How To Write
"Order Pulling" Ads
The most important aspect of any business is selling the product
or service. Without sales, no business can exist for very long.
All sales begin with some form of advertising. To build
sales,
this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers, and
cause them to react to the advertising in some way.
The credit for the success, or the blame for the failure of almost
all ads, reverts back to the ad itself.
Generally, the "ad writer" wants the prospect to do one of the
following:
Visit the store to see and judge the product for himself, or
immediately write a check and send for the merchandise being
advertised.
Phone for an appointment to hear the full sales presentation,
or
write for futher information which amounts to the same thing.
The bottom line in any ad is quite simple:
To make the reader buy the product or service. Any ad that causes
the reader to only pause in his thinking, to just admire the product,
or to simply believe what is written about the product--is not
doing it's job completely.
The "ad writer" must know exactly what he wants his reader to
do,
and any ad that does not elicit the desired action is an absolute
waste of time and money.
In order to elicit the desired action from the prospect, all
ads
are written according to a simple "master formula" which is:
1) Attract the ATTENTION of your
prospect
2) INTEREST your prospect in the
product
3) Cause your prospect to DESIRE
the product
4) Demand ACTION from the prospect
Never forget the basic rule of advertising copywriting; If the
ad is not read, it won't stimulate any sales, if it is not seen,
it cannot be read; and if it does not command or grab the attention
of the reader, it will not be seen!
Most successful advertising copywriters know these fundamentals
backwards and forwards. Whether you know them already or you're
just now being exposed to them, your knowledge and practice of
these fundamentals will determine the extent of your success as
an advertising copywriter.
CLASSIFIED ADS:
Classified ads are the ads from which all successful businesses
are started. These small, relatively inexpensive ads, give the
beginner an opportunity to advertise his product or service without
losing his shirt if the ad doesn't pull or the people don't break
his door down with demand for his product.
Classified ads are written according to all the advertising rules.
What is said in a classified ad is the same that is said in an
larger, more elaborate type of ad, expecting in condensed form.
To start learning how to write good classified ads, clip ten
classified ads from ten different mail order type publications--ads
that you think are pretty good. Paste each of these ads onto a
separate sheet of paper.
Analyze each of these ads; How has the writer attracted
your attention--what about the ads keeps your interest--are you
stimulated to want to know more about the product being advertised--and
finally, what action must you take? Are all of these points covered
in the ad? How strongly are you "turned on" by each of these ads?
Rate these ads on a scale form one to ten, with ten being the
best according to the formula I've given you. Now, just for practice,
without, clipping the ads, do the same thing with ten different
ads from Sears, Wards, or The Penny's catalog.
In fact, every ad you see from now on, quickly analyze it, and
rate it somewhere on your scale.
If you'll practice this exercise on a regular basis, you'll soon
be able to quickly recognize the "Power Points" of any ad you
see, and know within your own mind whether an ad is good, bad,
or otherwise, and what makes it so.
Practice for an hour each day, write the ads you've rated 8,
9, and 10 exactly as they have been written. This will give you
the "feel" of the fundamentals and style necessary in writing
classified ads.
Your next project will be to pick out what you consider to be
the
ten 'worst' ads you can find in the classified section. Clip these
out and paste them onto a sheet of paper so you can work with
them.
Read these ads over a couple of times, and then beside each of
them, write a short comment why you think it is bad; Lost in the
crowd, doesn't attract attention--doesn't hold the readers interest--nothing
special to make the reader want to own the product--no demand
for action.
You probably already know what is coming next, and that is right.
Break out those pencils, erasers and scratch paper-- and start
rewriting these ads to include the missing elements.
Each day for the next month, practice writing the ten best ads
for an hour, just the way the were originally written. Pick out
the ten worst ads, analyze those ads, and then practice rewriting
those until they measure up to doing the job they were intended
to do.
Once you're satisfied that the ads you've rewritten are perfect,
go back into each ad and cross out the words that can be eliminated
without detracting from the ad. Classified ads are almost always
"finalized" in the style of a telegram.
EXAMPLE; I'll arrive at 2-o'clock tomorrow afternoon, the 15th.
Meet me at Sardi's. All my love, Jim.
EDITED FOR SENDING; Arrive at 2-pm-15th Sardi's. Love, Jim.
CLASSIFIED AD; Save on your food bills! Reduced prices on every
shelf in the store! Stock up now while supplies are complete!
Come in today, Jerrys' Family Supermarket!
EDITED FOR PUBLICATION; Save on Food! Everything bargain priced!
Limited supplies! Hurry! Jerry's Markets!
