Public service announcement
Definition of PSA (Public Service Announcement)
A public service announcement is an advertisement that a television or
radio station airs for a cause or a charity. Public service announcements are
not paid advertising or a free “commercial” for a non-profit organization. A
broadcaster donates the ad time as part of its commitment to serve the public
interest. PSA aired voluntary by individual radio and/or TV stations.
The goal of a PSA is simple : to get someone to take a specific action.
It’s not to talk about the sponsoring organization. It’s motivate the targeted
audience to act, example, to drop off canned goods for the food drive, to stop
smoking, and to avoid drug abuse.
Basic guidelines for PSA format:
Most stations prefer 30-second spots. If you're writing a television PSA,
you'll want to keep the announcer's copy 2 or 3 seconds shorter than the entire
length of the PSA. Television stations run on a much tighter, more rigid
schedule than radio stations, and you may find that if your PSA runs exactly 30
seconds, for example, the station may sometimes cut off the end.
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Length of PSA
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10 seconds
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15 seconds
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20 seconds
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30 seconds
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Number of Words
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20-25 words
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30-35 words
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40-50 words
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60-75 words
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The steps how to make PSA
•
Target
your audience. This will help you focus in both your desired media outlets, and
also upon your PSA content.
•
Survey
your media outlets to best reach that audience. That means that you need to
know what media outlets are available in your particular geographic area.
•
Prioritize
your media outlets. That is you need to know which outlets your target audience
is most likely to prefer. For example, is your audience more likely to tune in
to the 24-hour country music station than to the one that plays mostly golden
oldies? If so, then you point toward the country music outlet.
Key points to remember about the writing PSA
•
The language should be simple and vivid. Take your
time and make every word count. Make your message crystal clear.
•
The content of the writing should have the right
hooks, words or phrases that grab attention to attract your audience. Then, you
need to know who your audience is.
•
The PSA should usually request a specific action,
such as calling a specific number to get more information. You ordinarily want
listeners to do something as a result of having heard the PSA.
Examples
10 Second PSA
WE COME FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, BUT WE
TRAVEL DOWN THE SAME ROAD. LOOK FOR MOTORCYCLES & SHARE THE ROAD. THIS
MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY ABATE of ARKANSAS
15 Second PSA
DID YOU KNOW THAT
75% OF MULTIPLE VEHICLE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING MOTORCYCLES WERE THE FAULT OF THE
OTHER PERSON? DON'T BE PART OF THAT DEADLY STATISTIC, LOOK FOR MOTORCYCLES
& SHARE THE ROAD. THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY ABATE of ARKANSAS
20 Second PSA
APPROXIMATELY 75%
OF THE MULTI-VEHICLE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING MOTORCYCLES WERE THE FAULT OF THE
OTHER PERSON. MOST OF THOSE DRIVERS SAID THEY DID NOT SEE THE MOTORCYCLE. DON'T
BE PART OF THAT DEADLY STATISTIC. LOOK FOR MOTORCYCLES & SHARE THE ROAD.
THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY ABATE of ARKANSAS
30 Second PSA:
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO RIDES A
MOTORCYCLE? CHANCES ARE GOOD THAT YOU SEE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS WHEN YOU ARE BEHIND
THE WHEEL. FOR THE REST OF YOU, YOUR CHANCES OF BEING THE PERSON WHO HITS A
MOTORCYCLE RIDER JUST WENT UP 300%. THAT'S RIGHT, YOU ARE 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY
TO HIT SOMEONE RIDING A MOTORCYCLE JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP
WITH SOMEONE WHO RIDES THEM. DON'T BE PART OF THAT DEADLY STATISTIC. LOOK FOR
MOTORCYCLES & SHARE THE ROAD. THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY ABATE of ARKANSAS
