"This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?"
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste."
"Friends don't let friends drive drunk."
"You could learn a lot from a dummy."
How many of these phrases ring a bell? These widely recognized slogans have become a part of our culture. While these were all big-budget campaigns, your own PSA can be a great and inexpensive way to get your message out to the public, and change people’s behaviour.
What is a public service announcement?
·PSA's, are short messages produced on video and given to radio and television stations. Your PSA should be a ready-to-air, 30 second DVD or video.
PSA's tend to be very effective at encouraging the audience to do something -- for example, call a phone number for more information, use condoms, or change your attitude toward homosexuality .
How do you write a PSA?
Decide upon and clarify the purpose of your PSA.
·What are your goals?
·What do you want to accomplish by putting a PSA on the air?
·Who is your audience? (High school students, teachers, parents…)
Key points to remember about the writing:
Because you've only got a few seconds to reach your audience (30 seconds or less), the language should be simple and vivid. Take your time and make every word count. Make your message crystal clear.
The writing needs a "hook" -- words or phrases that grab attention -- to attract your audience. Creating a clever “slogan” works very well, people will remember it.
Remember, you usually want your audience to do something as a result of having heard the PSA. (change their behaviour, start a GSA…)
Target your audience. What type of people are you hoping to reach through your PSA? This will help you focus on the content of your PSA.
You may want to explore:queer history, rights, culture, personalities, language, sense of community,multi-layered differences…. ethnicity, religion, disability, gender for gay kids, for straight kids, for kids with queer parents …the consequences of homophobia/transphobia health, hope, happiness, humour our differences, similarities, stereotypes, myths, the power of truth
Getting ready to write your PSA:
1. Choose points to focus on. Don't overload the viewer or listener with too many different messages.
List all the possible messages you'd like to get into the public mind, and then decide on the one or two most vital points. For example, if your group educates people about asthma, you might narrow it down to a simple focus point like, "If you have asthma, you shouldn't smoke."
2. Brainstorm. This is also a good time to look at the PSA's that others have done for ideas. Get together with your friends to toss around ideas about ways you can illustrate the main point(s) you've chosen. If possible, include members of your target group in this process.
3. Check your facts. It's extremely important for your PSA to be accurate. Any facts should be checked and verified before sending the PSA in. Is the information up to date?
4. Identify a "hook". A hook is whatever you use to grab the listener or viewer's attention. How are you going to keep them from changing the channel or leaving the room or letting their attention drift when your PSA comes on? A hook can be something funny, it can be catchy music, it can be a shocking statistic, it can be an emotional appeal
