30 and 60 Second Spot Word Count Guidelines for Internet Audio Ads

August 6, 2008

When writing ad copy for Google Audio ad or a Web Infomercial it’s easy to get carried away. How much is enough?

The short answer: Enough to get the message across.

OK, but how does that translate into a word count for a 30 second spot or a 60 second spot?

Great question!

To help give some guidance, we’ve created a handy chart for you to reference the next time your writing some ad copy.

The 30 Second Spot Word Count Guideline

30 seconds, 65 words = lots of inflection, sincere read

30 seconds, 78 words = typical, straight read

30 seconds, 90 words = fast read

30 seconds, 100 words = hard sell, maximum speed read

The 60 Second Spot Word Count Guideline

60 seconds, 130 words = lots of inflection

60 seconds, 155 words = typical, straight read

60 seconds, 180 words = fast read

60 seconds, 200 words = hard sell, maximum speed read

Note that numbers (such as a phone number), symbols (@ symbol or www) , etc., count as one word each.

Get More Help

If you need help with your commercial scripts, you don’t have to start from scratch. There are plenty of resources online or simply listen to a few radio commercials or tv ads to get the ideas flowing.

When you are ready to choose voice talent for your web marketing endeavors, check out this list of talented internet voices.

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