Where it helps
- Spec spots and animatics: hear an ad before booking talent, and show the client.
- Radio, podcast and streaming audio ads for small businesses.
- Social video ads with many variations to test.
- Promos and trailers for podcasts, games and events.
- Regional and language versions of the same spot.
Timing a spot
Ads are read faster than most voiceover, often 160 to 180 words a minute, but a fixed slot leaves no room for overrun. Rough budgets: about 35 to 40 words for 15 seconds, 75 to 85 for 30 seconds, 150 to 170 for 60 seconds, including the call to action. Leave a little room for music to land. See script length and timing.
How to make one
- A project per campaign, a script per spot or length.
- The brand voice: your own, a team member's or a licensed performer's, cloned with written consent that covers advertising specifically.
- One line per beat: hook, problem, product, offer, call to action. Each is its own file, so you can re-take the hook without touching the rest.
- Expressive for high-energy retail; Balanced or Calm for premium or trustworthy brands.
- Generate several takes of the key lines and keep the best reading.
- Mix with music and master to the platform's loudness. See mixing with music.
Write it for the ear
- Say the brand name early and again at the end.
- Web addresses and phone numbers in words: "visit example dot com", "call oh eight hundred, five five five, one two three".
- Prices as they're said: "nineteen ninety-nine", not "$19.99".
- One offer per spot. Listeners can't scroll back.
The rules to respect
- No fake endorsements. Never make a cloned voice sound like a celebrity, a customer or any real person recommending the product. The terms of service rule out impersonation, deception and fake endorsements, and so do advertising laws in many places.
- Consent that covers ads. Someone happy to narrate your podcast may not want to sell your product. Get it in writing. See the consent template.
- Disclosure: advertising platforms and regulators increasingly expect AI-generated content to be labelled. Check the rules where the ad will run.
- Usage rights for talent. If you clone a professional's voice, agree where, how long and how often the ads run, as you would for any voiceover booking.