Contemporary Hit Radio Songwriting Advice

You want the song that radios play between car horns and bad coffee. You want the hook that hits before the light turns green. Contemporary Hit Radio is the territory where pop, R and B, hip hop, and modern rock collide into ear candy for the masses. This guide is for writers who want their songs to sound current and still feel like they came from your messy, brilliant life. Expect blunt tips, goofy real life examples, and workflows you can steal and run with now.

If you are wondering what CHR means, it stands for Contemporary Hit Radio. That is industry shorthand for stations and formats that play the current hits. People also call this Top 40. We will explain every acronym like we are talking to your sober aunt and your roommate who sleeps on studio couches. You will get structure templates, lyric and melody drills, production awareness for writers, radio timing rules, and pitching basics so your song does not live forever in a Dropbox nobody opens.

What Contemporary Hit Radio Actually Pays Attention To

CHR is obsessive about three things. Hook. Hook. And hook. A hook is any part of the song that a person can hum while scrolling. Hooks are usually melodic and lyrical. A hook can also be a drum loop or a production sound with personality. If your chorus is a paragraph, it will not be a hook. If your chorus is a single bright sentence that lands on a long vowel, people will text it to each other. That is the whole job.

Radio programmers and streaming playlist curators listen for immediacy. They want a song that grabs attention in the first eight to twelve seconds. They want a chorus the listener can sing or half sing after one or two plays. They want a title that is usable in marketing. They want lyrics that avoid explicit words if you want a wide radio push. They also want energy that moves bodies or emotions in a clear direction.

Key CHR Terms You Need To Know

• CHR Contemporary Hit Radio. The radio format for current singles that appeal to mass audiences.
• Top 40 A common name for CHR. Not a literal limit. It means mainstream single driven radio.
• DSP Digital Service Provider. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music where streaming happens.
• PRO Performing Rights Organization. These are groups like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC that collect public performance royalties for songwriters.
• ROI Return on investment. In music this is about the effort and money you spend to get a song heard compared to results you receive.

Every time we use an acronym we will explain it. If you forget, blame the coffee and come back. No judgement.

Basic CHR Structure That Works

Yes you can break rules. First you must master them. Here are three reliable forms for CHR songs that programmers understand. They all assume a hook early and a chorus that repeats clearly.

Classic Pop Push

Intro that lands fast with a riff or vocal motif. Verse that is lean and specific. Pre chorus that raises tension. Chorus with the title and a singable phrase. Verse two that adds a detail. Pre chorus to chorus. Bridge that gives a fresh angle. Final double chorus with an extra line or harmony.

Early Hook Play

Intro with hook or a short post chorus hook. Verse that sets the scene. Chorus that repeats early. Verse two that progresses the story. Chorus. Post chorus tag that becomes the earworm. Short bridge. Final chorus with an added vocal or production lift.

Drill and Repeat for Dance

Cold open hook. Verse with rhythm focus. Pre chorus that builds with a vocal hook. Chorus that is a chant or short title line. Post chorus drop. Breakdown. Final chorus and tag for the last minute.

Timing Rules for CHR

Radio and playlists do not have infinite patience. Consider these timing goals as rules of thumb rather than gospel. If you break them make sure you are breaking them with intent.

• Start with a hook or a clear vocal moment in the first eight to twelve seconds.
• Give a full chorus by the 30 to 45 second mark.
• Keep the overall runtime between two minutes and forty seconds and three minutes and thirty seconds if you want maximum radio friendliness.
• If your song is longer, create a tight radio edit by removing an extra verse or shortening an intro.

Real life scenario. You write the coolest moody jam that needs four minutes. Your label manager calls and says the station program director will not play anything that takes longer than the newscast window. You make a three minute and five second edit where the first chorus arrives at 40 seconds and the second chorus is clean and strong. They play it. You thank caffeinated gods.

Write Hooks That Stick

Hooks live in three zones. Melody. Lyric. Sound. Hit two of the three and you are likely cooking. Hit all three and your mother will use your chorus as a ringtone. Here is how to build hooks that survive a thousand scrolls.

