ur-grue Ad Read Script
What This Skill Does
Turns a brand brief into a host-read ad script that fits the show's tone, meets sponsor requirements, and sounds spoken — not read.
When To Use This Skill
- You have a new sponsor and need to write an ad read from their brief before your next recording session
- A sponsor has sent you a written brief or product description and you need to turn it into speakable, natural copy
- You want to pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll versions at different lengths from the same brief
- You are writing ad copy for a new sponsor relationship and want to make a strong first impression with the read quality
What You Need To Provide
Required:
- The brand name and what the product or service does (the sponsor's description, or your own words)
- The key message or offer the sponsor wants communicated (promo code, trial offer, URL, specific claim)
- Your show name and a one-sentence description of your audience
Optional:
- Any required claims or phrases the sponsor has specified must appear verbatim
- Any restrictions (things you cannot say, competitors you cannot name)
- Your hosting voice or style (e.g., "dry and wry," "warm and direct," "high-energy")
- Whether you want a personal endorsement angle ("I use this") or a more neutral presentation
- Ad placement: pre-roll (
30 sec), mid-roll (60 sec), post-roll (~30 sec) — the assistant can write all three from one brief
How the Assistant Approaches This
- Identifies the sponsor's core value proposition — the one thing a listener should remember — and uses it to anchor the copy rather than listing every feature
- Opens with a transition out of show content that feels natural, not jarring (for mid-rolls: a brief pause and acknowledgment that the show will continue; for pre-rolls: direct but not intrusive)
- Writes the ad body in the host's stated voice — if the show is warm and conversational, the ad is warm and conversational; if the show is dry and skeptical, the ad reflects that register
- Integrates the promo offer or CTA cleanly — specific, simple, and repeated once (not three times)
- Writes the outro transition back to content if mid-roll, and flags any required legal or compliance language in a separate note
- Closes with a "Next Step" note: read the script aloud before recording to check natural rhythm, confirm any personal endorsement claim is accurate, and whether the sponsor's required disclosure statement needs to be added before the ad
Output Format
- Up to three versions: pre-roll (
30 sec / ~75 words), mid-roll (60 sec /140 words), post-roll (25 sec / ~65 words) - Each version clearly labeled with placement and approximate word count
- Required sponsor phrases integrated naturally or flagged in [BRACKETS] if they cannot be made to sound natural
- Delivery notes in [square brackets] where helpful (e.g., [WARM], [SLIGHT PAUSE], [SMILE IN VOICE])
- Compliance note at the end if any required claims need legal review (e.g., health or financial product claims)
- Output ends with a "Next Step" note: read aloud before recording, verify any personal endorsement is accurate, and confirm the required sponsorship disclosure statement is ready
Quality Criteria
- The ad sounds like the host, not like a commercial — natural sentence rhythm, vocabulary consistent with the show's register
- The promo code or CTA appears once and clearly — it is not buried and not repeated to the point of feeling desperate
- The transition into and out of the ad is written (not left to the host to improvise) and sounds smooth
- No sentence would strike a listener as obviously written by an advertiser rather than the host
- If a personal endorsement angle is used, the language is specific, not generic ("I use this every morning" is better than "I really love this product")
- Output includes at least one concrete next action the user can take immediately (read aloud to check rhythm, verify the endorsement is accurate, or confirm the disclosure statement)
Example
Input
- Brand: Inkwell — a note-taking app designed for writers and journalists
- Product description: A distraction-free writing and research tool with linked notes, interview transcription, and a "capture" feature that lets you save quotes, clips, and web articles directly into a research folder. Available on Mac, iOS, and Web. Free tier; Pro plan at $8/month.
- Key message: Built specifically for people who research and write, not general productivity
- Offer: 30-day free trial of Pro, then 20% off first year with code SLOWSCIENCE
- Show: The Slow Science Podcast — audience of curious non-scientists, educated, professional
- Host voice: Warm, slightly nerdy, conversational
- Personal endorsement: Yes — host actually uses the app
- Placement: Pre-roll and mid-roll versions
Output
AD READ — INKWELL Sponsor: Inkwell · Show: The Slow Science Podcast Offer: 30-day free Pro trial + 20% off first year with code SLOWSCIENCE
PRE-ROLL VERSION (~30 sec / ~80 words)
[WARM, DIRECT]
Before we start — this episode is supported by Inkwell, which is the app I actually use to keep my research organized. If you're someone who reads a lot, saves a lot of links, and then can't find anything when you need it — Inkwell fixes that. It's built specifically for writers and researchers: linked notes, interview transcription, a way to capture anything directly into a research folder. There's a 30-day free trial of Pro at inkwellapp.com, and if you decide to stay, code SLOWSCIENCE gets you 20% off your first year.
MID-ROLL VERSION (~60 sec / ~150 words)
[SLIGHT PAUSE — TRANSITION OUT OF CONTENT]
We'll get back to that in a moment. First — I want to tell you about Inkwell, who are supporting the show this week.
[WARM]
I've been using Inkwell for about six months now, and the specific thing it does that nothing else does as well is keep research attached to the notes I'm taking. So when I'm working on an episode, I can capture a journal abstract, clip a paragraph from a web page, save an audio clip from an interview — and it all lives in a folder connected to that episode's notes. When I sit down to write the script, I'm not hunting across four different apps and my browser history. It's all there.
Inkwell is built specifically for people who research and write — journalists, writers, podcasters, academics. There's a free tier that's genuinely useful, and a Pro plan at eight dollars a month that's what I use.
Go to inkwellapp.com and the 30-day free trial of Pro is right there. If you decide Pro is for you, use the code SLOWSCIENCE at checkout for 20% off your first year. That's inkwellapp.com, code SLOWSCIENCE.
[TRANSITION BACK]
Okay — back to dimethyl sulfide and why the ocean smells the way it does.
[COMPLIANCE NOTE: This ad contains a personal endorsement ("I've been using Inkwell for about six months"). Ensure this is accurate before recording. No health or financial claims. No compliance flag required for this category.]
Known Limitations
- The assistant cannot verify whether a host actually uses or endorses the product — a personal endorsement angle must only be used if it is truthful; using fabricated personal endorsements may violate FTC guidelines (US) and equivalent regulations in other territories
- Some sponsors have very specific required phrases that do not sound natural in spoken audio; the assistant will integrate them as smoothly as possible and flag any that remain awkward — the user must decide whether to use the sponsor's required language or negotiate an alternative
- Ad read length assumes a conversational speaking pace (~140 wpm for natural spoken delivery); hosts who speak significantly faster or slower should re-time the script
- This skill does not write the disclosure statement ("this episode is sponsored by") required by some platforms and regulations; the user is responsible for checking their platform's sponsorship disclosure requirements