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 shop 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 further 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's written about the
product - is not doing its 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:
Attract the "ATTENTION" of your prospect.
"INTEREST" your prospect in the product.
Cause your prospect to "DESIRE" the product.
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 practise 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 people don't break his door down with
demands for his product. Classified ads are written
according to all the advertising rules. What is said in a
classified ad is the same that's said in a larger, more
elaborate type of ad, except it is in a 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.
Analyse each of these ads:
How has the writer attracted your attention.
What is it about the ad that keeps your attention.
Are you stimulated to want to know more about the product
being advertised.
What action must you take?
Are all these points covered in the ad?
How strongly are you "turned on" by each of these ads?
Rate these ads on a scale of 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 for ten
different ads from a magazine or newspaper. In fact every
ad you see from now on, quickly analyse it, and rate it
somewhere on your scale. If you practice this exercise on a
regular basis, You'll soon be able to quickly recognise 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
sections. Clip these out and paste them onto a sheet of
paper so that you can work with them.
Read these ads over a couple of times, and beside each of
them, write a short comment stating why you think it's bad,
i.e.
- Lost in the crowd.
- doesn't attract attention.
- doesn't hold the reader's interest.
- Nothing special to make the reader want to own the product.
- No demand for action.
You probably already know what's coming next, and that's
right. Break out those pencils, erasers and note paper -
and start rewriting these ads to include the missing
elements.
Each day for the next month, practise writing the ten best
ads for an hour, just the way they were originally written.
Pick out ten of the worst ads, analyse 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 "finalised" 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 2pm, 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, to Jerry's family Supermarkets!
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 recognise and understand the basic formula - practice
reading and writing the good ones - and rewrite the bad ones
to make them better. Practice, and keep at it, 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 in 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 isn't
telegraphic. However, the fundamentals of writing the
display or space ad 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,
and 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 think 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 read all of
what you 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 the 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 undesirable.
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 of these examples I've posed a question as the
headline. Headlines that ask a question seem to draw the
reader's attention almost as surely as a moth is drawn to a
flame. One he's seen the question, he just can't keep
himself from reading the rest of the ad to find out the
answer. The best headline questions are those which
challenge the reader; that involve his self esteem, and do
not allow him to dismiss your 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 to find out how he can gain
the respect and accolades of his friends.
Wherever and whenever possible, use colloquialisms or words
that are not usually found in advertisements. The idea is
to shock or shake the reader out of his reverie and cause
him to take notice of your ad. Most of the headlines you
see day 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's 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 $6.00, Regularly $6.00 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 $200,000 In Your First
Year.
How To headlines have a very strong basic appeal, but in
Some instances, They're better used as book titles rather
than advertising headlines.
Who Else wants in on the finer things - which your product
or service presumably offers - is another approach with very
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 out the
teachings of your English teachers out of the window, and
the rules of "third person, singular" or whatever 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 were
sitting across from him at your dining room table. Say what
you mean, and sell him on the product you're offering. Be
specific and ask him if these are the things that bother him
- are these the things he wants - and he's 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 chilli
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 the feeling of excitement
and movement, but should not tire the eyes or disrupt the
flow of the message you're 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 illustrations 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've been in
the business, nor how many years you've spent learning the
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.
- Greater success and/or security.
Even though you have your reader's attention, you must
follow through with an enumeration of the benefits he can
gain. In essence, you must reiterate the advantages,
comfort and happiness he'll 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 for
transportation - it has been, and almost certainly will
always be the advertising writer's recognition of peoples
wants and emotional needs/ego cravings. Visualise your
prospect, recognise his wants and satisfy them.
Writing good advertising copy is nothing more or less than
knowing "who" your buyers are; recognising what he wants;
and then telling him how your product will fulfil 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 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
reasons, 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 of doubt
lingering in her mind - to rationalise her decision to go
ahead with the wedding.
In other words, the "desire" portion of your ad has to build
belief and credibility in the 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 the "want" to
believe. Your reader "wants" to believe your ad if he has
read it through this far - it's up to you to support his
initial desire.
Study your product and everything about it - visualise the
wants of your prospective buyer - dig up the facts, and
You'll almost always find plenty of facts to support the
buyer's reasons for buying.
