Public Service Announcement/Message

Tambakoo noshi sehet k lye muzir hai

Aapka vote apki taaqat

Taleem sab k lye

   slogans from national public service announcement campaigns have become a part of our culture.

radio stations sometimes prefer a script that their announcers can read live on the air. 

It can be produced with music, dramatic story-lines, and sound effect

·         ADVANTAGE

• PSA's are generally inexpensive.
• Most stations will allow you to include a telephone number for more information in PSA.
• May change attitudes towards social issues
• you want the listener to take some step e.g make your streets clean or have plants

LIMITATION

• PSA's depend on donated time therefore are often run as "filler"
• You may not be able to count on getting the air time for your PSA's.
• Stations likely stayed away from "controversial" PSA's. e.g If your group focuses on an issue that is the subject of heated public debate
• Stations may not track and report when your PSA's have been played, but they will do this for paid advertising.

How do you write a PSA?

target your audience. What type of people are you hoping to reach through your PSA? This will help you focus in both your desired media outlets, and also upon your PSA content.

e.g gender , age, geographical location (urban /rural)

key points

Because you've only got a few seconds to reach your audience (often 30 seconds), the language should be simple and vivid. make every word count and 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 

Mention a contact number to get more information if required

Getting ready to write your PSA

Choose points to focus on. Don't overload the viewer or listener with too many different messages. List all the possible messages you'd like to get into the public mind,

and then decide on the one or two most vital points. For example, if your group educates people about asthma, you might add to a simple focus point like, "If you have asthma, you shouldn't smoke”

Brainstorm. This is also a good time to look at the PSA's that others have done for ideas. Get together with your colleagues to toss around ideas about ways you can illustrate the main point(s) you've chosen. If possible, include members of your target group in this process.

Check your facts. It's extremely important for your PSA to be accurate. All facts should be checked and verified before sending the PSA.

A hook can be catchy music, it can be a shocking statistic, it can be an emotional appeal -- whatever makes the listener interested enough to listen to the rest of your PSA.

Now you're ready to write your script

 

Basic guidelines for PSA format:

·          

·         The top of the sheet should list:

1. length of the PSA
2. what agency or group the PSA is for, and
3. title of the PSA.

The script itself should be split into two columns; the left column will list sound effects, music etc. and the right column lists all dialogue.

Don't use hyphenations or abbreviations

 

How do you produce a PSA?

·         Finding professional announcers is helpful or a person with clear voice.

·         People tend to respond better to those who sound like they might be their approximate age and background. 

·         In radio, your audience is usually doing at least one other thing in addition to listening; like driving, reading, studying, working, gardening, cleaning, etc. It's important to grab the audience's attention quickly and hold it.

·         Try to use short, arresting sentences aimed directly at the listener at the beginning of the PSA to help grab their attention.