Writing Effective Advertising Copy

How to write effective advertising copy

Experienced copywriters know that there are certain tips and tricks which can make it easier to guide readers to do what they want them to do. Let’s take a look at some of these tips and tricks which may prove useful when writing advertising copy.

Copywriting tips and tricks

Grab the attention -- the first aim here is to get a reader reading an advert. Once you have them interested then it is much easier to persuade them to buy into the purpose of the advert. Headlines are the most traditional way of getting people interested. They can be funny, clever or simply eye-catching in that they show the reader a benefit which encourages them to read on.
Keep the attention -- good copywriters know that once you have a reader’s attention you need to write copy that keeps their attention until they get to the end. The easiest way to do this is to make sure that the copy is rich in features and benefits that encourage the reader to act.
Keep it simple -- nothing puts off a reader more than long-winded sentence structures and complicated vocabulary. Adverts don’t usually give a copywriter much space to write in in any case so the key thing here is to keep sentences short and sharp and to do away with unnecessarily wordy copy.
Keep it fresh -- adverts that are full of clichés and overblown promises are more likely to turn a reader off than to turn him/her on. Nowadays consumers are generally fed up with this style of copywriting -- they prefer a more honest and down to earth style.
Proofread -- nothing will turn a reader off more than a spelling mistake or a grammatical error. It makes the advert -- and therefore the company producing the advert -- look unprofessional. The only way to get a reader to take an advert for a product or service seriously is to write professionally. So, as every good copywriter will say, proofreading is vital. Don’t just rely on spell-checking here as mechanical programs will miss as many errors as they correct.

Conclusion

Good copywriting for adverts isn’t just about having copywriting skills or experience. A professional copywriter will also understand what needs to be done to grab a reader’s attention and to hang on to it until answering the advert seems like the natural thing to do. To do this a professional copywriter will also have good sales awareness and the ability to structure their copy accordingly. Remember -- it’s also all about the detail as readers don’t remember error free copy, they remember the mistakes!

About the Author

Patrick Sawyer is an independent researcher and author on financial and business matters. See additional information on Professional Writing Skills