How To Write A Perfect, Selling Ad: Five Easy Tips
| Category: Copy Writing - ad copy | Date: 2003-05-13 |
I lied.
Theres no such animal as the perfect, works-every-time, selling ad.
But I got you to read this far, didnt I? That was the titles purpose --- see Tip Two: Write an attention-grabbing headline.
I didnt lie about these tips, though. Theyre easy and fun to use. And they work.
= Tip One: whos the reader? (Or viewer, or listener if youre writing for broadcast.)
Although youre writing for a crowd, its easiest to write if you imagine youre talking to one particular person.
You can even start writing your first draft with a salutation, as if you were writing a letter: Start with "Dear Elli", and keep writing.
Who is this person? Is she old, young, married? Where does she live? Whats her life like? What does she want most? Whats she scared of? Why would she be interested in your product? What difference would it make in her life?
Professional copywriters spend a lot of time in this phase of the writing process. You cant motivate someone if you dont know who they are.
= Tip Two: Write an attention-grabbing headline
Your headline is vital. No one is looking for your ad. Youve got to wave and yell at them to get their attention. If you dont get their attention, no sale.
Write a trial headline to get yourself started. This probably wont be the headline youll use. However, with a trial headline, youve got a corral for your copy. Youre writing to that headline.
When youve written a draft of the ad, force yourself, with a timer, to write another twenty headlines in five minutes. (Read the rest of the tips and write the benefits and the response before you write a draft.)
Dont try too hard. Who cares if theyre all junk? Youre writing lots of headlines to get your subconscious mind to take you seriously, and throw up the PERFECT headline. Youll never achieve this perfect headline with conscious thought. Its a gift
from your subconscious, but you have to goose it into cooperating.
You may find a headline you like more than your initial headline. Just substitute it, if it fits. If it doesnt you can write another version of the ad to fit that headlines concept.
= Tip Three: Write the features first, then work out what the benefits are
Nobody buys a product (or a service) for its own sake. They buy because it benefits them in some way. The benefits are what youre selling.
Youre not selling a German Shepherd puppy, youre selling an intelligent, loyal companion and family protector.
Youre not selling a car, youre selling travelling comfort, prestige, and a sure-fire babe-magnet.
Youre not selling a book, youre selling the adventure of a lifetime, love, romance, and sex.
To get a handle on this, take a sheet of paper and briefly list the features of your product or service on the left.
Then beside the feature, write the corresponding benefit that each feature provides.
Remember --- use the benefits in your ad.
= Tip Four: Dont forget the response!
Ive lost count of the number of ads Ive seen everywhere from the Yellow Pages to full display ads costing thousands in magazines, where the copywriter and everyone else forgot the response.
You must tell the reader what you want him to do. You must ask for the sale. Ask the reader to do something: call a number, come into the store, go to a Web site.
This is so important that when Im writing an ad I always write the required response on a sticky note and tape it to a corner of my monitor. I tape it onto the screen itself, so I cant miss it. (Yes, I have been guilty of forgetting the response. And very
embarrassing it was too.)
= Tip Five: Read it out loud
Youve finished the final draft of your ad. Before you show it to anyone else, read it aloud.
Youll pick up redundancies, awkward sentence construction and other nasties when you read the copy aloud.
Copyright (c) 2002 by Angela Booth
About the author.
***Resource box: if using, please include***
Author and copywriter Angela Booth crafts words for your usiness. Words to sell, educate or persuade. Contact her today for a free quote:
Free ezine: Creative Small Biz --- subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Creative_Small_Biz/
angela@zip.com.au
http://www.digital-e.biz/
Theres no such animal as the perfect, works-every-time, selling ad.
But I got you to read this far, didnt I? That was the titles purpose --- see Tip Two: Write an attention-grabbing headline.
I didnt lie about these tips, though. Theyre easy and fun to use. And they work.
= Tip One: whos the reader? (Or viewer, or listener if youre writing for broadcast.)
Although youre writing for a crowd, its easiest to write if you imagine youre talking to one particular person.
You can even start writing your first draft with a salutation, as if you were writing a letter: Start with "Dear Elli", and keep writing.
Who is this person? Is she old, young, married? Where does she live? Whats her life like? What does she want most? Whats she scared of? Why would she be interested in your product? What difference would it make in her life?
Professional copywriters spend a lot of time in this phase of the writing process. You cant motivate someone if you dont know who they are.
= Tip Two: Write an attention-grabbing headline
Your headline is vital. No one is looking for your ad. Youve got to wave and yell at them to get their attention. If you dont get their attention, no sale.
Write a trial headline to get yourself started. This probably wont be the headline youll use. However, with a trial headline, youve got a corral for your copy. Youre writing to that headline.
When youve written a draft of the ad, force yourself, with a timer, to write another twenty headlines in five minutes. (Read the rest of the tips and write the benefits and the response before you write a draft.)
Dont try too hard. Who cares if theyre all junk? Youre writing lots of headlines to get your subconscious mind to take you seriously, and throw up the PERFECT headline. Youll never achieve this perfect headline with conscious thought. Its a gift
from your subconscious, but you have to goose it into cooperating.
You may find a headline you like more than your initial headline. Just substitute it, if it fits. If it doesnt you can write another version of the ad to fit that headlines concept.
= Tip Three: Write the features first, then work out what the benefits are
Nobody buys a product (or a service) for its own sake. They buy because it benefits them in some way. The benefits are what youre selling.
Youre not selling a German Shepherd puppy, youre selling an intelligent, loyal companion and family protector.
Youre not selling a car, youre selling travelling comfort, prestige, and a sure-fire babe-magnet.
Youre not selling a book, youre selling the adventure of a lifetime, love, romance, and sex.
To get a handle on this, take a sheet of paper and briefly list the features of your product or service on the left.
Then beside the feature, write the corresponding benefit that each feature provides.
Remember --- use the benefits in your ad.
= Tip Four: Dont forget the response!
Ive lost count of the number of ads Ive seen everywhere from the Yellow Pages to full display ads costing thousands in magazines, where the copywriter and everyone else forgot the response.
You must tell the reader what you want him to do. You must ask for the sale. Ask the reader to do something: call a number, come into the store, go to a Web site.
This is so important that when Im writing an ad I always write the required response on a sticky note and tape it to a corner of my monitor. I tape it onto the screen itself, so I cant miss it. (Yes, I have been guilty of forgetting the response. And very
embarrassing it was too.)
= Tip Five: Read it out loud
Youve finished the final draft of your ad. Before you show it to anyone else, read it aloud.
Youll pick up redundancies, awkward sentence construction and other nasties when you read the copy aloud.
Copyright (c) 2002 by Angela Booth
About the author.
***Resource box: if using, please include***
Author and copywriter Angela Booth crafts words for your usiness. Words to sell, educate or persuade. Contact her today for a free quote:
Free ezine: Creative Small Biz --- subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Creative_Small_Biz/
angela@zip.com.au
http://www.digital-e.biz/
Copyright © 2005-2006 Powered by Custom PHP Programming