BEFORE YOU BEGIN WRITING A SPOT, ASK... Who is the sales target? Who cares about the benefits offered by this product or service? Is the product or service targeted at active or passive customers? In exaggerated form, what will this product or service do for the listener? In realistic terms, what will this product or service do for the listener? What is so exciting about this particular product or service? Why should the listener act NOW? What might possibly prevent the target audience from acting NOW? What questions might the target audience have about the product or service? What objections might the target audience have to the product or service - and how can you overcome them in your commercial?? Why should someone patronize THIS sponsor and not some other merchant? Is there a circumstance that allows the customer to take advantage of the merchant?? You -  or the person who sold the account - also should ask two key questions of the retail advertiser: What's so special about your store? What's so special about this product? Excerpted from Dan O'Day's HOW TO CREATE MAXIMUM IMPACT RADIO ADVERTISING.