tip #3. Short and informal. ?The spoken word is much more
conversational,? says Roeser. Keep your audio release much shorter
than a regular release, and give it ?panache and flair.?

o Tip #4. Have a specific news peg (not a sales pitch) at the
beginning. ?Say your client has software that tracks energy bills.
You can say that gas prices are expected to rise 8% this year, which
means ?? Roeser explains. ?It can't be an ad; it should fit it in
with a national trend.?

o Tip #5. Include a link to two different audio versions: the entire
package (both voiceovers plus the actuality) and the actuality
alone.

--Sample ANR script:
Subject: Keys To Winning Consumers (audio for a change)
For Immediate Release
Audio News Release
Contact: Rodger Roeser, APR
Justice & Young Public Relations
rodger@jypublicrelations.com
513.388.4706
Market Researcher Turns Winning Ideas Into Winning Consumers AcuPOLL
To Show How Kid Marketers Can Unlock Door To Product Success
Access MP3 Here:
http://www.jyadvertising.com/acupoll/acupoll_bill.mp3
http://www.jyadvertising.com/acupoll...l_rodgbill.mp3
Total Package :60
VO1 (Talent) :27

What do kids want?
Not just buzzwords or trendy characters. For marketers, that is the
big question when coming up with the idea for that next big thing or
the ad that creates the right buzz.

Market researcher AcuPOLL is a worldwide authority on market testing
to women and children, and say they know the five key principals in
turning these winning ideas into winning over consumers. AcuPOLL's
Bill Snyder is unlocking the door for marketers who seek a
competitive advantage in the kid marketplace.

ACTUALITY (Bill Snyder) :22

Businesses don't have the luxury of throwing away money on concepts
or advertising that fail to take into account the eFactor - that
connection between emotional bond and brand equity - which
ultimately determines product success. Making ideas and ads better
to motivate this moving target is the future of marketing.

VO2 (Talent) :21

Snyder will present these principals at the KidPower Conference at
Disney in May.

And what does this mean to consumers. More and better choices of
products and ideas, and for brand executives - success - a more
rewarding experience on the bottom line.

Creating your ANR

Once the script has been approved by the client, you?ll want to use
a professional studio to record the audio portion of the release
(should run you around $500). ?You have to go to a professional, you
can?t do it with your Mom?s tape recorder,? Roeser says.

You do not need professional talent for the voiceover portions, he
says. Your own voice will do fine. As for the client portion, you
definitely want your client to read it, since it should sound like
an interview.

Record the release several times until you?re happy with it. Once
it?s finished, you?ll get it on disk and on two MP3s, which you can
then distribute online yourself to your radio contacts or have a
service like PR Newswire launch it for you (may run up to several
thousand dollars).

-> Tracking and follow up

The radio station can actually run the entire package, the radio
personality can read the voiceover portions of the script and run
the client doing the actuality, or the radio personality can read
the entire thing.

The point is not to get your voice, or even the client?s voice, on
the air. If the radio station runs the spot, that?s a bonus. The
point is to generate enough interest that you can parlay it into a
live interview for your client.

?Without a good tracking system for your ANRs,? Roeser says, ?it?s
the tree falling in the woods analogy.?

You need to know who?s opening the email and who?s clicking on the
links. Then you can follow up.

Sample follow-up call: ?I sent you this audio news release on XYZ. I
don't know if you?ve had an opportunity to listen to this yet, but
the client raised some interesting points that your listeners would
find valuable. Could we set up time to do a studio or satellite
interview??

Roeser expects a good audio news release to be used on the air by 10
to 15% of the hand-picked list he sends it to (far less if sent out
via a general wire service.) In following up with opens and
clickers, he generally gets the client on the air a remarkable 50%
of the time, he says.

Related story:
Adding Audio to Email Campaigns: Inspiration from 4 Marketers, 5
Tips, and 5 Vendors
http://library.marketingsherpa.com/barrier.cfm?CID=2514