It takes dedicated and regular practice, but you can do it. Simply
recognize and understand the basic formula--practice reading and
writing the good ones--and rewriting the bad ones to make them
better.
Practice, and keep at ie, over and over, every day--until the
formula, the idea, and the feel of this kind of ad writing becomes
second nature to you. This is the ONLY WAY to gain expertise writing
good classified ads.
DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENTS
A display or space ad differs from a classified ad because it
has
headline, layout, and because the style is not telegraphic. However,
the fundamentals of writing the display ad or space are exactly
the same as for a classified ad. The basic difference is that
you have more room in which to emphasize the "master formula".
Most successful copywriters rate the headline and/or the lead
sentence of an ad as the most important part of the ad, in reality,
you should do the same. After all, when your ad is surrounded
by hundreds of other ads, and information or entertainment, what
makes you thing anyone is going to see your particular ad?
The truth is, they're not going to see your ad unless you can
"grab" their attention and entice them to real all of what your
have to say. Your headline, or lead sentence when no headline
is used, has to make it MORE DIFFICULT for your prospect to ignore,
or pass over, than to stop and read your ad. If you don't capture
the attention of your reader with your headline, anything beyond
is useless effort and wasted money.
Successful advertising headlines--in classified ads, your first
three to five words serve as your headline--are written as promises,
either implied or direct. The former promises to show you how
to save money, make money, or attain a desired goal. The latter
is a warning against something undesireable.
Example OF A PROMISE; Are You Ready To Become A Millionaire--In
Just 18 Months?
EXAMPLE OF A WARNING; Do You Make These Mistakes In English?
In both examples. I have posed a question as the headline. Headlines
that ask a question seem to attract the reader's attention almost
as surely as a moth is drawn to a flame. Once he has seen the
question, he just can't seem to keep himself from reading the
rest of the ad to find out the answer.
The best headline questions are those that challenge the reader;
that involve his self esteem, and do not allow him to dismiss
you question with a simple yes or no.
You'll be the envy of your friends is another kind of "reader
appeal" to incorporate into your headline whenever appropriate.
The appeal has to do with basic psychology; everyone wants to
be well thought of and consequently, will read into the body of
your ad and find out how he can gain the respect and accolades
of his friends.
Where ever and whenever possible, use colloquialisms or words
that are usually found in advertisements. The idea is to shock
or shake the reade out of his reverie and cause him to take notice
of your ad.
Most of the headlines you see today in and day out, have a certain
sameness with just the words rearranged. The reader may see these
headlines with his eyes, but his brain fails to focus on any of
them because there is nothing different or out of the ordinary
to arrest his attention.
Example OF COLLOQUIALISM; Are You Developing A POT BELLY?
Another attention--grabber kind of headline is the comparative
price headline; Three For only $3, Regularly $3 Each!
Still another of the "tried and proven" kind of headlines is
the specific question; Do You Suffer From These Symptoms. And
of course, if you offer a strong guarantee, you should say so
in your headline; Your Money Refunded, If You Don't Make $100,000
Your First Year.
How To headlines have a very strong basic appeal, but in some
instances, they are better used as book titles than advertising
headlines. Who else wants in on the finer things--which your product
or service presumably offers--is another approach with a
strong reader appeal.
The psychology here being the need of everyone to belong to a
group--complete with status and prestige motivations.
Whenever, and as often as you can possibly work it in, you should
use the word "you" in your headline, and throughout your copy.
After all, your ad should be directed to "one" person, and the
person reading your ad wants to feel that you're talking to him
personally, not everyone who lives on his street.
Personalize, and be specific! You can throw the teachings of
your
English teachers out the window, and the rules of "third person,
singular" or whatever else tends to inhibit your writing.
Whenever you sit down to write advertising copy intended to pull
the orders--sell the product--you should picture yourself in a
one-on-one situation and "talk" to your reader just as if you
are sitting across from him at your dining room table. Say what
you mean, and sell HIM on the product your offering. Be specific
and ask him if these are the things that bother him--are these
the things he wants--and he is the one you want to buy the product...
The layout you devise for your ad, or the frame you build around
it, should also command attention. either make it so spectacular
that it stands out like a lobster at a chili dinner, or so uncommonly
simple that it catches the reader's eye because of its very simplicity.
It's also important that you don't get cute with a lot of unrelated
graphics and artwork. Your ad should convey th feeling of excitement
and movement, but should not tire the eyes or disrupt the flow
the message you are trying to present.
Any graphics or artwork you use should be relevant to your product,
its use and/ or the copy you've written about it.
