In the first article I looked at headlines and how easy it really is to come up with 100 or so, enabling the best ones to be drawn out of your brain!
This time I will look at the body of the advert.
Having captured your readers attention, the main part of the advert must explain what your offer is in clear, unequivocal terms. Remember when you are writing it that you are not selling a product or service, but the solution to a problem.
Make sure that you write the advert to one person. It’s best if you write it to your Mum or your best friend. This is vital because it draws out a much more natural way of writing. It makes your reader feel as if you are talking to them, and to them alone, it engenders a feeling of believability and trust.
If you don’t agree with this immediately, try writing an advert firstly in your own traditional style, and then do it again describing your offer to your Mum or your best friend. You really will find your language is different! Write as if you are talking directly to them across the kitchen table because this ensures you get the attitude right. You will then naturally write using terms like you will, you can, can you imagine, if you take this opportunity etc. It keeps the focus completely on your Mum/best friend which is absolutely how your advert should come across.
It goes without saying that your headline and the body copy should be about the same offer. The headline is there to draw people’s eye to your advert and the body copy explains the headline in more detail. There is nothing more likely to stop someone reading your advert when the headline turns out to have nothing whatever to do with the offer.
I hope this little article helps you write better adverts. Please contact me if you would like any explicit help with a project. I would love to help.
The final mini article will be on what most people consider the most important part of the advert – the call to action.
Don’t miss it!
~Ray