Melodic Hook Workflows

1. Vowel pass. Sing on open vowels for two minutes over a loop. Record everything. Circles the parts that want to repeat.
2. Leap then land. Make the chorus start with a small leap into the title note. The ear loves a small violation that resolves into a simple step pattern.
3. Range contrast. Put the chorus a third to a fifth higher than the verse. A small lift is often a bigger emotional change than a huge range requirement.

Lyric Hook Workflows

1. Write the core promise in one sentence plain speech.
2. Turn that sentence into a title. Short is better. One to four words is ideal.
3. Place the title on a long vowel or a downbeat in the chorus. Repeat it at least twice in a chorus of average length.

Sound Hook Workflows

Pick one production sound that becomes your motif. A distant synth stab. A percussion sample with personality. A vocal chop that sounds like a small creature laughing. Use it like a character. Let it return in the intro, pre chorus, and final chorus so the song feels familiar and expensive.

Lyrics That Work For Radio

Radio loves clarity. It also loves a line that makes listeners want to send it to someone else. Avoid purple prose. Avoid being so vague your lyrics could be for any feeling in the multiverse. Be specific. Be cheeky when appropriate. Here are practical passes to run on every lyric.

Crime Scene Edit for Radio

1. Underline every abstract word. Replace with a concrete object or image.
2. Find the title. Make it the emotional thesis. If you do not have one, write it now.
3. Make the chorus less than three lines if possible. Keep one line that is the ring phrase that repeats.
4. Run a prosody check. Speak the lines at normal volume. The stressed syllables should land on strong beats or long notes.

Example before and after.

Before I am feeling something different and I do not know how to explain it.

After My hoodie smells like your coffee and I keep pretending it is mine.

See how the after picture gives you a camera shot and a small action. That is radio friendly because it is repeatable and vivid.

Prosody Rules You Must Obey

Prosody is how lyrics sit on melody. Bad prosody is why some great lines land like shoes in a swimming pool. Fix prosody early.

• Say every line out loud and mark the natural stresses. Those stresses should fall on strong beats.
• Avoid multi syllable words that shove stress on the wrong beat unless you rewrite the melody to fit.
• Use short words in the pre chorus to build energy. Use longer vowels in the chorus to let the title sing.

Real life check. You write a chorus where the title is two words long and the stress falls on the offbeat. It sounds like a limp handshake. Move the title so the stressed syllable lands on the one or three. Now it feels like it means something.

Topline Methods That Get You To Hook Faster

Topline means the vocal melody and lyrics over a track. There are many ways to write a topline. Here are two simple workflows depending on whether you write with a track or with a guitar or piano.

Track first

1. Make a two chord or four chord loop that grooves. Keep it simple.
2. Record a three minute vocal improvisation on vowels. Mark the moments that feel like hooks.
3. Map the rhythm of the best moments. Count syllables on the strong beats.
4. Drop clear title words onto the best melodic gestures. Keep editing until you can hum the chorus with one short line.

Voice first

1. Start with a melody on piano or guitar. Lock the chorus melody first.
2. Add lyrics one line at a time. Keep the chorus verbs strong and immediate.
3. Make a rough sketch of production that highlights a sound motif that matches the melody.
4. Build a demo that plays like a radio friendly version of the song. Less is more here.

Co Writing and Writing Rooms

Co writing is the currency of CHR. If you walk into a room with three writers and one producer you are buying chance. Treat rooms like workshops. Show up with a title idea or a melody seed. Do not expect the room to serve you a finished chorus unless you hand over coffee and goodwill.

• Bring a small number of strong ideas. One good hook beats five meh hooks.
• Listen more than you talk. If someone suggests a line try it. If it fails, move on quickly. Time is money.
• Swap contact info and write follow up versions. A great hook sometimes needs a few more drafts outside the room.

Real life anecdote. You bring a title that says Stay Open. Other writers hate it at first. Someone hums a melody on a broken keyboard and suddenly Stay Open is a prayer that sounds like a chant. The writer who hummed gets a co writer credit and you get the hook. It is messy and glorious.

Production Awareness for Songwriters

You do not have to be a producer. You do have to understand how production choices affect the perceived hook. A small production nudge can make a weak chorus sound vivid. Be aware of these levers.

