WRITING THE AD: WHERE TO START Every ad is made up of four elements:
1. The headline, commonly called “the head.”
2. Body copy, which is everything except the headline and the identifying signature, or “logo.”
3. The offer, which is part of the body copy but has to be thought out separately.
4. The logo, or signature, which identifies you and is generally the same as or very similar to your letterhead. My personal way of working is to begin with the offer, go to the body copy, and do the headline last. The offer forces me to understand exactly what I am trying to sell and what the buyer gets in return. Chicken at 49¢ a pound, when the competitors are charging 55¢, requires no explanation; but an HMO or the 27th new restaurant to open this month needs a different kind of enticement. After a rough (preliminary) draft of the offer, I do the body copy. My best headlines have generally grown out of a seed planted in the body, which I suddenly realize would make the perfect head. Of course, once the headline is in place, the entire ad may have to be fine-tuned to fit it, but that won’t matter, as long as you work within the ARM framework, which I will tell you about next.
Where You Should Start Where you start really makes no difference. Many writers begin with the headline or body copy instead of the offer and work from there. But no matter where you start, the headline is of such crucial importance that we’ll treat it in detail first. The Headline (and Illustrations) The headline (and illustrations, if any) are your grabbers. They are the way to catch readers’ fleeting attention and get them actually to read what you have to say. To do this, your advertisement, as every other marketing communication, must achieve the three ARM factors. Think of these as the ARM portion of “I’d give my arm if only they’d buy.” So arm yourself with the best headline you can develop to attract attention. Two things your headline must do:
1. Attract the audience that will actually buy the product or at least influence its purchase. Buyers and influencers are not necessarily the end users. Young children neither buy nor influence their parent’s purchase of cough syrup, but they are a major factor in deciding on purchases of toys, games, and cereals. Know for whom you write . . . and why!
2. Have carry-over power that will get readers from the headline into the ad itself. Let’s assume that you are writing an ad for a bicycle shop that has added a line for senior citizens. In writing your headline, don’t try to be clever or funny. That usually fails, even when attempted by professionals. Rather, begin by stating the most obvious fact and let your ad develop from there. For instance, you might try BIKES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS This approach will keep you out of trouble, but is unlikely to attract very many from the audience you want, unless you spice it up with some benefits. Two of the all-time best benefits are “new” and “free,” so let’s try to get at least one of those into the ad, perhaps as easily as this: NEW! BIKES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS Notice the difference between “NEW BIKES and “NEW! BIKES.” In this instance, the second version is probably preferable. With a different product— insurance, for instance—“NEW BENEFITS” might well do better than “NEW! BENEFITS.” Always think of what will appeal to your specific audience and write accordingly. But there is still nothing in the headline to get very many readers from “A” to “R”—to motivate Attention into Readership. So let’s strengthen the headline with stronger benefits and, if room permits, more of them, like this??? please visit: How to write an ad
1. The headline, commonly called “the head.”
2. Body copy, which is everything except the headline and the identifying signature, or “logo.”
3. The offer, which is part of the body copy but has to be thought out separately.
4. The logo, or signature, which identifies you and is generally the same as or very similar to your letterhead. My personal way of working is to begin with the offer, go to the body copy, and do the headline last. The offer forces me to understand exactly what I am trying to sell and what the buyer gets in return. Chicken at 49¢ a pound, when the competitors are charging 55¢, requires no explanation; but an HMO or the 27th new restaurant to open this month needs a different kind of enticement. After a rough (preliminary) draft of the offer, I do the body copy. My best headlines have generally grown out of a seed planted in the body, which I suddenly realize would make the perfect head. Of course, once the headline is in place, the entire ad may have to be fine-tuned to fit it, but that won’t matter, as long as you work within the ARM framework, which I will tell you about next.
Where You Should Start Where you start really makes no difference. Many writers begin with the headline or body copy instead of the offer and work from there. But no matter where you start, the headline is of such crucial importance that we’ll treat it in detail first. The Headline (and Illustrations) The headline (and illustrations, if any) are your grabbers. They are the way to catch readers’ fleeting attention and get them actually to read what you have to say. To do this, your advertisement, as every other marketing communication, must achieve the three ARM factors. Think of these as the ARM portion of “I’d give my arm if only they’d buy.” So arm yourself with the best headline you can develop to attract attention. Two things your headline must do:
1. Attract the audience that will actually buy the product or at least influence its purchase. Buyers and influencers are not necessarily the end users. Young children neither buy nor influence their parent’s purchase of cough syrup, but they are a major factor in deciding on purchases of toys, games, and cereals. Know for whom you write . . . and why!
2. Have carry-over power that will get readers from the headline into the ad itself. Let’s assume that you are writing an ad for a bicycle shop that has added a line for senior citizens. In writing your headline, don’t try to be clever or funny. That usually fails, even when attempted by professionals. Rather, begin by stating the most obvious fact and let your ad develop from there. For instance, you might try BIKES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS This approach will keep you out of trouble, but is unlikely to attract very many from the audience you want, unless you spice it up with some benefits. Two of the all-time best benefits are “new” and “free,” so let’s try to get at least one of those into the ad, perhaps as easily as this: NEW! BIKES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS Notice the difference between “NEW BIKES and “NEW! BIKES.” In this instance, the second version is probably preferable. With a different product— insurance, for instance—“NEW BENEFITS” might well do better than “NEW! BENEFITS.” Always think of what will appeal to your specific audience and write accordingly. But there is still nothing in the headline to get very many readers from “A” to “R”—to motivate Attention into Readership. So let’s strengthen the headline with stronger benefits and, if room permits, more of them, like this??? please visit: How to write an ad
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