Write in First Person
Let's say you're in real estate. You're running a print ad for an exclusive neighborhood. Tell your customer the benefits of living there as if you're having a one-on-one conversation.
For example, the body of your copy could read:
You won't have to mow the lawn ever again! All of our properties are right on the beach. A breathtaking view without the hassles of yard work make Grand Island the place you'll want to call home.
Use Contractions
As you've probably noticed, all advertising articles here on the About network contain a lot of contractions. How many I ams and you ares, plus we wills would you like to read over and over?
It's all a part of making it personal. We're just having a friendly conversation about advertising.
Limit Your Commas
It's similar to the contractions rule. Commas everywhere really distract your eye.
Your message gets lost because your reader is trying to make sense out of your sentence. Keep your sentences short enough that you don't require a lot of commas.
And, But, Because
You probably learned back in elementary school that you can't use And, But or Because to start a sentence. Your teachers lied to you. It's perfectly all right to use them to begin a sentence.
Ask your old teacher. She'll probably confess. You were taught that because they didn't want you to make incomplete sentences by using And, But or Because to start a sentence.
And if she doesn't confess - just remember - it's advertising so anything goes!
Eliminate the Pressure
Just pretend you're talking to a friend. One way to make it easier on yourself might be to just forget it.
That's right. Forget that you're writing an ad, your company needs this ad to be successful, etc. Throw out all the pressures and sit down with your computer or legal pad and pen.
Now, write a letter to a friend. Tell your friend about your product. When you're finished, you'll have a lot of copy blocks you can extract and use in your ad. It's a great mental trick that can help in a pinch.
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