How to Make Commercial Jingles
Musical instruments
Research materials
Recording studio and equipment
Jingles for commercials are short, catchy musical pieces containing both music and lyrics that are used to market and sell products, businesses and, in some cases, a message like a public service announcement (PSAs.) Jingles are usually composed and recorded by people outside of the company the commercial is for. Jingles can be the work of an advertising agency's in-house music department company, of production companies that specialize in jingles, or of enterprising individuals or partnerships. Assuming you already have some musical skill and knowledge, you can do company research, compose and record jingles and cultivate clients.
Step 1
Listen to as many local and national jingles as possible. This will give you a sense of what timing and musical arrangements are attractive to businesses buying jingles and why certain jingles have become sensations.
Step 2
Practice the art of writing jingles, including developing the songs so they will fit in shorter radio and television ad windows. The blog MoneyinMusic.com suggests that you “practice by writing jingles for fictitious businesses.”
Step 3
Research the business for which you want to create a jingle. You should find out not just information about what the business is trying to sell and what kind of image it is trying to create for the product, but also what the company is trying to do generally to project its chosen image, how business in the particular industry is conducted, who the company's main competitors are and what distinguishes the company. If possible, find out what style of music the company might prefer. Some of this information might be supplied by the company upon request.
Step 4
Arrange to record the jingle. Depending on your budget and existing equipment, this could mean renting a studio or creating one of your own. Due to advances in technology, home recording studios are increasingly affordable and popular and can be a good investment.
Step 5
Create several different mixes, or versions, of the jingle. MoneyinMusic explains that common lengths of mixes for jingles are 10, 30 and 60 seconds. It also suggests providing several sections for looping (repeating a sample or section of music) so that if desired the company can easily make additional edits to the jingle. Mixes can also be “full sing,” meaning that it is the fully orchestrated and sung version; “open-close” including only the beginning and end segments of the jingle; “tag,” a mix only a few seconds long that represents the catchiest part of the jingle; and “instrumental,” with only the music and no vocals. Instrumentals are used so the company can put whatever dialogue (or copy) over the familiar music the company wants, says MoneyinMusic.
Step 6
Target local radio and television affiliate stations to see if they need any jingles created. If you have friends who are local business owners, they could be another potential resource.
Step 7
Bloggers for MoneyinMusic.com had some early success by approaching businesses and offering to create a jingle on spec. This means they created the jingle and the company had the option of using it and paying them for it, and in many instances they did. Persevere until you find a company that is willing to use your jingle, and enjoy the rewards.
Key Concepts
• jingles for commercials
• create jingles commercials
• make jingles commercials
References
• MoneyinMusic: Writing Jingles [http://www.moneyinmusic.com/writing-jingles.html]
• Songwriting Guide: Write a Jingle [http://www.songwriting-guide.com/write-a-jingle.html]