AI Voiceovers for Ads: Scripts and Timing for 15, 30 and 60 Seconds
Word counts, structures and fill-in-the-blank templates for 15, 30 and 60 second ad voiceovers, plus how to test several AI voices before you spend on media.
Short answerAn ad voiceover runs at about 2.5 words per second, so write roughly 35 words for 15 seconds, 75 for 30 seconds and 150 for 60 seconds, then leave a little room for music and a logo. Lead with the offer or the problem, give one clear call to action, and generate the script in two or three AI voices so you can test which performs best.
An ad is the least forgiving script there is. Every word is paid for, and the listener did not ask to hear it. That makes timing and structure matter more here than in any other kind of voiceover.
The timing table
A natural, confident read is about 150 words a minute, or two and a half words a second. Use this as your budget.
| Length | Word budget | With music, logo or legal line | Characters (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 seconds | 12 to 15 | 10 to 12 | 80 |
| 15 seconds | 35 to 40 | 30 to 35 | 230 |
| 30 seconds | 70 to 80 | 65 to 70 | 450 |
| 60 seconds | 140 to 160 | 130 to 145 | 900 |
Write to the lower figure. An ad with room to breathe sounds more confident than one that is racing to the end.
Templates you can fill in
15 seconds: one thought
[Problem or offer in one line.] [Product name] [does this one thing]. [Proof or detail.] [Call to action.]
Example (33 words): “Tired of flat-pack furniture that wobbles? Oakline tables arrive fully built, in solid oak, ready to use. Over two thousand five-star reviews. Order by Sunday for free delivery. Oakline. Built before it arrives.”
30 seconds: problem, answer, proof, action
[A moment the customer recognises.] [Why it is frustrating.] [Product name] [changes that by…] [Two short proofs.] [Offer.] [Call to action, with the name again.]
Example (73 words): “It is seven a.m. You have ten minutes, and the blender sounds like a building site. The Aurora Two is different. It crushes ice in seconds, and it is quiet enough to use while the house is still asleep. Twelve hundred watts. A five-year warranty. Three colours. This week, get twenty per cent off with free delivery. Search for Aurora Two, and make tomorrow morning a quiet one. Aurora. Power, without the noise.”
60 seconds: a small story
- A scene the customer has lived (15 seconds)
- The turn: how the product changes it (10 seconds)
- Three benefits, most important first (15 seconds)
- An objection, answered (10 seconds)
- Offer and call to action, name repeated (10 seconds)
The examples above are invented brands, written to show the shape. Swap in your own facts, and only make claims you can stand behind.
Rules for lines that work aloud
- Say the name early, and again at the end. People tune in late.
- One call to action. Visit, call, search or order. Not all four.
- Write prices as speech. “Nineteen ninety-nine”, “from ten pounds a month”.
- Front-load the offer in short ads. In six seconds there is no time for a build-up.
- Cut adjectives before you cut facts. “Solid oak” beats “beautifully crafted premium”.
- End on the brand or the action, never on the legal line.
Generate it in more than one voice
This is where an AI voice changes how ads get made. Hiring three voice actors to read the same script is expensive. Generating it three times takes a minute.
In Voice Labs:
- Paste the script and generate it in a first voice.
- Change the voice and generate it again. Do this for two or three candidates.
- Try one alternative preset. Expressive adds energy for sales and launches; Natural suits calmer or premium brands.
- Check the running time shown in the player for each take.
- Save the takes you like. They also stay in History.
Play the takes to someone who has not read the script. The one they understand first time is usually the one to run.
Test variations cheaply
Because a new take costs seconds, you can test things that used to be too expensive to try:
- Two hooks: problem-led against offer-led.
- Two voices: for example, a warm voice against a bright one.
- Two paces: the same script at normal speed and slightly faster.
- Two calls to action.
Change one thing per test, so you know what made the difference.
Fit the script to the time, not the voice to the script
When a 30-second ad comes out at 34 seconds, the temptation is to raise the speed. Resist it. Sped-up reads sound anxious, and listeners trust them less. Cut a sentence instead. The edit that loses four seconds almost always improves the ad.
Before you publish
- Listen on a phone speaker, where most social ads are heard.
- Check every claim, price and date in the script.
- Add captions, because many ads play muted.
- Follow the advertising policies of the platform you are buying on, including any rules about AI-generated content.
- Keep the voice name and settings on file, so next month’s ad matches this one.
For the wider workflow, see the ads and product videos use case.
