Radio Imaging Guide
Writing radio imaging scripts.
How to give your station imaging one clear job, a recognisable name, and enough direction for the audio to land.
Simple Rule
The best imaging scripts are built around one thing listeners should remember.
A radio imaging script is not a paragraph of station information squeezed into a voiceover. It is a short piece of direction: what the listener should feel, what the station should be called, and what message needs to stick.
The more jobs a script tries to do, the less likely the listener remembers any of them. A simple line with a clear station name will usually beat a busy script full of phone numbers, times, features and offers.
What to decide before writing.
These are the useful notes to send LFM Audio before we write or produce imaging for your station.
The station name
Use the exact version you want listeners to remember. Do not swap between different name orders or nicknames unless that is deliberate.
The format and audience
A CHR station, rock station, worship station and Hot AC station should not all be written with the same pace or attitude.
The one message
Decide whether the piece is about station identity, a show, a feature, a promotion, a music position or a campaign moment.
The sound world
Tell us about beds, sonic cues, sung elements, artists, themes or references that should shape the production feel.
Before And After
Shorter usually lands harder.
Too much to remember
"90s tunes are available on request, every evening from 7 until 11. Peach 98 FM, for your 90s hits today."
That script has a station name, a request message, a daypart, a format promise and a position line all fighting for space.
One clear idea
"For the best in 90s music, Peach FM."
This is easier to produce, easier to hear, and much easier for listeners to repeat back.
Listen before you write.
A quick aircheck helps you hear what makes one piece feel memorable and another feel ordinary.
Scan similar stations
Listen across stations in your format and notice how quickly they name themselves, set pace and move on.
Notice what sticks
Write down the words, voices or sonic cues you remember after the piece finishes. That is the real test.
Cut the rest
If a detail does not support the one message, it probably belongs in another promo, not this imaging script.
Hear how scripts become station sound.
Listen for the relationship between short copy, voice choice, pace, music bed and recurring station identity.
How LFM Helps
You do not need to arrive with finished copy.
Send the raw ingredients
Station name, format, audience, current sound, examples you like, voice direction and any must-say details.
We shape the line
LFM Audio can turn notes into imaging copy that fits the station voice and gives the producer a clear audio direction.
The production finishes the meaning
Voice, sound design, music beds and sonic cues should support the script instead of trying to rescue a cluttered one.
Related guides.
Use these when the script question is really about format, station identity or the package you should order.
FAQ
Radio imaging script questions.
Can LFM Audio write the script for us?
Yes. You can send rough notes, station positioning, format details and examples you like. LFM Audio can shape that into copy before production.
How long should a radio imaging script be?
Usually shorter than people expect. A station ID or sweeper may only need one clear line. A show opener or promo can be longer, but it still needs one main message.
Should the station name be at the start or end?
Often both can work, but the end matters because it is the last thing the listener hears. Use the same station name consistently so the brand becomes familiar.
Can a script include offers, artists or topical references?
Yes, especially for short-term promos and campaigns. The key is choosing the detail that matters most and not overloading a short imaging piece with too many facts.
Need imaging copy that sounds like your station?
Send your format, station name and rough idea. LFM Audio can help shape the script and produce the finished sound.