Marketing Examples: Writing Copy Pt. 2

This article is a continuation of Marketing Examples: Create Ad Headlines that Sell. In this article I’ll go over the following:

• Proven Steps for Writing Headline Teasers
• Ask These Questions of Your Headlines
• Illustrations and Pictures that Work
• The Best Pulling Photos of All
• The Most Important 5% are Reading your Copy
• Let’s Write a Letter
• Few Tips on Writing in a Conversational Tone
• How to Ad Interest to your Copy
• What Motivates People
• Finding the Right Appeal

Proven Steps for Writing Headline Teasers

1. Begin headline with word Introducing
2. Begin headline with the word Announcing
3. Use words that have an announcement quality
4. Begin headline with the word New
5. Begin headline with the word Now
6. Begin headline with the word At last
7. Begin headline with the word How to
8. Begin headline with the word How
9. Begin headline with the word Why
10. Begin headline with the word Which
11. Begin headline with the word Who else
12. Begin headline with the word Wanted
13. Begin headline with the word This
14. Begin headline with the word Because
15. Begin headline with the word If
16. Begin headline with the word Advice
17. Put a date into your headline
18. Write your headline in news style
19. Feature the price in your headline
20. Feature reduced prices
21. Feature an easy-payment plan
22. Feature a free offer
23. Offer information of value
24. Tell a story
25. Use a testimonial-style headline
26. Offer the reader a test
27. Warn the reader not to delay buying
28. Let the manufacturer speak directly to the reader
29. Address a specific person or group
30. Have your headline ask a question
31. Offer benefits through facts and figures
32. Use a before and after style headline

Let’s Get Going
Write a paragraph that describes your product or service including your company as a whole, while keeping in mind that information you have reviewed in this chapter.

On to the Headlines
Now take the information in the previous paragraph as well as from the rest of the chapter and try to write headlines that sell.

Now Ask These Questions of Your Headlines

1. Does the headline promise a benefit or a reward for reading the copy?
2. Does it get its point across simply and quickly?
3. Is the headline as specific as possible?
4. Does it reach out and grab your attention with a strong selling message?
5. Does the headline logically relate to the product?
6. Do the headline and visual work together?
7. Does the headline arouse curiosity?
8. Does the headline select the audience?
9. Is the advertiser’s name used in the headline?
10. Avoid negatives!

Illustrations and Pictures that Work
After your headline the next place people look in regards to your advertisements is at your picture, if you choose to use them, which you almost always should. Here are tips on using pictures that sell

1. The subject of your illustration is all important.
2. The kind of photographs which work hardest are those which arouse the reader’s curiosity.
3. When you don’t have a story to tell, it is often a good thing to make your package the subject of your illustration.
4. In a study of 70 campaigns whose sales results were known, Gallup did not find a single before and after campaign that did not increase sales.
5. Photographs attract more readers than illustrations.
6. The use of characters known to people who see your advertisement boosts recall.
7. Keep your illustrations as simple as possible, with the focus of interest on one person. Crowd scenes don’t pull.
8. Don’t show human faces enlarged bigger than life size. They seem to repel readers.
9. Historical subjects bore the majority of readers.
10. Do not assume that subjects which interest you will necessarily interest consumers.
11. Full color advertisements cost 50 percent more but on average are 100 percent more memorable.

The Best Pulling Photos of All

1. Men buy products from ads featuring men and women do as well
2. Brides
3. Babies
4. Animals
5. Famous people
6. People in odd costumes
7. People in odd situations
8. Pictures that tell a story
9. Romantic pictures
10. Catastrophe pictures
11. News pictures
12. Pictures of Santa Claus or Presidents
13. Picture of the product in use
14. A close up picture of the product
15. Photos pull better than illustrations
16. The best pulling picture of all is a face looking directly at the reader

Note: Even though the above are the best pulling photos make sure that the photo corresponds to your headline.

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5 Responses to “Marketing Examples: Writing Copy Pt. 2”

1. Copy Paste Systems says:

   March 8, 2010 at 2:02 pm

   Well I arrived here on another post but ended up staying for 20 minutes reading your stuff! Enjoyed it 😀

   Reply
2. Tracy Chatman says:

   January 12, 2011 at 9:30 am

   Thank You for this information this is something that I have to work on to become a better marketer. Finally I feel that I am at the beginning of something here. Thanks to You..

   Reply
   • admin says:

     January 12, 2011 at 11:08 am

     Your very welcome

     Reply
3. social media manager says:

   January 30, 2011 at 1:58 pm

   I was having the hardest time coming up with headlines for my youtube videos so thanks alot. I put the use the “how” in the title for 5 of them!

   Reply
   • admin says:

     January 30, 2011 at 2:24 pm

     Glad to help 🙂

     Reply