Strong brand message? Check. Compelling voice? Check. Call to action? Check and check. Your Audio ad is all set, right? 

Not so fast. Don’t forget the secret ingredient for success: emotional resonance. 

People think about what they see, but they feel what they hear. Today’s savvy brands are using Audio’s magical bond with listeners to create stronger emotional connections, and ultimately increase conversions. That works especially well with today’s highly-mobile audiences, who soundtrack their entire day with Audio. 

Campaign messaging with storytelling, characters and humor captivates listeners and drives them to action. It fuels metrics like “trustworthy,” “relevant to me,” and “likable,” all of which strongly correlate to purchase intent.

Promotional ads clearly still have a big role to play, so variety and a balanced campaign are key. 

Of course emotional resonance is just one element of a strong Audio creative strategy. We asked our partners at Veritonic, the Audio research and analytics experts, to share their other top tips for killer creative, and here’s what they said.

If you’re waiting to test or measure until the ad is already in full swing, you’ve waited too long. The best testing starts before the ad goes on the air. And with the right partner, you can aim to get creative insights within as little as a week, so you can understand how each Audio asset measures in terms of trustworthiness, energy, relevance, likability, uniqueness, and more—and immediately optimize your creative accordingly. 

Then, do it again. And again. Creative testing can happen anytime, so you can make informed, data-driven decisions throughout your campaign, and knock it out of the park every time. 

One and done? Nope – you’ve only just begun. Ad variety is key – shoot for between two and four creatives for high-impact, aggregate campaign results. The goal here is to weave in variations that deliver the same overall message in slightly different formats, so your frequency and spend can work harder as a whole. 

What’s the sweet spot for the length of your ad? 15 seconds? 30? 60? The 30-second spot takes the top spot as it relates to finding a balance between duration, effectiveness, and spend. These spots are long enough for listeners to feel they have enough new information to take action, but not so long that they tune out or get distracted. 

Of course, one size does not always fit all. 15-second spots are very popular for retail. As a general rule, you may want to go longer when launching a new product, and shift to shorter ads when you’re well-known and want to gain frequency. But overall, it’s the 30-second ad for the win.

Want more of the latest Audio insights? Check out the STATE OF AUDIO guide for trends from the listeners, advertisers, and creators revolutionizing Audio.