Graphics should not be used as artistic touches, or to create
an
atmosphere. Any illustrates with your ad should compliment the
selling of your product, and prove or substantiate specific points
in your copy.
Once you have your reader's attention, the only way you're going
to keep it, is by quickly and emphatically telling him what your
product will do for him.
Your potential buyer doesn't care in the least how long it's
taken you to produce the product, how long you have been in business,
nor how many years you have spent learning your craft. He wants
to know specifically how he's going to benefit from the purchase
of your product.
Generally, his wants will fall into one of the following categories:
Better health, more comfort, more money, more leisure time, more
popularity, greater beauty, success and/or security.
Even though you have your reader's attention, you must follow
through with an ennumeration of the benefits he can gain. In essence,
you must reiterate the advantages, comfort and happiness he will
enjoy--as you have implied in your headline.
Mentally picture your prospect--determine his wants and emotional
needs--put yourself in his shoes, and ask yourself: If I were
reading this ad, what are the things that would appeal to me?
write your copy to appeal to your reader's wants and emotional
needs/ego cravings.
Remember, it's not the "safety features" that have sold cars
for the past 50 years--nor has it been the need of transportation--it
has been, and almost certainly always will be the advertising
writer's recognition of the people's wants and emotional needs/ego
cravings.
Visualize your prospect, recognize what he wants: and satisfy
them. Writing good advertising copy is nothing more or less than
knowing "who" your buyers are; recognizing what he wants; and
telling him how your product will fulfill each of those wants.
Remember this because it's one of the "vitally important" keys
to writing advertising copy that does the job you intend for it
to do.
The "desire" portion of your ad is where you present the facts
of
your product; create and justify your prospect's conviction, and
cause him to demand "a piece of the action" for himself.
It's vitally necessary that you present "proven facts" about
your
product because survey results show that at least 80% of the
people reading your ad--especially those reading it for the first
time--will tend to question its authenticity.
So, the more facts you can present in the ad, the more credible
your offer. As you write this part of your ad, always remember
that the more facts about the product you present, the more product
you'll sell. People want facts as reason, and/or excuses for buying
a product--to justify to themselves and others, that they haven't
been "taken" by a slick copywriter.
It's like the girl who wants to marry the guy her
father calls a "no good bum". Her heart--her emotions--tell her
yes, but she needs facts to nullify the seed od doubt lingering
in her mind--to rationalize her decision to go on with the wedding.
In other words, the "desire" portion of your ad has to build
belief and credibility in mind of your prospect. It has to assure
him of his good judgement in the final decision to buy- furnish
evidence of the benefits you've promised--and afford him a "safety
net" in case anyone should question his decision to buy.
People tend to believe the things that appeal to their individual
desires, fears and other emotions. Once you've established a belief
in this manner, logic and reasoning are used to support it. People
believe what they "want to believe. Your reader "wants" to believe
your ad if he has read through this far--it's up to you to support
his initial desire.
Study your product and everything about it--visualize the wants
of your prospective buyers--dig up the facts, and you'll almost
always find plenty of facts to support the buyer's reason for
buying.
Here is where you use the results of tests conducted, growing
sales figures to prove increasing popularity, and "user" testimonials
or endorsements. It's also important that you present these facts-test
results, sales figures and/or testimonials-from the consumer point
of view, and not that of the manufacturer.
Before you end this portion of your ad and get into you demand
for action, summarize everything you've presented thus far. Draw
a mental picture for your potential buyer. Let him image owning
the product. Induce him to visualize all the benefits you've promised.
Give him the keys to seeing himself richer, enjoying luxury, having
time to do whatever he'd like to do, and with all of his dreams
fulfilled.
This can be handled in one or two sentences, or spelled out in
a paragraph or more, but it's the absolute ingredient you must
include prior to closing the sale. Study all the sales presentations
you've ever heard-look at every winning ad-this is the element
included in all of them that actually makes the sale for you.
remember it, use it, and don't try to sell anything without it.
As Victor Schwab puts so succinctly in his best selling book,
How
To Write a Good Advertisement: Every one of the fundamentals in
the "master formula" is necessary. Those people who are "easy"
to
sell may perhaps be sold even if some of these factors are left
out, but it's wiser to plan advertisement so that it will have
a powerful impact upon those who are the "hardest" to sell.
For, unlike face-to-face selling, we cannot in printed advertising
come to a "trail close" in our sales talk-in order to see if those
who are easier to sell will welcome the dotted line without further
persuasion.
