Our office advertises and finds that pre-recorded fifteen second spots on radio, either before or after traffic updates, work well. Be careful, however, when a station or ad buyer tries to sell you "live" lead ins. Always insist on recorded. Why?
Today on the way in to work, I heard a live spot for an injury attorney on the sports station. The sports jocks were laughing it up for the segment prior, and as they went to the attorney, this is what I & thousands of others heard: "It's the holidays, and attorney {XXX XXX} wants you to watch out for the meatheads out on the road this season... ." The radio personality then gave the number, amongst background laughter.
Yes, "meatheads." I am pretty certain that this attorney (who I know) strives to be taken seriously and works very hard on his image. The traffic spot I heard was a waste of money, and more importantly showed to me that this advertiser was not being taking seriously by the station.
Take the time to record your spot, or you may suffer the same fate. It's hard enough to convey a dignified image, it's worse when someone is yukking it up.
