Script rules

The host-read brief: mandate little, brief well

Send a one-page brief: what the product is in one sentence, the three true things a host can say from experience, the offer and code exactly as they must be spoken, and what not to claim (compliance lines, competitor mentions). Everything else is the host’s. The entire value of the format you are paying a premium for ($24-26 CPM published) is the host’s own voice; a locked script buys announcer output at endorsement prices. Send product samples early enough that the host has actually used the thing before the first read.

The mandatory parts, and why they are few

Non-negotiables: the offer stated identically in every read (your attribution depends on the code being spoken correctly, twice, once mid-read and once as the close), the URL spoken phonetically if it can be misheard, and any legally required language verbatim. That list is deliberately short. Every additional mandated sentence converts endorsement into ad-reading, and listeners hear the switch.

Produced spots: the opposite discipline

A 30-second produced spot for programmatic buys is a different craft: script everything, one idea, offer by second eight, code twice, no montage of features. If the spot needs a second listen to be understood, it fails in a medium where nobody rewinds ads. Test the script by reading it aloud at conversational pace; if it runs past 80 words for a 30, cut.