We must assume that we are talking to the hardest ones-and that
the more thoroughly our copy sells both the hard and the easy,
the better chance we have against the competition for the consumer's
dollar-and also the less dependent we will be upon the usual completely
ineffective follow-through on our advertising effort which later
takes place at the sales counter itself.
ASK FOR ACTION! DEMAND THE MONEY!
Lots of ads are beautiful, almost perfectly written, and quite
convincing-yet they fail to ask for or demand action from the
reader. If you want the reader to have your product, then tell
him so and demand that he send his money now.
Unless you enjoy entertaining your prospects with your beautiful
writing skills, always demand that he complete the sale now, by
taking action now-by calling a telephone number and ordering,
or by writing his check and rushing it to the post office.
Once you've got him on the hook, land him! Don't let him get
away!
Probably, one of the most common and best methods of moving the
reader to act now, is written in some of the following:
All of this can be yours! You can start enjoying this new way
of life immediately, simply by sending a check for $xx! don't
put it off, then later wish you had gotten in on the ground floor!
Make out that check now, and be IN on the ground floor! Act now,
and as an "early bird" buyer, we'll include a big bonus package-absolutely
free, simply for acting immediately!
You win all the way! We take all the risk! If you're not satisfied
simply return the product and we'll quickly refund your money!
Do it now! Get that check on its way to us today, and receive
the big bonus package! After next week, we won't be able to include
the bonus as a part of this fantastic deal, so act now! The sooner
you act, the more you win!
Offering a reward of some kind will almost always stimulate the
prospect to take action. However, in mentioning the reward or
bonus, be very careful that you don't end up receiving primarily
requests for the bonus with mountains of request for refunds on
the product to follow.
The bonus should be mentioned only casually if you're asking
for product orders; and with lots of fanfare only when you're
seeking inquiries.
Too often the copywriter, in his enthusiasm to pull in a record
number of responses, confuse the reader by "forgetting about the
product" and devoting his entire space allotted for the "demand
for action" to sending for the bonus. Any reward offered should
be closely related to the product, and a bonus offered only for
immediate action on the part of the potential buyer.
Specify a time limit. Tell your prospect that he must act within
a certain time limit or lose out on the bonus, face probably higher
prices, or even the withdraw of your offer. This is always a good
hook to get action.
Any kind of guarantee you offer always helps to produce action
from the prospect. And the more liberal you can make your guarantee,
the more product orders you'll receive. Be sure you state the
guarantee clearly and simply. Make it so easy to understand that
even a child would not misinterpret what you're saying.
The action you want your prospect to take should be easy-clearly
stated-and devoid of any complicated procedural steps on his part,
or numerous directions for him to follow.
Picture your prospect, very comfortable in his favorite easy
chair, idly flipping thru a magazine while "half watching" tv.
He notices your ad, reads thru it, and he is sold on your product.
Now what does he do?
Remember, he is very comfortable-you've "grabbed" his attention,
sparked his interest, painted a picture of him enjoying a new
kind of satisfaction, and he is ready to buy...
Anything and everything you ask or cause him to do is going to
disrupt this aura of comfort and contentment. Whatever he must
do
had better be simple, quick and easy!
Tell him without any ifs, ands or buts, what to do-fill out the
coupon, include your check for the full amount, and send it in
to us today! Make it as easy for him as you possibly can-simple
and direct. And by all means, make sure your address is on the
order form he is supposed to complete and mail in to you-your
name and address on the order form, as well as just above it.
People sometimes fill out the coupon, tear it off, seal it in
an envelope and don't know where to send it. The easier you make
it for him to respond, the more responses you'll get!
There you have it, a complete short course on how to write ads
that will pull more orders for you-sell more of your product for
you. It's important to learn "why" ads are written as they are-to
understand and use, the "master formula" in your own ad writing
endeavors.
By conscientiously studying good advertising copy, and practice
in writing ads of your own, now that you have the knowledge and
understand what makes advertising copy work, you should be able
to quickly develop your copywriting abilities to produce order
pulling ads for your own products.
Even so, and once you do become proficient in writing ads for
your own products, you must never stop "noticing" how ads are
written, designed and put together by other people. To stop learning
would be comparable to shutting yourself off from the rest of
the world.
The best ad writers are people with the world in which they live.
Everytime they see a good ad, they clip it out and save it. Regularly,
they pull out these files of good ads and study them, always analyzing
what makes them good, and why they work. there is no school in
the country that can give you the same kind of education and expertise
so necessary in the field of ad writing.
