SMI Copywriter Payne Ratner has been writing ads for 30 years. He was recently named a finalist in Fractured Lit’s Flash Fiction Contest, and his story will appear in an upcoming issue of Fractured Lit. I sat down with Payne to talk about his award-winning story and how great audio ads employ classic story structure.
Liz Iversen: What was your flash fiction piece about?
Payne Ratner: It’s about a hoarder who, at the end of her life, makes an important discovery.
LI: Where did you get the idea for the piece, or what inspired you to write it?
PR: It began as a writing exercise from a prompt. I can’t remember the prompt.
LI: Where do you get your ideas for audio ads?
PR: First, from the product. It’s like the writing prompt that inspired the story. You look at the product and ask, how will this improve someone’s life? Say it’s a product that clears acne. Then, what is someone’s life like who suffers from acne. That’s what you begin with. Do you dramatize the problem? Maybe. Or do you address it directly? Maybe. Start with the problem, then present the solution and then, at the end, present the life changed by the product. It’s the classic structure of any story. Beginning, middle and end. There are many beginnings to choose from, many middles, many endings. But if it’s an ad, the ending is always going to be some form of happy.
LI: Do you think of developing a character or story when you write ads?
PR: Probably story. The conflict (or problem that the product will resolve), the quest for the resolution of the conflict (what discoveries/components make this product the product/resolution you’ve sought?), and the resolution. The conflict is resolved by the product. The character develops as the story unfolds.
LI: Do you think about theme when you write ads, and how does that influence what you write?
PR: Again, the theme is really how a conflict, (a problem) can be resolved. It’s all about entering into the struggle or desire of the “protagonist”. The person who wants or needs the product and will benefit the most from it. The better you can really feel what they feel, the better you can relate to them and understand their eventual relief.
LI: Do you enjoy writing ads or stories more? Why?
PR: Ads and stories share similarities in structure. And working out the problem/solution is always – or almost always – fun.
Want to learn more about creating effective radio ads? Read SMI’s “Top Ten Keys to Creating Great Radio Ads.”
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