Advertising: It's the Offer!

Advertising that works isn’t about your capabilities; it’s about having readers perceive real value in what they get from you. The best place to start in creating a successful ad is with an offer. You should spend as much as 80% of your ad time developing offers encouraging consumers to get out and spend some money. The reason you use an offer as your headline is that 80% of readers never get past the headline. That means you’re spending 80 cents of every ad dollar on the headline. Make your ads count by putting the biggest benefit to your consumers in the headline itself.

The most effective headlines are those that either persuade the reader to delve further into your copy or take some other specific action. As you create your offer, think about the problems your customers have and how your product/service is the best solution. Some of the most effective headline types include:

• Direct—Create your offer and use it as your headline.
• Indirect—Play off your reader’s curiosity or present a situation that your body copy seeks to answer.
• Newsworthy—Look for ways to tie your products or services into solutions for current newsworthy issues (i.e., good for the environment, helps you save money in a down economy, etc.).
• How to—Headlines that promise to show the reader how to solve a specific problem.
• Ask a question—Promise to provide the reader with a specific answer to a compelling question
• Reason why—Lists often make good sales copy, but don’t work very well for shorter ads.
• Testimonial—Secure testimonials from customers in your target market to use as your headline.