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What Makes a Good Press Ad?
Your press ad needs to work hard to get noticed. It may be surrounded by pages of competing ads. It may be smaller than the rest. It might even be in black and white while others are in colour.
When writing a press ad consider the following:
1. Objective – What is the ad trying to do?
2. Target audience – Who buys the product?
3. Proposition – What is the main benefit you want to convey?
4. Supporting evidence – Give the reader a ‘reason to believe’ your product is the best.
5. Other benefits – Special offers, discount, exclusive.
6. Tone of voice – Homely and simple, targeting professionals, young and trendy?
7. Media – What is the style of the media the ad is to appear in?
8. Competition – How will your ad make the product seem better than that of the competition?
When producing a press ad concept for a client you should supply at least 15 ideas. If you haven’t done this you may have missed a really eye-catching advertising idea.
The three main elements of press ad
Every press ad has three main components. The headline, the visual and the body copy. The secondary components are a strapline and the company’s details and logo.
Headline
The headline must be strong and attract the reader’s attention. It must also persuade them to buy the product. It must be big and bold and the words must leap off the page. Avoid long, difficult or unnecessary words.
The headline must also make the reader stop and think.
Visual
Pictures encourage people to read the ad. So whether you are using a photograph or illustration, the visual part of the ad is vital. The visual needs to be just as arresting as the headline. Make it big and bold and get close to the subject.
Body Copy
Keep body copy to the point. If you can make people read the body copy, you have a better chance of selling them your product. But because body copy looks boring, few people actually read it. The are satisfied with having broadly understood the ad and so they turn the page.
