Buy Now: Creative Marketing that Gets Customers to Respond to You and Your Product

Chapter 13. Anatomy of an Infomercial

You may have seen many long-form shows, and you certainly will relate to the following parts and pieces. We include them here so that when you are writing your own, or hiring someone to do that for you, you clearly understand the basics and have some of the lingo down. There are no hard-and-fast rules here—without question, there are infomercials that have deviated from this formulaic observation and succeeded. There are shows that include pieces outside the formula that are brilliant, as well. This discussion is to just get you started.

Note that the times given here for the basic parts and pieces of the infomercial formula are approximations.

• Opening Disclaimer (5 seconds; required): The FCC requires all long-form shows to reveal that they are paid programming. You must state this with both an audio voice-over and graphic stating the legal name of the business entity that is purchasing the airtime.

• The Tease (1 to 3 minutes): The tease serves to set up the problem you are going to address and solve with your new product. Teases often start with the emotional or personal "pain points" that "set the table" for the show. This is where you typically ask the questions directly to the consumer that identify and engage them, for example:

  • "Are you seeing more lines and wrinkles around your eyes every morning?"

  • "Are you self-conscious wearing a swimsuit in public?"

  • "Does your car look, feel, and smell showroom-new?"

  All simple questions that evoke a visceral ...