1. How-To Guide
Public Service Announcements
Adapted from “How to Write a Public Service Announcement That Is Worth Airing, Worth Hearing
and Worth Writing!”, Kansas Association of Broadcasters

2. What is a Public Service Announcement?
 A Public Service Announcement (PSA) is a free
“commercial” for a non-profit organization
 It is aired voluntarily by TV/Radio Stations
 To learn how to create an effective PSA, you need to
understand how to create an effective commercial

3. Step One
 Start with a GOAL: What do you want to accomplish?
 Your goal should focus on a specific action. The PSA
should not simply discuss the organization that created
the PSA, it should motivate the target audience to take
action
 Examples: To stop smoking, to avoid using drugs, to stop
drinking and driving, etc.

4. Step Two
 Establish a TARGET AUDIENCE
 Select an age group that your group would like to target
with the PSA
 Your PSA should contain information/content that is
relatable AND appropriate for this age group

5. Use Real Language
 Have you ever noticed how some commercials speak in a
language that you only seem to hear in commercials?
“Our quality merchandise and competitive prices…”
 Don‟t speak that language in your PSA!
 So, what language can you use?
 Your everyday language is most effective “To find out
how you can help feed a hungry family…”

6. Use Emotion
 People act based on their emotional responses (this includes
your target audience!)
 Can you think of a movie that you really wanted to see? If so,
you desire was likely emotional. You didn‟t analyze all of your
options or draw up a list of pros and cons and base your
decision on logic of any kind
 Emotions sell, Facts don‟t
 Don‟t overwhelm viewers with too many facts. The use of a
couple is effective- but, don‟t over do it!
 Example: “Tonight, many of Smallville‟s children will go to
bed hungry. Unless you help”

7. Make it Personally Relatable
 A PSA is a conversation with the audience
 Make sure that your message is personal to them
 Make it easy for them to relate to
 Example: “Have you ever been hungry? Not because you were
on a diet or you didn‟t have time to eat breakfast, but
because you didn‟t have enough money to buy food?
Unfortunately that not an imaginary situation for children in
Smallville. There‟s a child in our community who will go to
bed hungry tonight… unless you help”

8. Deliver ONE Core Message
 The core message is the ONE thing you want the
audience to hear, to understand and to remember
 Many PSA‟s make the mistake of trying to get the
audience to take more than one action
 A PSA can ask people to donate food, money or time,
but should not ask for all three in the same shot
 Stick with one message and deliver it with clarity

9. Clarity
 You know that your PSA is about, because you‟re the
one that created it, but that audience doesn‟t have that
advantage
 The audience needs to be able to understand the
message the first time they hear/see it
 Its your job to communicate. It is not the audience‟s job
to figure out what you are trying to say

10. Music
 All commercials and PSA‟s should have music playing in
the background right? Wrong.
 Use music only when it enhances the impact of the
message
 Putting music under a boring message doesn‟t make it
any more interesting

11. Sound Effects
 Sound effects can be fun, but will surely stimulate a picture
in your audience‟s mind
 Example: A PSA that encourages people not to overspend on
their credit card accounts. To illustrate the point of „not
spending extra money‟, the sound effect of a cash register
ringing is used. The audience thus pictures a cash register-
but does this image do anything to encourage people to use
their cards more responsible? No
 Use sound effects only if they increase the impact of the
message you are trying to communicate

12. A Good PSA…
 Attracts the attention of your target audience
 Speaks to the audience in their own language
 Relates to the audience‟s lives
 Delivers a single core message
 Delivers the message with clarity
 Motivates the audience to act