1. Headline: On the average, 5x more people read the headline as the body copy. If people like the Headline they will continue to read the body copy. The Headline is what pulls them in. The headline should be simple and clearly state a benefit.
2. News and headlines: People read consumer magazines and newspapers to get news. If you have genuine news such as product updates or new innovations by all means put it in the headline.
3. How many words in a headline? Research conducted with cooperation from a large department store found that headlines of ten words or longer sold more products than short headlines. In terms of recall, headlines between eight and ten words work the best. On average, long headlines sell more goods than short ones - headlines like David Ogilvy's "At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock." have been remembered for years.
4. Talk to Your Prospects: When a specific group consumes your product; Speak to them in your headline - Travelers, Video Game Players, business owners?
5. If the Reader is Interested THey Will Read Long Copy: Readership declines rapidly after fifty words, but continues steadily between 50 and 500 words. Potential buyers will read further into an ad. Spark their interest with the headline, Give them a reason to buy in the copy. We have included many articles from John E. Kennedy and Claude Hopkins on Writing Headlines
6. Before and After Ads: Before and after advertisements get better than average readership. The contrast seems to work well. Consumers tend to comprehend them well.
7. Photographs vs. drawings: Photographs work better than Art almost all the time. People like to feel thins are "real." The photograph should help pull readers in. Plus it must be pertinent to the product you are selling. The photograph must have story appeal.
8. Captions: Twice as many people read the captions under photographs as read the body copies. Never place a photo without a caption. Because Associated Press Style calls for captions under photos people expect it.
9. News layout vs. Art Style Layout The more the ad looks like the news in the publication generally the higher the readership. Though people do tend to look for the ads in trade publications. The arty layout is much easier to get approved by the client A good ad agency will take the time to explain to the client that the ad must have long copy to make sure the consumer buys the product.
10. Test and Retest Readership has been known to increase with repetition. Continually test new ads against the old ones and run the winner.
About the Author:
Dennis Gartland can help you increase the response rates on your magazine advertisements.
No comments:
Post a Comment