What’s In A Word? - Effective Ad Writing
July 16, 2007When writing your ads, you need to understand that the Headline is the MOST important part of your advertisement. You’ve got 3 seconds to get someone’s attention. If your headline fails to capture the attention of the reader and your ad fails to speak to the reader in such a manner that will indicate that you have the solution to THEIR problem, the remainder of your ad will be ignored and you won’t make any money.
Your ads must focus on the problem of the consumer, by providing the solution to their problem. Your focus should not be on the product itself.
In order to do so, you need to put yourself in the consumer’s shoes to determine the root cause driving their search for a solution.
In simple terms, you MUST figure out what their problem is and cater to them by providing a solution, and your ad must be strategically designed to let the reader know that you can help them by solving their problem. Only by doing so are you speaking to the emotions of the consumer, which will ultimately dictate their decision to investigate your ad further and make the purchase.
For example, if you are attempting to sponsor others by telling them in your ads that “It’s Great” this is likely why you aren’t making any money.
Telling someone that “It’s Great” doesn’t indicate to the reader that you have a solution to THEIR problem. This person could care less if your offer is simple if what you are offering doesn’t help them eliminate THEIR pain. Let me give you an example by comparing the two ads below. In this instance, the reader’s problem is that they hate their boss and want to quit their job. The sooner, the better.
Which ad do you think is going to pull the better response?
Ad Number 2, without a doubt. Why?
The headline of Ad Number 2 grabs the reader’s attention by addressing the reader’s problem (wanting to walk away from the job yesterday). It makes a statement that the reader will automatically agree with and offers an immediate solution to the problem that the reader has just admitted that he has. It “gets inside the mind” of the reader and connects with THEIR problem and their feelings. Ad Number 2 makes the reader feel that it is about THEM, and not your program or product and is more likely to pay attention to the ad.
Ad Number 1 is “telling.” The headline does not imply that you have a solution to the reader’s problem. It simply tells about what YOU have. For the reader who is in search of a solution to their problem, Ad Number 1 won’t even catch their attention. If they even bother to look at Ad Number 1, they are likely to think “Big Deal. What does that do for the fact that I hate my boss and can’t stomach to look at his face for o ne more day?” and they will just move on without giving your ad serious attention.
The question that comes to mind for most people who are in search of a solution is “HOW?” Your ad needs to imply that YOU have the answer to this question. Then, and only then, will the reader open their mind to looking at what you have to offer.
We must bear in mind that people are on the internet are searching for a reason. They are looking to fulfill a need of their own – not a need of yours. You need to keep this in mind when you write all of your ads. Think about what the person who is reading your ad might want. Here is a hint… most people want more money but they don’t know HOW to get it.
They want to know HOW what you have to offer them is going to result in money in their bank account.
If your ad copy is pathetic, it doesn’t matter WHERE you advertise or how much you spend, you won’t make any money. The tips that I am going to give you are those that I have learned through trial and error, and they work, period.
Juicy, long winded copy should be reserved for the sales page of a website (or an eBook), NOT in your advertisement compelling the reader to visit your website. If your ad is too long and rambling, the reader won’t retain a word that you are saying to them.
Whether I am advertising in a pay-per-click campaign, or I am advertising in an eZine, I rarely use more than a three or four line Google type ad (with only a few exceptions, which I will review later on this page.) I won’t have all day to spend writing rambling ads about how wonderful something is. I quickly gain the reader’s attention with my headline, I tell it like it is, give the reader access to the information that they are seeking so that they can look at it for themselves and make their own decisions.
If your ad’s headline (whether you are advertising on Google, by email, in eZines or any other medium) is boring, you can just forget it. Most people won’t even bother reading the rest of the ad and you will receive very few responses. It’s okay to be outrageous, creative, humorous, blunt, bold and even downright rude if it pulls attention. You might think it’s “not nice” or “politically correct” but I will guarantee you that my “socially retarded” ad will out-perform your “nice” ad any day of the week, hands down. Here are a couple of examples:
People click on ads because they are intrigued by them. They pull attention (even if it is negative attention).
I’m not suggesting that you verbally annihilate people or kick them, but I am suggesting that you make bold, shout-out-loud, attention getting kind of statements in your subject lines, but make them in a matter-of-fact way.
If you cannot find it within yourself to be outrageous, at a bare minimum, you are going to have to peak the reader’s interest in order to get them to read what you have to say and investigate what you have to offer. A proven method of doing so is to ask a question as I did in the example above, because the reader will automatically answer the question to him or herself. If you ask the right questions, the reader answers the question in his or her own mind in the affirmative (such as “Tired of being broke?”) they are more likely to read the rest of the ad. What you have done by creating this kind of “connection” with the reader has significantly increased your chances that he or she will give your ad the attention you are seeking.
When someone is frantically searching the internet looking for an immediate answer to their problem, it is usually because they are in a LOT of pain. They need an answer, and they need it NOW.
Short, sweet and straight to the point does the job every single time!
Mastering the art of effective ad copy takes practice, testing, time, patience and a willingness to make adjustments so that you can repeat the process and gauge your results. Make it fun. There are no “standard rules” as to what works and what does not. Only your results can dictate what is and is not effective. However, the information that I have provided you in this section will let you know what I have found to be effective and what is ineffective…
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