You must keep yourself up-to-date, aware of, and in-the-know
about the other guy-his innovations, style changes, and the methods
he is using to sell his product. On-the-job training-study and
practice-that's what it takes- and if you've got that burning
ambition to succeed, you can do it too!
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1) WHAT IS THE MOST PROFITABLE WAY TO USE CLASSIFIEDS...
Classifieds are best used to build your mailing list of qualified
prospects. Use classifieds to offer a free catalog, booklet or
report relative to your product line.
2) WHAT CAN YOU SELL "DIRECTLY" FROM CLASSIFIEDS...
Generally, anything and everything, so long as it doesn't cost
more than five dollars which is about the most people will pay
in response to an offer in the classifieds. These types of ads
are great for pulling inquires such as: Write for further information;
Send $3, get two for the price of one; Dealers wanted, send for
product info and a real money making kit!
3) WHAT ARE THE BEST MONTHS OF THE YEAR TO ADVERTISE...
All twelve months of the year! Responses to your ads during some
months will be slower in accumulating, but by keying your ads
according to the month they appear, and a careful tabulation of
your returns from each keyed ad, you'll see that steady year round
advertising will continue to pull orders for you, regardless of
the month it's published. I've personally received inquires and
orders from ads placed as long as 2 years previous to the date
of the response!
4) ARE MAIL ORDER PUBLICATIONS GOOD ADVERTISING BUYS...
The least effective are the ad sheets. most of the ads in these
publications are "exchange ads", meaning that the publisher of
ad
sheet "A" runs the ads of publisher "B" without charge, because
publisher "B" is running the ads of publisher "A" without charge.
The "claimed" circulation figures of these publications are almost
always based on "wishes, hopes and wants" while the "true" circulation
goes out to similar small, part time mail order dealers. Very
poor medium for investing advertising dollars because everyone
receiving a copy is a "seller" and nobody is buying. When an ad
sheet is received by someone not involved in mail order, it's
usually given a cursory glance and then discarded as "junk mail".
Tabloid newspaper are slightly better than the ad sheets, but
not by much! The important difference with the tabloids is in
the "helpful information" articles they try to carry for the mail
order beginner.
A "fair media" recruiting dealers or independent sales reps for
mail order products, and for renting mailing lists, but still
circulated among "sellers" with very few buyers. Besides that,
the life of a mail order tab sheet is about the same as a daily
newspaper.
With mail order magazines, it depends on the quality of the publication
and its business concepts. Some mail order magazines
are nothing more than expanded ad sheets, while others--such as
BOOK BUSINESS MART- strive to help the opportunity seekers with
an on going advice and tips he can use in the development and
growth of his own wealth building projects.
BOOK BUSINESS MART is not just the fastest growing publication
on the mail order scene today; it's also the first ublication
in more than 20 years to offer real help anyone can use in achieving
his own version of the "American Dream" of building one's own
business from a "shoestring beginning" into a multi-million dollar
empire!
5) HOW CAN I DECIDE WHERE TO ADVERTISE MY PRODUCT...
First of all, you have to determine who your prospective buyers
are. Then do a little bit of market research. Talk to your friends,
neighbors and people at random who might fit this profile. Ask
them if they would be interested in a product such as yours, and
then ask them which publications they read. Next, go to your public
library for a listing of the publications of this type from the
Standard Rate & Data Service catalogs.
Make a list of the addresses, circulation figures, reader demographics
and advertising and decide which is the true costs of your advertising
and decide which is the better buy, divide the total audited circulation
figure into the cost for a one inch ad; $10 per inch with a publication
showing 10,000 circulation would be 10,000 into $10 or 10 cents
per thousands.
Looking at the advertising rates for BOOK BUSINESS MART, you
would tale 42,500 into $15 for and advertising rate of less then
THREE TENTHS OF ONE CENT PER THOUSAND. Obviously, your best buy
in this case would be BOOK BUSINESS MART because of the lowest
price per thousand.
Write and ask for a sample copies of the magazines you've tentatively
chosen to place your advertising in. Look over their advertising-be
sure that they don't or won't put your ad in the "gutter" which
is the inside column next to the binding.
How many other mail order type ads are they carrying-you want
to go with a publication that is busy, not one that has only a
few ads. The more ads in the publication, the better response
the advertisers are getting, or else they wouldn't be investing
their money in the publication.
To "properly" test your ad, you should let it run thru at least
three consecutive issues of any publication. If your responses
are small, try a different publication. Then, if your responses
are still small, look at your ad and think about rewriting it
for greater appeal, and pulling power. In a great many instances,
it's the ad not the publication's pulling power that is at fault!
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