Public Service
Announcements

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Objective

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) provide a small amount of information in an upbeat, conversational style. PSAs may reach folks who are not regularly reading the local print media. They can be used either to advertise your event or to provide more "timeless" information on Zero Waste. Many radio stations will run PSAs free-of-charge. One drawback to PSAs is that one often does not know exactly when the PSAs will be aired, if at all.

How To Do It

Follow these steps when you want to use PSAs to publicize an event:

Step 1 (Four weeks before event): Contact area radio stations on which you wish to air your PSA. Confirm the format for submitting the PSA, including their preferred length in words or seconds. Determine the cost, if any (most public stations and some private stations will air community announcements for free, as long as the events are open to the general public). Determine when you can expect the PSA to air after the station receives it, and ask how far in advance of airing the PSA the station needs to receive it.

Step 2 (Three weeks before event-or earlier, if the station requires more lead-time): Write your PSA. Read it out loud and listen to how it sounds when spoken. Edit it. Make sure it includes relevant information about the event, and include a phone number that listeners can call should they have questions.

Step 3 (Two and a half weeks before event): Submit PSA to station and ask when it will start to be aired.

Step 4 (Two weeks before event until event): Listen for PSA at intended air time or call station periodically to ask when the PSA aired. If the PSA does not seem to have been aired (or is obviously aired at odd hours when no one will hear it), contact the radio station to inquire.

Tips

• Keep your PSAs legible and use sentences that flow well and allow easy interpretation by the reader.
• Read your PSAs out loud to check readability.
• Consider submitting two or three different versions of PSAs that contain essentially the same information-most radio stations like a few options with different lengths!
• Use a catchy opening sentence that poses an important question related to the subject or which states a relevant and intriguing fact.
• Don't include too much date, time, and place information that listeners won't retain.
• Provide a contact phone number and repeat it at the end of the announcement.
  

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