Writing trade Ads, or any Ads for that matter, that sell is an art that can be learned quite easily. Here are some tips straight from the horses mouth so to speak.

Master copywriter Bob Bly has given me this article so I can share these winning tips with you.
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How do you create an industrial or trade ad that gets attention, wins high readership scores, and generates a steady flow of valuable inquiries that convert easily to sales?
Here are some ideas, based on studies (conducted to gather material for my book, Ads That Sell) of some advertisements that have proven successful in the marketplace:

1. Put a benefit in the headline.
The most successful ad I ever wrote (which was the number one inquiry producer in four consecutive insertions) had the headlines:

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR EMISSIONS
PROBLEMS…
… at half the energy cost on conventional
venturi scrubbers.

The headline combines a powerful benefit (“half the energy cost”) with the promise of useful information (“how to”) addressed directly at the reader’s specific problem (“solve your emissions problems”).

2. Ask a provocative question.
My friend Bob Pallace wrote an ad that generated an immediate $1 million increase in billings for his ad agency in Silver Spring, Maryland. The headline was:

ARE YOU TIRED OF WORKING FOR
YOUR AD AGENCY?

The ad ran only one time in each of three magazines (High-Tech Marketing, Business Marketing, Inc.) and immediately brought in five new clients.

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Robert Bly is a freelance copywriter specializing in business-to business and direct response advertising. He writes ads, brochures, direct mail packages, and sales letters for more than 75 clients nationwide including Prentice-Hall, Grumman Corporation, Sony, Online Software, Digital Linguistix, and Philadelphia National Bank. He is also the author of 17 books including The Copywriter’s Handbook (Dodd, Mead). Bly can be reached at 174 Holland Ave., New Milford, NJ 07646-201/599-2277.

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3. Be direct.
An ad agency asked me to write an ad to generate sales leads for a client that repairs and restores old surgical tables. When they sent me their literature, I used the headline on their brochure as the headline for the ad.
It read:

SURGICAL TABLES REBUILT
Free Loaners Available

The ad was successful, and demonstrates that when you are the only one advertising a particular product or service, or when the nature of your offer is hard to grasp, direct headlines can be extremely effective. Another direct headline I like appeared in an ad running in Network World:

LINIK 8 PCS TO YOUR MAINFRAME
ONLY $2,395

Donald Reddy, president of the firm, said the ad was extremely effective in generating a small but steady flow of highly qualified sales leads.

4. Give the reader useful information.
One way to increase readership is to promise the reader useful information in your headline, then deliver it in your ad copy.
For an ad offering business people a book on how to collect overdue bills, Milt Pierce wrote this headline:

7 WAYS TO COLLECT YOUR.
UNPAID BILLS.
New from Dow Jones-Irwin…
A Successful and Proven Way
to Get Your Bills Paid Faster.

The information-type ad is highly effective in business-to-business advertising. Why? Because the reason business people read trade journals is for information, not entertainment, and such ads to that valuable store of data.

5. Offer a free booklet, brochure, or information kit.
Offering something tangible – a brochure, booklet, information kit, videotape, audiocassette, research report, checklist, or other material the reader can send for – has never failed to increase response for me in nearly a decade of ad writing.
At the end of your ad, put in a subhead offering the material (for example: “Get the facts – FREE!”). Then describe your brochure or booklet, show a picture of it, and explain what the reader must do to get it.
If you can add something to a sales brochure to make it of lasting value, so much the better. More people will request your piece and more people will keep it.

6. Use a coupon.
Coupons visually identify your ad as “direct response,” causing more people to stop and read it (because they know that coupon ads usually offer free things of value). If the ad is one-third page or less, put a dashed border around the entire ad to create the feel and appearance of a coupon. Copy them instructs the reader. “For more information, clip this ad and mail with your business card to {company name, address}.”

