(By Jeffrey Hedquist) Who’s your favorite character? They can be fictional or real people. They can be characters from plays, movies, TV shows, or books. Now, what character do you know well enough to write from their point of view?
Pick someone you’d like to be, someone you have a special affinity for, someone with a bigger-than-life personality, a classic character who has inspired you, or one who would be appropriate for your client’s business.
I’ve taught this technique to people who have written from the points of view of Ebenezer Scrooge, Ferris Bueller, Norman Bates, Inspector Clouseau, Beth Dutton, Hermione Granger, Winston Churchill, Huckleberry Finn, Forrest Gump, etc. They can be people with whom you have a personal relationship. I’ve written commercials in the voices of my Uncle Hjalmer, my Grandma, my track coach, Jonny Floyd, and my favorite teacher, Miss Donovan.
You don’t have to make the commercial about the specific character you’ve chosen, or produce the commercial using the character’s voice or accent. You can, but it’s not a requirement for this to work.
Adopting this character as the spokesperson for the commercial is to help you write from an unexpected point of view. Doing that can surprise your audience and pull them in, because it will sound less like a commercial.
Using this technique, your message embodies the attitude of the character. As you write, experience life through their eyes; through the filter of their experiences, biases, relationships, proclivities, preferences, dislikes, education, and environments.
I’ve found that this will give your message more bite, edge, and a unique angle. It’s a fun way to break writer’s block and I think you’ll surprise yourself, your client, and your audience – in good ways.
Jeffrey Hedquist, “Advertising’s Storyteller,” has won over 700 awards and brought in millions of dollars for clients. His articles, ebooks, seminars, and coaching have helped stations nationwide prosper. Got a question about radio marketing? Email [email protected]. Read Jeffrey’s Radio Ink archives here.