Here is where you use 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 your
demand for action, summarise everything you've presented
this far. Draw a mental picture of your potential buyer.
Let him imagine owning the product. Induce him to visualise
all of 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
make the sale for you. Remember it, use it, and don't try
to sell anything without it.
As Victor Schwab put it so succinctly in his best selling
book, How to Write a Good Advertisement:
Everyone one the fundamentals in the "master formula" is
necessary. Those people that are "easy" to sell may perhaps
be sold even if some of the factors are left out, but it's
wiser to plan your 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 to come a "trial 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 or the
consumers money - 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 sends his money
now. Unless you enjoy entertaining your prospects with your
beautiful writing skills, always demand that he completes
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 box.
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 form 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 XXX!
Don't put it off, then later wish you had got in on the
ground floor! Make out that check now, and "be IN on the
ground floor"! Act now, and be an "early bird" buyer, we'll
include a big bonus package - absolutely free, simply for
acting immediately! You win all the way! We take 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
part of this fantastic deal, so act now! The sooner you act,
the more you win!
Offering a reward of some kind will 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 requests
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 fanfair only when you're seeking enquiries.
Too often the copywriter, in his enthusiasm to pull in a
record number of responses, confuses the reader by
"forgetting about the product", and devoting his entire
space allotted for the "demand for action" to send 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 withdrawal 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
the guarantee, the more product orders you'll receive. Be
sure to 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 through a magazine while "half
watching " TV. He notices your ad, reads through it, and"
he's sold on your product. Now what does he do? Remember,
he's comfortable - you've "grabbed" his attention, sparked
his interest, painted a picture of him enjoying a new kind
of satisfaction, and he's ready to buy ...
Anything and everything you ask or cause him to do is going
to disrupt his aura of comfort and contentment. Whatever he
must do had better be simple, quick and easy!
Tell him without any iffs, ands and buts, what to do - fill
out the coupon, include your check for the full amount, and
send it 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's 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 a 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 a complete short course on how to write ads
that will pull more orders for you - sell more of your
products for you. It's important to learn "why" ads are
written in the way they are - to understand and use, the
"master formula" in your own ad writing endeavours.
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 in touch 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 analysing what makes them
good, and why they work. There's 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's using to sell his products. On the job training -
study and practice - that's what it takes - and if you've
got a burning ambition to succeed - you can do it too!
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- what's the most profitable way to use classifieds?
Classifieds are best used to build up your mailing list of
qualified prospects. Use classifieds to offer a free
catalogue, booklet or report relative to your product line.
- What can you sell "directly" from classifieds?
Generally, anything and everything, so long as it doesn't
cost more than $6.00 which is about the most people will pay
in response to an offer in the classifieds. These type of
ads are great for pulling inquiries such as:
Write for further information. Send $6, get two for the
price of one.
Dealers wanted, send for product information and a real
money-makers kit!
- 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 inquiries and orders from ads
placed as long as 2 years previous to the date of
publication.
- Are mail order publications good advertising buys?
The least effective are the adsheets. Many of the ads in
these publications are "exchange ads", meaning that the
publisher of adsheet "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,
therefore most of the people who receive a copy are
"sellers". 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 adsheets, while
others strive to help the opportunity seekers with on-going
advice and tips he can use in the development and growth of
his own wealth building projects.
- How can I decide where to advertise my product?
First of all, you have to determine who your prospective
buyers are. Then you do a little bit of market research.
Talk to your friends, neighbours 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.
Make a list of the addresses, circulation figures and
advertising rates. To determine the true cost of your
advertising and decide which is the better buy, divide the
total audited circulation figure into the cost for a one cm
ad, e.g.
$20 per cm with a publication showing 10,000 circulation
would be 10,000 into $20 or $2 per thousand.
Or $30 per cm with a circulation of 42,500 would be 42,500
into $30 or about 70 cents per thousand.
Obviously your best buy would be the second example because
of the lower cost per thousand.
Write and ask for 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's busy,
not one that has only a few ads. The more ads in the
publication, the better the response the advertisers are
getting, or else they wouldn't be investing their money in
that publication.
To "properly" test your ad, you should let is run for 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 and not the
publication's pulling power that's at fault!