7. Use a headline with multiple parts:
A headline does not have to contain just one sentence or phrase set in one uniform type size. Often, you can create a more eye catching and effective headline using what I essentially a three-part headline.
The first part, or kicker, is an “eyebrow” or short line that goes in the upper left corner of the ad, either straight or at a slant. On good use of the kicker is to select a specific type of reader for the ad (e.g., “Attentio COBOL Programmers”). Another effective technique is to let the reader know you are offering something free (“Special Free Offer – See Coupon Below”).
Next, set in larger type, comes your mail headline, which states your central benefit and makes a powerful promise. Then, in the subhead, you expand on the benefit or reveal the specific nature of the promise. Examples:

$500 A DAY WRITER’S UTOPIA
Here’s the breakthrough offer that opens
up a whole new world for writers or those
who hope to become writers:

FOR HIGH SPEED HIGH PERFORMANCE
DATA INTEGRATION, LOOK INTO MAGI
MIRROR. Now you can move data instantly from
one program to another right from your PC screen.

If your headline is designed to arouse curiosity or grab attention and does so at the expense of clarity, then be sure to make nature of your proposition immediately clear in a subhead or within the first sentence. Otherwise you will lose the interest of the reader whose attention you worked so hard to gain.

Bob Bly is a prolific writer and master copywriter with a string of bestseller books to his name. You can get more information about him and his work here

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Hope you got some good info you can put into use straight away.

Leave a comment and let me know – I’m always interested in your thoughts.

Stuart.

Hi there,

Americas’ highest paid copywriter, Clayton Makepeace, has really put something special together this week.

A fantastic report detailing the 7 characteristics all great sales copy shares… It’s free and you won’t even have to give up your email address to read it.

Click here now to have a look and grab a cup of coffee when you do — there’s fourteen pages of solid information and not a pitch in sight.

Whilst you’re there you should sign up for his weekly newsletter – it’s full of similar high quality advice from a grizzled old pro with 30 years hands on experience behind him.

Hope this helps,

Stuart.

Here’s a great article I was graciously given permission to use. It’s written by world renowned copywriter Bob Bly, the man McGraw-Hill calls ”America’’s top copywriter.”

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To define what constitutes good print advertising, we begin with what a good print ad is not:

• It is not creative for the sake of being creative
• It is not designed to please copywriters, art directors, agency presidents or even clients.
• Its main purpose is not to entertain, win awards or shout at the readers, “I am an ad. Don’t you admire my fine writing, bold graphics and clever concept?”

In other words, ignore most of what you would learn as a student in any basic advertising class or as a trainee in one of the big Madison Avenue consumer ad agencies.
Okay. So that’s what an ad shouldn’t be. As for what an ad should be, here are some characteristics shared by successful direct response print ads:

1. They stress a benefit. The main selling proposition is not cleverly hidden but is made immediately clear. Example: “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
2. They arouse curiosity and invite readership. The key here is not to be outrageous but to address the strongest interests and concerns of your target audience. Example: “Do you Make These Mistakes in English?” appeals to the reader’s desire to avoid embarrassment and write and speak properly.
3. They provide information. The headline “How to Stop Emission Problems – at Half the Cost of Conventional Air Pollution Control Devices” lures the reader because it promises useful information. Prospects today seek specific, usable information on highly specialized topics. Ads that provide information the reader wants get higher readership and better response.
4. They talk to the reader. Why are so many successful control ads written by direct response entrepreneurs rather the top freelance copywriters and direct response agencies? Because, although these entrepreneurs may not be professional writers, they know their product, their audience and what holds their audiences’ interest. And that is far more important than copywriting technique or style.
5. They are knowledgeable. Successful ad copy reflects a high level of knowledge and understanding of the product and the problem it solves. An effective technique is to tell the reader something he already knows, proving that you, the advertiser, are well-versed in his industry, application or requirement.

   An opposite style, ineffectively used by many “professional” agency copywriters, is to reduce everything to the simplest common denominator and assume the reader is completely ignorant. But this can insult the reader’s intelligence and destroy your credibility with him.