• Space before the chorus. One beat of silence can make a chorus landing feel huge.
• Texture swap. Move from thin to wide between verse and chorus to create lift.
• One signature sound. Use a distinct sound as an aural logo so listeners recognize the song instantly.
• Dynamic layering. Add a new element on the second chorus and an extra harmony on the final chorus to maintain interest.

Radio Friendly Lyrics and Content Notes

If you want mainstream radio you must consider lyrics. Explicit words can be edited for radio but sometimes edits kill momentum. Consider writing a radio friendly version from the start if you want broad exposure.

• Avoid explicit language in the chorus if possible.
• Avoid references that date your song badly like specific events or memes unless you are banking on the trend.
• Be wary of brand names unless you want a legal problem or free marketing. Both are messy.

Song Length and Radio Edits

Many CHR hits live between two minutes and forty seconds and three minutes and thirty seconds. Shorter songs get more repeats in streaming playlists. Longer songs need a strong argument for their runtime. If your song is long make sure every part earns its time. If not, make a radio edit that keeps the energy moving.

Pitching and Metadata

Getting played is about the music and the delivery. Metadata is the invisible packaging. A terrible song with great metadata can get a meeting. A great song with wrong metadata gets lost.

• Title. Make sure your title matches the chorus line people will search for.
• Artist name. Consistency matters. If your artist name sometimes contains special characters remove them for DSPs.
• ISRC. The International Standard Recording Code is the unique identifier for your recording. Make sure your distributor assigns one.
• Songwriter credits. List everyone who contributed. PROs use these credits when collecting money for public performance.
• Release strategy. Pitch to DSP editorial playlists and radio at least six to eight weeks before release if you can. For radio you often need a promo team that knows the program directors.

Royalties 101 For CHR Writers

Song money comes from performance royalties, mechanical royalties, and streaming revenue. Performance royalties pay when your song is played on radio or in public. PROs like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC collect those. Mechanical royalties pay when your song is reproduced on a recording or streamed. There are international rules that change who pays and how much. If you do not register your songs with a PRO your public plays do not get tracked into your bank account.

Real life scenario. Your song hits radio and the chorus is everywhere. Six months later you realize you never gave the publisher your writer split paperwork. You get paid half of what you should. Paperwork is boring. Paperwork also pays rent.

Finish Faster With a Simple Checklist

All songs feel like they need forever. Use this checklist to ship a radio ready demo quickly.

1. Title thesis. One sentence. This is your song promise.
2. Hook first. Lock melody and lyric for the chorus.
3. Prosody pass. Speak and align stresses to beats.
4. Length pass. Aim for three minutes or less or plan a radio edit.
5. Production motif. Pick one signature sound and use it consistently.
6. Demo. Make a clear demo with a strong vocal and minimal production that highlights the chorus.
7. Metadata. Assign title, writers, ISRC, and register with a PRO.
8. Pitch plan. Email your DSP and radio contacts with the one line hook and an mp3 or stream link. Follow up once and then move on to the next song.

Exercises To Make Your Song Radio Ready

One Line Thesis

Write a single line that expresses the song in plain language. Turn it into a short title by removing extra words. If you cannot make it shorter, you do not understand the song yet.

Vowel Solo

Play a two chord loop and sing pure vowels for three minutes. Mark any gestures you want to repeat. Build the chorus around those gestures.

Camera Shot Pass

Read your verses out loud. For each line write a camera shot such as close up on hands or a long shot of an empty street at midnight. If you cannot visualize a shot rewrite the line.

Radio Trim

Take a four minute song and remove the first eight bars. Does the chorus still hit? If yes you have a radio edit. If no, rethink the intro and chorus placement.

Common CHR Mistakes And How To Fix Them

• Too many ideas Fix by committing to one emotional promise and letting other details orbit that promise.
• Hook buried Fix by moving the chorus earlier or creating a short intro hook that previews it.
• Bad prosody Fix by speaking lines and re aligning stressed syllables with strong beats.
• Messy metadata Fix by confirming song credits, ISRC codes, and PRO registration before release.
• Production overkill Fix by stripping elements during the demo so the vocal and chorus shine.

Examples You Can Model

Theme someone choosing themselves over a messy ex.

Verse The coffee cup is yours. I keep it anyway. Rain hits like an apology that never calls back.

Pre chorus I practice saying my name without waiting for you to say it first.

