Do you know how to write Message On Hold marketing programs that will blow callers away? From brainstorming to proofreading to choosing the correct voice talent, these tips will help you as you become an on hold message scriptwriter.

1. 11 Tips for Writing Your Own On Hold Marketing Program Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

2. Introduction Writing scripts for Messages On Hold means writing for the ear, which takes different skills than writing for printed materials. A complete list of our Message On Hold and audio marketing tips is available here. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

3. 1. Know Your Callers The most important step of writing a Message On Hold script is thinking about the people who will be listening to it. Knowing your callers means understanding who they are and listening to what they want Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

4. 1. Know Your Callers Develop a caller profile that includes: How much time callers spend on hold Average age of callers Frequently asked questions This information will help you write the right kind of message on Hold content. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

5. 2. Brainstorm Before you begin writing your script, it’s important to have an idea of what you want to write about. This is where brainstorming comes in… Ask for input from everyone who works with clients. Schedule a meeting or request e-mail contributions—Find a way that works for you. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

6. 2. Brainstorm Ask people to contribute ideas of what should be on hold. Some common content includes: Frequently asked questions Event announcements Special promotions New products or services Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

7. 2. Brainstorm Remember: During brainstorming, everyone should have a voice. Accept contributions, even if you don’t think they’ll work. Write everything down. Later, choose the best ideas. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

8. 3. Less is More Don’t bombard your callers with too much information. Callers will tune out if you give an endless amount of content, and become overwhelmed. Provide smaller, bite-sized nuggets of information. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

9. 3. Less is More Organize your thoughts into short, concise paragraphs. Each paragraph should have one specific purpose. Trim the fat off of your sentences. Cut out redundancy Split long, complex sentences into short, easy to follow sentences. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

10. 4. Avoid Jargon Sure, you know what all of your terminology means, but do your callers? Using too much jargon can be distracting and confusing for callers, blocking your messages from getting through. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465 Don’t make your callers feel like this! Avoid jargon for successful Messages On Hold

11. 4. Avoid Jargon Eliminate jargon by replacing it with user-friendly words. If you must use uncommon words, be sure to carefully define them within the rest of the sentence. If you use abbreviations or acronyms, be sure to use the whole word within the body of your script, too. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

12. 5. Eliminate awkward phrasing Sometimes, products and services are hard to explain, resulting in awkward sentences. If you’ve ever heard something and said to yourself, “What!?” you’ve experienced an awkward sentence. If your on hold marketing has awkward sentences, you run the risk of confusing your callers. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

13. 5. Eliminate Awkward Phrasing If you find yourself struggling to explain something through writing, take a minute to tell someone about it. Have a conversation instead of just writing it down. This will help you iron out what to say and gives your script a conversational tone. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

14. 6. Choose the right words Writing in English can be very difficult. There are many irregular verbs and strange variations in usage. Some words have been misused for so long that we no longer know they’re incorrect! Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

15. 6. Choose the Right Words When in doubt, consult a dictionary. There are many online resources that can help you determine if you’re using the proper words. Our blog 10 Commonly Misused Words can help you if you are struggling with your MOH script. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465 Dictionaries and Reference books help you ensure your content makes sense.

16. 7. Always keep your Message in Mind Certainly, you can say a lot about your business: who you are, what you do, why you’re great It’s easy to get wrapped up in having too much to say in too little time Keep your message in mind as your write every part of your program to keep it clear and listenable. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

17. 7. Always keep your Message in Mind Before your write your Message On Hold program, write down each idea you want to cover Write one short paragraph for each idea. Don’t try to combine multiple ideas into one paragraph, or you might loose your listener. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

18. 8. Create a Pronunciation Guide Have you ever heard someone speaking with an accent that sounded “funny” to you? Were you able to listen while they spoke? Create a pronunciation guide to let your voice over talent know how your script should be recorded. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465 When speaking to many callers, be sure to match their pronunciation.

19. 8. Create a Pronunciation Guide Determine what accent your callers speak in, then match it in your recording. Learn how to write out pronunciations using phonemes. A Phoneme is the smallest element one sound that differentiates it from another Click Here to learn more. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

20. 9. Print Out your Script Reading on a computer screen is tempting, but reading digital text is different than reading physical, printed text. Printing your script will allow you to read it in a new way, giving you fresh insight into the content. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

21. 9. Print Out your Script If you’ve been hand writing, not typing, your script, switch to a computer to revisit the information. Read your script to yourself silently and out loud. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

22. 10. Proofread After all the work you’ve put into writing your script, it’s natural to want to say, “Okay, it’s done!” and walk away. Proofreading is an essential step. It helps you make sure you have everything written correctly for your voice over talent to read and your audience to hear. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

23. 10. Proofread Use your printed out script (From step 10) while you’re proofreading. Approach the script with fresh eyes. Either walk away from it for an hour and come back to proof, or ask a colleague for help. Read more Message On Hold proofreading tips. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

24. 11. Choose the Right Voice Talent As you develop Messages On Hold, you’ll have to choose whose voice best reflects your company. It’s important to give your business a voice it deserves, not a voice that is inexperienced or one that unclearly reads your copy. Think of choosing a voice over talent as you would picking out a company spokesperson. They’re going to become the voice of your business or organization. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

25. 11. Choose the Right Voice Talent It all goes back to knowing your callers. You want to choose a voice that they find listenable and relatable. Listen to as many voice over samples and demos as you can. You’ll know it when you hear the right voice. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

26. Conclusion Callers on hold are waiting to hear from you. Providing them with Message On Hold programming gives them information while they wait. 88% of callers prefer to hear messages on hold, instead of silence or music only. (Source: Maximarketing) The right content and writing style are critical for the success of on hold marketing. Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465

27. Click here to learn more about writing scripts for Message On Hold and other Telephony applications Presented By Holdcom | www.holdcom.com | 800.666.6465