Here are 5 tips to help you write your next TV commercial script. I’m giving away the Word Document template I use to write my TV commercial scripts for my voice over talent. Be sure to download and print it out.
1. Write Down What Your Main Objective/ Objectives Is
Be clear and to the point
Keep this handy, you’ll want to refer to while writing your script.
Example:
Bill’s Car Lot TV Commercial Objectives
• Show people our new cars
• Tell people about our promotional offer
• Tell people where we are and how they can find us
2. Time Out Your Scripts
Most TV commercials are 30 seconds in length make sure that you keep your script short, sweet, and to the point.
How do you time out your script?
I use the stop watch function on my iPhone. The trick is to read it at your own pace, don’t try to sound like a professional voice-over artist. I like my scripts to read in the 25-29 second range. This gives your voice talent plenty of room to emphasize words if they need to.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Repeat Yourself
If you’re writing a script for a brick and mortar store make sure you mention the address a couple times throughout your script, the same goes for website address. You want to hammer it into peoples heads, but be polite about it!
4. Get Your Scripts Approved
Get your client to sign off on any scripts before production beings. This can save your butt and ensure your client gets the TV commercial they want.
5. Format Your Script for Your Voice Talent
You always want to format your script for your voice talent.
Here is a quick rundown on formatting your script for voice talent
- Writing out numbers, example: 3 becomes three
- Capitalizing every word * this is a preference but most voice over artists like it
- Breaking lines where they seem most natural
Download my TV commercial script template below. This will help you time your tv commercial scripts out.
Word Document File 33k
Already have a TV Commercial? Check out my article on 6 Free Things You can do with your TV Commercial.
When there are two glaring grammatical errors in a template consisting of only 40 words, it does not inspire confidence. Sorry.
Hi, thanks for catching those grammatical errors, I’ve actually just updated the TV commercial script template. It’s now a Word Document that makes it even easier for you to time out your TV commercial scripts. Thanks again for finding those errors. I hope you enjoy, and use the new template!
-Patrick
NO. NO NO. Do NOT capitalize every word when writing a commercial script. Most voice-over artists, including myself, prefer scripts written as upper lower case. It allows us to see the shapes of the words so that seeing it and saying the entire phrase is easier. When we worked in radio, we capitalized every word because we were not typists and it was easy to hit CAPS and go fast, but in the L.A. N.Y major voiceover world, major ad agencies write a script like a movie script . . . upper lower case. Cheers. BB
hello, thanks for all those informations, could you please help me make a draft for my car comercial?