6. They have a strong fee offer. Good ads contain a stronger offer. They tell the reader the next step in the buying process and encourage him to take it NOW.

All ads should have an offer, because the offer generates immediate response and business from prospects who are ready to buy now or at least thinking about buying. Without an offer, these “urgent” prospects are not encouraged to reach out to you, and you lose many potential customers.

In addition, strong offers increase readership, because people like ads that offer them something – especially if it is free and has high perceived value.
Writers of image advertising may object, “But doesn’t making an offer cheapen the ad, destroy our image? After all, we want awareness, not response.” But how does offering a free booklet weaken the rest of the ad? It doesn’t, of course. The entire notion that you cannot simultaneously elicit a response and communicate a message is absorb and without foundation.

• They are designed to emphasize the offer.
  Graphic techniques such as “kickers” or eyebrows (copy lines above the headline), bold headlines, liberal use of subheads, bulleted or numbered copy points, coupons, sketches of telephone, toll-free numbers set in large type, pictures of response booklets and brochures, dashed borders, asterisks, and marginal notes make your ads more eye-catching and response-oriented, increasing readership.
  Why? My theory is that when people see a non-direct response ad, they know it’s just a reminder-type ad and figure they don’t have to read it. But when they see response-type graphic devices, these visuals say to the reader, “Stop! This is a response ad! Read it so you can find out what we are offering. And mail the coupon – so you can get it NOW!”
• They are clearly illustrated. Good advertising does not use abstract art or concepts that force the reader to puzzle out what is being sold. Ideally, you should be able to understand exactly what the advertiser’s proposition is within five seconds of looking at the ad. As John Caples observed a long time ago, the best visual for an ad for a record club is probably a picture of records.

At about this point, someone from DDB will stand up and object: “Wait a minute. You said these are the characteristics of a successful direct response ad. But isn’t general advertising different?”
Maybe. But one of the ways to make your general advertising more effective is to write and design it as a direct response ad. Applying all the stock-in-trade techniques of the direct marketer (coupons, toll-free numbers, free booklets, reason-why copy, benefit-headlines, informative subheads) virtually guarantees that your advertisement will be better read – and get more response – than the average “image” ad.
I agree with Howard Ruff when he says that everything a marketer does should be direct response. I think the general advertising people who claim that a coupon or free booklet offer “runs” their lyrical copy or stark, dramatic layout are ineffectual artists more interested in appearance and portfolios than results.

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Robert Bly is a freelance copywriter specializing in business-to-business and direct response advertising. He writes ads, brochures, direct mail packages, and sales letter for more that 75 clients nationwide including Prentice-Hall, Grumman Corporation, Sony, Online Software, Digital Linguistix, and Philadelphia National Bank. He is also the author of 17 books including The Copywriter’s Handbook (Dodd, Mead). Bly can be reached at 174 Holland Ave., New Milford, NJ 07646 – 201/599-2277.

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Hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I did. You can find out more about Bob Bly’s products and services here

Speak to you soon,

Stuart.

Hi there,

I’ve just been reading through the ‘guruscam’ report which has generated quite a storm in the warrior forum and elsewhere…

The report purports to blow-the-lid-off of the ’scams’ of the so-called ‘gurus’ whose only want in life is to fleece the little guy.

You know how it goes…

Everyday you get bombarded with emails launching the latest and greatest wonder products…

Niche this, niche that and now it’s the turn of ‘Day Job Killer’ – wherever you turn you’re hit by dozens of emails promoting them… and in a month or so, once all the fuss has died down then there’ll be the next avalanche to hit your inbox…

Some of them may be good, but I get sick and tired of all the continual bombardment and subject lines like “Don’t buy this product” only to see a mile long list of bonuses from xyz if I buy through his link.

One even went so far as to say if you’ve bought ask for a refund then buy through my link… I ask you.

