The art of writing profitable classified ads
Everybody wants to make money. In fact most people would like to hit upon something that makes them instantly rich! And seemingly, one of the easiest to the fulfillment of these dreams of wealth is mail order or within the profession of the business, direct mail selling.
Hardly anyone gives much real though to the basic guide for selling by mail-the writing of profitable classified ads.
So what makes a classified ad good or bad? First of all, it must appeal to the reader, and as much, it must say exactly what you want it to say secondly, it has what it says in the least possible number of words in order to keep you operating within your budget. And thirdly, it has to produce the desired results.
Grabbing the reader's attention is your first objective. There has to be something about your ad that gets a reader's attention out of many other ads. So, the first two or three words of your ad are of the most importance and it deserves your careful consideration. Most surveys show that words or phrases that quickly involve the reader tend to be the best attention-grabbers. Some words as: FREE? WIN? MAKE BIG MONEY?
Now after grabbing the reader's attention you still need to go further. You have to interest him with some thing that even him can do. A word like easy & simple "guaranteed" or some other such word or phrase that can do the magic. So now, we've got an ad that reads MAKE BIG MONEY! Easy & simple. Guaranteed! By now he is hooked up.
The next stage of this game is to get the results. Results need action from the reader. This is the part where you need words like Limited offer- Act now! Write today. Putting it all together, then your ad might read something like this:
MAKE BIG MONEY! Easy & simple. Guaranteed! Limited offer. Send $1 to:
The final ingredient of your classified ad is of course, your name, address the reader is to respond where he is to send his money or write for further information.
Generally speaking, readers, respond more often to ads that include a name than those showing just initial or an address only. However, because advertising costs based upon the number of words, or space your ad takes, the use of some names in classified ads could be quite expensive. For example a company name like Money Maker's opportunity forum can be shorten to Moneymakers. The point is to think relative to the placement costs of your ad. Shorten excessively long names. The same applies to your post office box number. Shorten it to plain Box 50, or in the case of rural delivery, shorten it to just RRL.
Just adhere to the basics and profits will increase according. There is no point in being tricking or clever. One of the best ways of learning to write good ads is to study the classified-try to figure out exactly what they're attempting and then practice rewriting according to the rules I have given you. When you sit down to write a classified ad, always write it all out-write down everything and then go back over it, crossing out words and refining your phraseology.
In summary of all what I have written, good written classified ads should
Now you know the basics, the rest is up to you.
About The Author
Am Emma Okafor,an online market researcher and writer.
Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their... Read More
When I show some people my advertisements, I sometimes get... Read More
One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is... Read More
Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More
If you have children, you will doubtless remember saying to... Read More
I have read thousands of ad copies online and offline... Read More
These days, you don't have to traverse the dark forest... Read More
As websites and electronic commerce are becoming more and more... Read More
Whether you're selling a product or service, the 10 tips... Read More
An interesting debate is currently raging among copywriters, web designers... Read More
When you are beginning to write, you gather as much... Read More
You've done it. Gotten that press release written. Now you're... Read More
It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More
Nothing irritates me more than being told that there are... Read More
Most people can write. Some can even write well. But... Read More
Writing copy has sometimes been compared to an "art." While... Read More
Writing for the search engines is much different than writing... Read More
Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor... Read More
Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important... Read More
In a previous article I talked about a few similarities... Read More
You've identified the benefits you offer your customers, but how... Read More
Anglers in Maine catch trout using dry flies with barbless... Read More
A few weeks ago I wrote some copy for a... Read More
Many people feel they have a story to tell or... Read More
There is a difference between creative writing and copywriting. It... Read More
Whether you're wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will... Read More
If you made it this far, the headline for this... Read More
IntroductionA pencil. Yes, a pencil. In my opinion, every great... Read More
A significant reason behind websites that fail is the lack... Read More
It doesn't matter if you're writing an article, a newspaper... Read More
When I write copy for my advertising clients, I always... Read More
Ever wish for your own copywriting business?Ever wish you could... Read More
COPYWRITINGAfter determining what we are going to sell, the next... Read More
If you own a shop in the middle of the... Read More
Hands up if the title to this article made you... Read More
Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response... Read More
Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or... Read More
So, you have something you want to sell. It may... Read More
Every person has secrets that only he or she knows,... Read More
1. Address your reader as a friend, not as "Friend."When... Read More
Internet Marketing- Forget the experts, latest software program or even... Read More
When you are going to write a press release probably... Read More
I have read thousands of ad copies online and offline... Read More
Now that your website is up and running, it's time... Read More
When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a... Read More
Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is... Read More
Most people can write. Some can even write well. But... Read More
So you finally built a website for your home-based business.... Read More
In part one of this article series we began looking... Read More
Have you seen those copywriting gurus, working it on the... Read More
Here's another drill ripped out of the Field Guide for... Read More
Freelancing is a competitive business, especially in today's fast-paced, e-focused... Read More
Run or hustle? Eat or devour? Move or scurry? You... Read More
Lets start with copyright infringement.It is easily explained as copying... Read More
You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive... Read More
Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More
You could spend thousands of dollars on advertisement and have... Read More
For the e-book, Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built... Read More
How do you make your fundraising letters creative and fresh... Read More
1) Don't just hire a good designer. Hire someone who... Read More
It was going so well, so what happened? Many copywriters... Read More
Several correspondents to our newsletter, AdBriefing, say that they are... Read More
Many professional freelancers will go their entire career without ever... Read More
These days, there's widespread acceptance that a website is an... Read More
Would you like to get more sales from your online... Read More
A significant reason behind websites that fail is the lack... Read More
Copywriting |