Headlines
1. It is more important to get your message across than worry about the length of the headline –
14 word headlines get almost as much readership as three-word headlines.
2. Put news into the headline – The news can be an improvement of an old product, the announcement
of a new product, or a new way to use an old product. People are always on the lookout for something
‘new’.
3. Never use headlines that are tricky, confusing or incomplete in their message – You are
competing with an average of 350 other headlines in a newspaper or magazine. Most people are busy
and read too fast to figure out what you are trying to say. They will simply move on.
4. Never use headlines that require readership of the rest of the advertisement to be understood –
You will lose four out of five readers at this point. Most people are too busy and read too quickly to be
bothered to keep on reading to find out what you are trying to say.
5. Use CAPITAL Letters For All The First Letters Of Words In The Headline.
Copy
6. Sell the benefits, not the features or specifications – Will it save them time, will it make them more
beautiful or healthy, save them money etc7
7. Call to action! – If you run an ad for anything – you must ‘ask for action’. Ideally it should be time-bound
and include an irresistible offer.
8. Killer offer! – To be incorporated with the ‘call to action’ (#6 above). This has to be something
unbelievable, irresistible and unbeatable. Using $ amounts is very strong.
9. Non-specific claims don’t count – Give actual facts, figures, numbers and statistics. Exact numbers
and percentages are great. If you make a claim that is vague or immeasurable e.g. “best service”
“Quality guaranteed” it makes no impression. The reader loses his respect for you because of the
exaggeration.
10. Prevention does not sell, cure does! – All tests in advertising show that people will do little to
‘prevent’ troubles. They will do anything to cure existing troubles. Focus on solutions and your results
will increase.
11. Write it like you say it – Write copy just as you would speak it. If it sounds ‘salesy’ it will set alarm
bells off in your customers mind. Remember the purpose is to sell, not to sound good or to look good.
12. Test, test and test again – Use a series of different headlines, offers and prices and measure the
responses. Tame your ego and realize that you don’t what is best. Test the ads and let the market
decide.
13. Clearly define the purpose of your ad? – Is it to get people to; try you out, buy from you, call you,
make an appointment? Whatever it is, write it down and remember . . . only ever “sell” one thing at a
time. If all you want is to get an appointment or to get the person to come in, then don’t try to sell the
product or service at the same time. It’ll only confuse the potential customer.
14. The more you tell, the more you’ll sell! – As a general rule, 2 minute TV commercials will out-sell a
30 second commercial. And a 30 minute infomercial out-sells both again. Remember your ads are
targeted at the ‘players’. These are the people who want what you are selling and have the money to
pay for it. They will read your ads (or watch them) if what you say is interesting and relevant to them.
15. Use testimonials! – Like a referral, a testimonial is a third party endorsement and therefore is much
more believable. If you say something about your product or service it may sound like boasting. If
someone else says it, it’s believable.
16. Give away a bonus or something for free! – Quite often you’ll get the sale because of the bonuses
that come with what you are offering. The best bonuses are information products such as free reports
and audio CD’s because they cost you little to produce and have a high perceived value. Be generous -
the better the perceived value of the bonus, the more you will sell.
17. Offer a guarantee! – Offering a guarantee will give you extreme leverage over your competitors,
especially if no one else is offering one. The stronger the guarantee the more sales you’ll make, and
the best form of guarantee is the 100% unconditional money back guarantee. Let’s face it! You feel
safe buying a product if you know you can return it if it doesn’t do what it said it would do.
18. Use email reply, txt and voice mail – It’s been proven that people are more likely to “talk” to a
recorded service or email because it is free and they don’t have to deal with anyone directly.
Appearance
1. Fancy graphics and pretty ads don’t sell products! – Don’t try to be creative or original. The most
appealing (to look at) and artistic ads seldom make people buy the products they are supposed to be
selling. The ads that win awards for the advertising agencies that create them rarely win sales awards
for the clients!!
2. Research clearly shows that ads that look like editorial articles get 500% more readership than
ads that obviously look like ads! – There are no laws defining what ads must look like. People don’t
buy magazines or newspapers to read the ads. You, I and everybody else, buy the papers, the
magazines or watch the TV for the stories. By making your ad look like a story in the publication you’ll
get more sales.
3. Use your photo so they can relate to you – People’s eyes are drawn to photos of people. They are
‘attention grabbing’.
4. Don’t use capitals – Most of our reading is done in upper and lower case type. We are used to that. IF
YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS, it takes time to read them. You’ll lose readers that way. Follow the natural
and usual format.
5. Coupons multiply returns! – It has been proven that coupons get a better response because people
cut them out and they act as a reminder to take action.
Phone Book / Directory Advertising
1. UBA (Unique Business Advantage) – The purpose of any yellow page ad is to let the client know why
you are better than your competition. Tell them all the things you do that your competitors don’t. People
instinctively look for value. If they can’t distinguish a difference between two products they immediately
turn to price. You solve the problem by giving them what they are looking for in the first place—a good
value.
2. Don’t sell your product in the ad! – The purpose of your yellow pages ad is not to convince the
prospect that they should buy whatever product or service you offer; they are already looking in your
section so they already want what you are selling. You goal is to convince the prospect WHY they
should choose you over your competitors.
3. Give them answers – If a potential customer needs your business hours, put them in the ad. Don’t
make someone call, just to find out if you’re open. Cover ALL your bases and include as much
information as possible so nothing is left to chance. The key question is ‘what do they need to know?’
4. Remove doubt – One thing we see all the time is two completely different ads, side by side, and both
say, “fastest service”. What?! Wait a second. One of these guys must be a shyster. How can both
these companies have the fastest service? This may seem obvious, but people hate to be lied to. If you
truly have the fastest service, back it up. Say something like, “Awarded Fastest Service 3 years in a
row by the Automobile Association”. That’s something you can take to the bank. If you don’t have any
prestigious awards, focus on what makes you unique, and say it as honestly as humanly possible.
People are looking for any reason to call the whole thing off. Never give it to them.