ou’ve heard people extol the virtues of using stories in advertising.

But telling a copywriter, “Tell a story” is like advising a would-be comedy
writer, “Write a funny script.”

The most important aspect of any form of writing is understanding its structure. And — as Dan O’Day both explains and illustrates — in radio commercials, that means much more than just “conflict and resolution.”

You will learn:

• Why “storytelling” alone isn’t enough
  
  
• How effective yet inappropriate storytelling can hurt your
  spot's effectiveness
  
  
• Why most storytelling commercials fail (and how to make
  sure yours succeed)
  
  
• One sure way to instantly identify a storytelling commercial
  that will fail. (You'll immediately want to pull a number of your
  own spots off the air.)
  
  
• The key elements of storytelling
  
  
• The relationship between your characters and your listeners
  
  
• Storytelling via music
  
  
• Exactly what role the advertiser should play in the story
  (Learn this, and your professional life becomes much easier
  and much richer.)
  
  
• How to craft your characters
  
  
• How to know which character should carry the sales
  message
  
  
• Showing vs. Telling
  
  
• “Soft-Sell” Storytelling
  
  
• The power of Anticipatory Surprise
  
  
• Storytelling with Comedy
  
  
• How and why most comedy story commercials fail
  
  
• Why good comedy spots succeed (Hint: It's not because
  comedy "cuts through the clutter.")