CODES AND CONVENTIONS

OF RADIO TRAILERS
There are only a few conventions for radio trailers and they are quite basic and
obvious:

Sound bites from the documentary must be used in the trailer to give the
listeners a taste of what it is they could potentially be watching.

You must put the slogan, then the title and the scheduling last in the trailer so
that the listeners can decide if the like the sound of it and the last thing they
hear is the scheduling so they will remember and have a look when they get
home.

Music that will set the mood for the documentary and give the listeners an
idea of what the tone of the documentary is, whether it is going to be dark and
opinionated or more factual and light-hearted.

The narrator of the radio trailer must speak very clear English and have a
voice that is neutral, without a strong accent so more audiences can
understand clearly.

The duration of the trailer is usually between 40-60 seconds at the very most
to keep the trailer short and sweet so that it doesnt give too much information
away but also so it keeps the listeners interested and engaged.