Chorus I stay up. I do not call. I keep your sweater on the floor like I am learning to forget.

Theme late night euphoria that feels like discovery.

Verse The subway smells like someone already forgot the night. Neon writes my name on a dirty window.

Pre chorus The beat gets louder when we stand too close.

Chorus Tonight we are the map. Draw me in with your city hands and I will get lost and find myself.

Promotion Quick Wins For CHR

• Create a short vertical video for social platforms that hits the chorus by the first five seconds.
• Send one concise email to curators that includes a streaming link, release date, and three line pitch about the hook.
• Play the song live in small rooms and ask the crowd what line they sing back. Use those lines in ads.
• Work with a radio promoter if you can afford it. They have relationships that cut through noise.

When To Break The Rules

Rules are scaffolding. Break them once you know how something is constructed. If your chorus wants to be a long stream of consciousness and you can make people care by the second listen, then do it. If your song is a tiny art piece for niche fans you do not have to radio edit it. But if your goal is CHR success treat these rules as a fast pass to clarity. The goal is not to be generic. The goal is to be instantly clear and distinct.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Write one sentence that states the song feeling. Turn it into a one to three word title.
2. Make a two chord loop and do a three minute vowel pass. Save the best gesture.
3. Place the title on the best gesture and make a chorus no longer than three lines.
4. Draft verse one with a camera shot detail and one time or place crumb.
5. Run the prosody pass so stressed syllables land on strong beats.
6. Make a demo that hits chorus by 45 seconds or earlier and keeps runtime near three minutes.
7. Register the song with a PRO and check ISRC before you send links.

Contemporary Hit Radio FAQ

What is the ideal length for a CHR single

Aim for two minutes and forty seconds to three minutes and thirty seconds. Shorter songs get more repeats on streaming playlists and fit radio rotations better. If your song is longer you can create a radio edit that trims an intro or a verse.

Do I need to write with a producer to get a CHR sound

No. You can write a radio ready song alone. It helps to know production basics so your demo highlights the chorus. Many mainstream writers start with toplines and then hand the demo to a producer who adds texture and polish.

Where should the title appear in a CHR song

Put the title in the chorus and repeat it. It is often effective to include the title once in the pre chorus for anticipation. The title should be easy to search for on streaming services.

How do I register my song with a PRO

Choose the Performing Rights Organization in your country. In the United States common choices are ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Create an account and register each composition. Provide writer splits and publishing information so performance royalties reach the right people.

How fast should I expect feedback from radio or DSP curators

Expect slow replies. DSP editorial teams receive thousands of submissions. Radio programmers get pitched constantly. Build patience and a follow up plan. Use short and clear pitches that highlight the hook and any existing traction like playlist adds or viral moments.

What is a radio edit and when should I make one

A radio edit shortens or cleans up a song for broadcast. You should make an edit when the original is longer than three minutes and thirty seconds or when explicit content blocks radio play. Keep the edit natural. Remove parts only if they do not damage the emotional flow.

How do I write a chorus that DJs can talk over

Leave space in the chorus for a one to two beat voice tag. Avoid overly dense vocal arrangements at the very start of the chorus. One beat of silence or a clear instrumental hit at the chorus downbeat gives DJs room to speak without butchering the hook.

What elements make a chorus radio friendly

Short memorable phrase. Repetition. Open vowels on title words to encourage singing. A melody that lifts from verse to chorus by a comfortable interval. Production that clears space for the vocal. Clear lyric meaning that listeners can repeat in a text or TikTok caption.

Do I need a publisher to get radio play

No. A publisher helps with pitching and collections and sometimes opens doors. Independent artists without publishers can still get radio play by building strong promotional campaigns, focusing on regional radio, and creating compelling live performances and press.

Get Contact Details of Music Industry Gatekeepers

Looking for an A&R, Manager or Record Label to skyrocket your music career?

Don’t wait to be discovered, take full control of your music career. Get access to the contact details of the gatekeepers of the music industry. We're talking email addresses, contact numbers, social media...

Packed with contact details for over 3,000 of the top Music Managers, A&Rs, Booking Agents & Record Label Executives.

Get exclusive access today, take control of your music journey and skyrocket your music career.

Unlock Instant Access