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You are here: Home / The Number of Words in Political Ad Scripts

The Number of Words in Political Ad Scripts

As voiceover talent, it’s not unusual to be asked to fit 45 seconds worth of words into 30 seconds of a commercial. And in that scenario, once in the session, it can quickly become apparent that some edits will have to be made — which is why political ad scripts word count is so vital to getting a great voiceover.

So, how do you know just how long your commercial will read? How much copy is too much copy?

The answer, my friends, lies in math. But don’t freak out! It’s really not hard math.

The average voiceover talent, speaking in a casual, conversational way (which is the most common direction we are given), says about 2.5 words per second — or about 150 words per minute. So, if you’re looking to fill 30 seconds of a commercial, your script should come in right around 75 words (2.5 x 30 = 75), give or take 10 words, depending on the tone you want to strike. Need to fill a :60? Yep, you guessed it: your script word count should be about 150 words.

What about those :06 ads on Youtube? For those, you only get about 15 words, friends! Make ‘em count.

And what about those really fast disclaimers at the end of commercials, that sound like a political version of an old Micro Machines commercial? For those, you change the standard speed of 2.5 words per second to 3 words per second.

Some important things to note about political ad scripts:

  • Numbers – If your copy has words like, “Text 56743” in a call to action, your eye (and the word counter in Microsoft Word) will see “56743” as one word. But in reality, when spoken it is five words: “five six seven four three.” This can add extra time onto your script.
  • URLs – I think we can all agree that in today’s world, we no longer need to include “http://” or “www.” in front of URLs. They’re either implied or unnecessary, and they eat up precious time in your commercial being said out loud.
  • Emotion – If you’re trying to convey any kind of sincere emotion or drama with your ad (inspiration, care, concern, anger, etc.), those things take time. Emotion is communicated not only in the tone of the voice, but also in the tempo — the drawing out of some words and the shortening of others, the slight pauses. Be prepared for the communication of emotion to take more time.

Following these simple guidelines when writing your voiceover casting specs or auditioning your voice over talent will only help to ensure a fantastic, smooth process from beginning to end.

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Feel free to cast directly from our roster by e-mailing any of our professional political voice talents. If you're not sure which voice is right for you, we'd be happy to provide free, no-obligation auditions from our roster. Simply e-mail your script and specs to casting@bluewavevoiceover.com with your timeline and we'll get MP3 auditions back to you right away. Or, fill out the form below and a member of our team will get back to you the same day.

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    • Voice of God Voiceover Talents
    • Voiceover for Corporate Narration
    • Voiceover For Radio Imaging
  • Rates
  • FAQ
  • Resources
    • Voiceover For COVID-19 Content
    • Intro to Voiceover Casting
      • Where Do I Find Political Voiceover Artists?
      • Holding Castings
      • Writing Casting Specs
      • Script Word Counts
      • Audition Voiceovers
      • Political Voiceover Agency
      • Content Narrators
      • Media Market Sizes
      • Web Usage
      • Web Video Types
      • Audio File Formats
      • Political Voiceover Production
    • How To Hire Political Voiceover Talents
      • How Do I Hire a Voiceover Artist?
      • Political Voiceovers With Home Studios
      • Voiceover Like Kamala Harris
      • Voiceover Like Scarlett Johansson
      • Voiceover Like Sam Elliott
      • Voiceover Like Viola Davis
      • Voiceover Like Allison Janney
      • Voice Overs That Sound Like Regina King
      • Voiceover Like Salma Hayek
      • Voiceover Like Amanda Gorman
      • Voiceover Like Ira Glass
      • Voiceover Like Benicio del Toro
      • Voiceover Like Tina Fey
      • Voiceover Like John Krasinski
      • Voiceover Like Tina Fey
      • Voiceover Like Common
      • Voiceover Like Jake Johnson
      • African American Voiceovers
        • African American Female Voiceovers
        • Female Black Voiceover
      • Bilingual Voiceover In English and Spanish For Politicals
        • Hispanic Bilingual Female Voiceovers
    • Voiceovers for Democrats and Progressives
      • Diverse Gender Voiceover
      • Political Voiceover Recording From Home Studios
      • Diverse Political Voiceovers
        • Spanish Voiceover For Politicals
        • Bilingual Voiceovers For Political Spots
      • Hire A Voiceover Artist Today
      • Political Voiceover Actors
      • Voiceover Recording For Political Spots
      • Voice Actors For Political Spots
      • How Political VOs Add To Campaigns
      • Hire A Voiceover Artist To Record Today
      • Political Voiceover Artist
      • Voiceover Artist For A Political Spot
    • Types of Ads & Platforms
      • Types of Political Ads
      • Television
      • Radio
      • Satellite Radio
      • Web/Internet Pre-Roll Videos
      • Internet Radio
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      • Telephone Robocalls
      • YouTube and Hulu
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      • Google
      • Instagram
      • Snapchat
      • TikTok Ads Voiceover
      • Pluto TV and Sling TV
      • OTT and Addressable TV
      • Other Options To Place Ads
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