Then there is the web 2.0 frenzy…

It seems that this is the best thing since sliced bread…

But, and forgive me for asking, just what is web 2.0 in any case? Is it going to be the saviour for the Internet marketing community? I’ve seen umpteen different websites that are supposedly web 2.0 and in all reality they don’t look any different to me…

Sure they may have video and a few more wonder tricks but really… What is this web 2.0 thing after all?

And…

It seems that I’m not alone in this question if you go to Henry Gold’s blog you’ll and read the comments there it seems that a large portion of the population are in a haze about web 2.0 as well…

But, back to the Guru Killer report

Despite the fact that it purports to be a scam expose, and the fact that there is some storng language in the report, one thing does come through very clear… To quote the author:

So what should a newbies do?

Exactly what they’d do if this wasn’t the Internet. Create or source a product then sell it. Don’t get sucked into the ‘expert’ rubbish.
All experts are is people who can write copy.
I’ll say that again because it’s a good point. The ONLY difference between someone who sells and someone who doesn’t is how well they can write a sales page. The quality of their product DOES NOT MATTER, it’s the quality of their sales page that counts…

… The best copywriters on the net are very rich. If you can’t write good copy you can do three things:
1. Learn
2. Act as an affiliate for someone who can write good copy
3. Pay a good copywriter to write for you (doesn’t actually work)

I can’t agree with the statement about not needing a good product, sure a lot of mediocre products sell well because of the copy and vice-versa. but a really bad product will not sell period. Or if it does the refund rate will be astronomical.

Point three… not sure where he’s going with that one — people are happy with the results of my services and those of many other top copywriters.

Copywriting, after all, is one of the most in-demand skilss there is today…

If you ignore the tone of his words, the thing that comes through very loud is that you need to be able to write or have someone write for you, good copy in order to sell your products. And I don’t only mean copy for your websites.

Think about all the different ads you post, or emails you send all of these are ‘copy’ of one kind or another. Even the script for videos or audio is copy…

This means that in order to get where you want you need to brush up on your copywriting skills…

Further on in the report the author talks about copywriters waiving their fees:

Or ask them if they’ll waive their fee for a percentage of the sales revenue. That should see how confident they are in their own work.

I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with him here.

Imagine writing a sales letter for a client, presenting it to him only to be told “that’s not the way I’d say things” or “I don’t think it will work”

Helllo, what the client was doing before wasn’t working, that’s why he approaches a copywriter in the first place. Now to tell the copywriter that he must write in the same way as the client…

It happens all to often, even once a client has paid a %50 deposit for the job in hand. After looking through the draft they sometimes get ‘cold feet’ and don’t want to use the copywriter’s sales letter.

Or maybe the client simply doesn’t market the product well then turns around and blames the quality of the copy.

Ask any copywriter… you’ll get the same answer, we’ve all met clients ike that.

Some copywriters will work for a deposit and commision if they feel the client is trustworthy, each has their own individual criteria.

Let me know what you think, and if you’ve not seen the gurukiller report you can pick up a copy here. You’ll have to leave your name and email address though. And by the way I’m not promoting the report, it’s interseting and makes you think so I thought I’d bring it to your attention.

And don’t forget to keep on honing your sales letter writing skills, it’s one of the most valuable assests in your business.

To your success, always.

Stuart.

Hi there,

Pictures sell, Words tell…

Video sales letters can be very powerful – actually showing your prospect exactly what your product can do for him can be more effective than a whole string of words about the benefits of that product.

The trick is to tell your prospect what you’ve learnt from using that product or give an online demo of what it can do. You shouldn’t try to sell it. Let the demo or what you’ve learnt sell the product for you.

And here’s a twist… listing that video on Ebay can produce sign-ups for your newsletter and plenty of sales…

I found this great FREE mini-course that shows you not only how to select any product you want to sell, record a compelling hype-free sales video and market it using Google Video, Youtube and Ebay amongst others…

But how to do all this without having your own website — Powerful Stuff

Have a look here, it’s easy to do and so effective.

You can be sure I and many others will be using this technique in our sales letters in the future…

To your success, always.

Stuart.