We write briefs that give the host what they need to talk about the product in their own words: who it suits, the one idea the read should land, three to five talking points with the reasons behind them, the offer and its exact terms, the few lines that must be said word for word, and the claims to avoid. Everything else we leave to the host, who knows their listeners far better than we do.
How we write talking points
We make every talking point specific. “Premium quality” gives a host nothing to say, while “each one is assembled by hand in a single workshop, which is why delivery takes ten days” gives them a fact, a reason and an answer to the question listeners will have. We put the reason in parentheses after each point, so the host can use it or leave it.
- The product
A savings account in an app that moves a little money aside for you each week.
- Our note: Said the way a listener would describe it to a friend.
- Who it suits
People who mean to save and never get around to it. Less so anyone who already has a system that works.
- One idea
Saving happens when you no longer have to remember to do it.
- Our note: One idea. Give a host three and they will pick one anyway, so we pick it.
- Talking points
- You choose an amount and a day, and Larkspan moves it each week. (There is no decision to make each time, which is why it sticks.)
- You can pause or withdraw at any time, with no fee. (Listeners worry about being locked in.)
- The app shows what you have put away this year. (Seeing the number is what keeps people going.)
- Our note: The reasons in parentheses are for the host. They can use them or leave them.
- The offer
Open an account at larkspan.com/listen by November 30 and Larkspan adds $20 after your first four weekly deposits.
- Our note: Runs four weeks past the final episode, because people keep listening.
- Say exactly
"Larkspan is a financial technology company, not a bank." The URL as "larkspan dot com slash listen".
- Our note: Two lines only, each with a reason the host can see.
- Please avoid
Calling it an investment, promising savings will grow, and naming other banks.
- Placement
Mid-roll, about 60 seconds, recorded into the episode. Aircheck link and timestamp within two days of release.
The offer
We keep the offer to a single idea, such as a first month free, a credit after the first few uses or an extended trial, because it has to be understood when heard once, at speed, by someone who is driving or cooking. We set the code and the URL so they are easy to say and spell, make sure the offer still reaches listeners who search for the brand name instead, and let the offer run on for weeks beyond the final episode, because people go on listening long after release.
Mandatory lines and claims
We keep the lines a host must say word for word to two or three, such as a regulatory line for a financial product, a pronunciation or a URL with an unusual spelling, and we mark each one and explain why it is there. For claims we write a sheet listing what the host can say, with the evidence behind each claim, and what to avoid, and the brand’s legal team approves it before any brief goes out.
Revising the brief
We rewrite the brief after each flight, because hosts settle into a product over a run of episodes and the brief should change with them. The changes come from the airchecks and the comments under each episode, which show us the lines that landed, the parts the host skipped and the questions listeners asked. By the third flight the brief can often be shorter than the first, since the host knows the product by then.
Our guide to writing a host brief takes the ten parts of a brief in turn.
What you receive
- A host brief for each show, adapted to the host and the placement, in the same ten-part structure every time.
- An offer recommendation with codes and URLs for each show.
- A claims sheet listing what hosts can and cannot say, with the evidence for each claim, for the brand's legal team to approve.
- A revised brief for each new flight, with notes from the airchecks.