Doing a little ‘Throwback Thursday’ today! This is an article I wrote back in 2013 (Yikes, has it really been that long ago?). It’s about Victor Schwab’s book, How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course In Copywriting.
Enjoy!
If you like writing your own ads and sales letters then you’ll love How to Write a Good Advertisement
by Victor Schwab.
Schwab says there are five fundamentals in writing good advertisements:
1. Get Attention
2. Show People an Advantage
3. Prove It
4. Persuade People to Grasp This Advantage
5. Ask for Action
Let’s start with Get Attention shall we?
Get Attention
So, how do you get your prospects attention to read your ad? By a killer headline.
How To Win Friends And Influence People is a GREAT headline. It’s also the title of the book with the same title by Dale Carnegie. Who doesn’t want to have more friends? Unless you’re a recklose, we all do! Image if the headline was Win Friends and Influence People. It doesn’t have the same umph, does it? Adding the words “how to” gives people a guide on how they can win friends and influence people.
Also, if you’re putting your sales letters in a envelope you can do some 3D mail (I’m currently doing a 3D mail campaign so I’ll be posting my results. Stay tuned). That will get your prospects attention because they’ll want to know what’s inside. It will get opened!
Show People an Advantage
WIIFM stands for “What’s In It For Me.”
People want to have good health, more money, better appearance, etc.
In your ad or sales letter, you want to show prospects what your product/service offers them. If you’re selling a product to make more money, then you’re going to have a strong appeal to someone who wants more money, and who doesn’t want more money. You also want to show people what more money will do for them (financial security, less worries if you get laid off, etc.)
Prove It
When writing ads and sales letters, you always want to prove your case. A few ways to do this is by having studies that show facts that your product/service is better, achievements of your product (awards, photographs showing before and after), and testimonials.
I love getting testimonials! The best testimonials have your clients explaining where they were to where they are now and how they got there with your product/service. Also, be sure to include full names and a picture of your clients (if possible).
Persuade People to Grasp This Advantage
This is where you sum up everything you’ve already said about your product/service. You need to put the wheels under the advantage to move your prospects towards action. Claude Hopkins has said, “He needs to have a visual sample left on his mental doorstep.” Give your prospects these samples!
Ask for Action
You’ve now grabbed your prospects attention, showed him an advantage, proved it, and persuade him to grasp the advantage. Now is the time to “ask for action.”
We see ads and sales letters all of the time. How many of them ask for action? Now many. I see ads that show features and then give a phone number. The ad doesn’t get me moving. Bad!
So, how are you going to get prospects to take action? ASK them! Ask them to send in for a free booklet, or go to your website for their free report, or call, or email. Offer your prospects a guarantee so they’ll feel more comfortable about taking action. Remember this: you don’t get what you don’t ask for.
If you’re a DIY copywriter, this is a great book on writing your ads and sales letter. Actually, you NEED this is your copywriting arsenal. Click to get your copy today ——-> How to Write a Good Advertisement
Now go take action!