September 14, 2008
September 14, 2008
How to Design better print ads
Category: Advertising
1. Headline: 5 times more people read the headline than will read body copy. If the reader likes the Headline they will read the rest of the ad. The Headline is what sparks their curiosity. It should be simple and clearly why the product interests the individual. 2. News and headlines: Readers buy consumer magazines and newspapers to read the articles. If you have real news such as updates to your product or service or recent innovations make sure you put them 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 - boaters, Video Game Players, business owners? 5. Buyers Will Read Long Copy: Readership falls off rapidly up to 50 words, but drops very little between 50 and 500 words. Potential buyers will read longer into an ad. Peak their interest with the headline, and then sell them in the copy. 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. Line Drawings vs. Photos: Photographs work better than Drawing almost allways. The Reader relates better to ads he feel are genuine. The photo should pull readers in and be directly related to the reason why they should buy your product or service. 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 is the CEO of the Cleveland Advertising Agency Net Advertising Group can help you increase the response rates on your print advertisements.Plus use Search Engine Optimization to further increase your ROI
September 15th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I know this post is about design, but I can’t stress enough that creative is only as good as the publication you advertise in. Make sure you know your that your target audience will see your ad.
Audited media is a big help. (See http://www.buysafemedia.com for more information.)