7 Essential Elements for Profit-Pulling Ads

Advertising will make or break your business. It is crucial to your success that you learn to write great ad copy. Here are a few simple concepts to get you there.

1. The Headline

This is THE most important part of your ad, especially when using online advertising. The point of the headline is to grab a potential customer's interest and then entice the reader to go on and read the rest of your ad. The best headlines tend to be those that emphasize the benefits to the customer, ie. what your product or service can do for them, WHY they MUST have it - right now!

2. Formatting

If your ad is taking the form of a webpage, or any other ad that allows the use of HTML/formatting, take advantage of it. Make sure your headline stands out from the rest of your ad by using a larger font, bolding, italics (careful here: make sure it is readable, some fonts aren't), or a different color. Remember to ensure that the overall look is business-like.

Some ad sites (like AOL) allow you to post a graphic along with your ad: definitely do so! It will really make your ad stand out compared to the ads of those who haven't bothered and makes you look much more professional.

If you're advertising to safelists or using any other type of email advertising, use interesting characters to make your subject line stand out, some examples: >>

In The News:

Direct Traffic Media
Spending Gap Between Search and Display Advertising Widens
Wired News - 8 hours ago
By Meghan Keane September 04, 2008 | 3:07:36 PMCategories: Advertising Online advertising spending may be growing at an annual rate of 20 percent but the ...
Gap Widens in Online Advertising Wall Street Journal
Yahoo Stock: Is It Really That Much "Better" Than Google? CNBC
Verizon and Yahoo extend portal deal CNET News
Motley Fool - BloggingStocksall 54 news articles

BBC News
Obama, McCain offer contrasting styles in Web advertising
Los Angeles Times, CA - 6 hours ago
Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said in an e-mail that the campaign valued both search and display advertising but was not as dependent on search. ...
Video: Inside the Tent: Reactions to Sarah Palin's speech Part 4 ReutersVideo
Just a Derm Minute: Political choices? Or were VP hopefuls drawn ... Frazee Vergas Forum
Dem ad: McCain `doesn't get it' despite Palin The Associated Press
all 2,893 news articles

Ahead of the Bell: Online Advertising
CNNMoney.com - 14 hours ago
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - A JP Morgan analyst lowered his online advertising forecast Thursday, citing larger broader economic weakness impacting the ...
Internet Stocks: JP Morgan Cuts Ests On Stronger Buck; Also Lowers ... Barron's Blogs
JP Morgan Cuts 2008 Outlook For Online Display Ads Silicon Alley Insider
JP Morgan Analyst Lowers Online Ad Forecasts WebProNews
Washington Post - ADOTASall 10 news articles

Ars Technica
AOL begins iPhone-targeted advertising service
Ars Technica, MA - 6 hours ago
While surely not the first, AOL has become quite possibly the largest company to do so through its Platform A advertising branch. The new ads will appear on ...
AOL Working With iPhone on Mobile Advertising Wired News
AOL and iPhone working together on Mobile Advertising Phones Review
Specific Media Leads Industry in Reaching the Internet's Most ... MarketWatch
Direct Traffic Media - Search Engine Watchall 57 news articles

Voice of America
Obama Expands Lead on McCain in Online Advertising Battle in June ...
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
The study, which evaluated site visitation, video viewing behavior, searches on the candidates' names, and display advertising efforts across the Web, ...
Obama Increases Lead On McCain In Online Advertising WebProNews
Candidates spending big bucks in Michigan advertising WZZM
What's new and different this election Media Life Magazine
Bellingham Herald - Varietyall 621 news articles

The Money Times
Value Of Direct-to-consumer Drug Advertising Oversold, Study Finds
Science Daily (press release) - Sep 2, 2008
3, 2008) — Direct-to-consumer advertising may not be giving big pharma such a big bang for their buck after all. Despite the billions spent on bringing drug ...
Consumer Drug Advertising Not Always Effective MedPage Today
Study says direct-to-consumer drug advertising notl that effective The Canadian Press
Drugs advertising 'might not affect sales' Hays Pharma
AdAge.com (subscription) - Wall Street Journalall 88 news articles

Genesis Worldwide Announces Appointment of New Chief Financial Officer
FOXBusiness - 21 hours ago
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, Sep 04, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) ----Genesis Worldwide Inc. ("Genesis" or the "Company"), (TSX: GWI)(AIM: GWI), ...
Genesis Worldwide names Gregory Kent CFO - Quick Facts RTT News
K's Media Appoints Mr. Andy Pang as Chief Operating Officer SunHerald.com
all 22 news articles

Earthtimes (press release)
Zi Corporation Provides Update on Strategic Alternatives
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
(the "Company" or "Zi"), a leading innovator of mobile discovery and advertising solutions, today confirmed that it is continuing a process of exploring a ...
Firstgold Corp. Announces Bond Adjudication and Pad Construction MarketWatch
The X-Change Corporation Appoints New Chairman and CEO MarketWatch
all 32 news articles

PR Web (press release)
Travelocity's Roaming Gnome Vies for Top Honor in 2008 Madison ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 11 hours ago
Since 2004 the Roaming Gnome, creation of Travelocity's advertising agency McKinney, has traveled the world as the online travel leader's "spokesgnome. ...

Search advertising: Branding, sales channel, or a waste of money?
The Industry Standard, CA - 9 hours ago
Search is a driver of intent-driven traffic -- "two thirds of people ... were driven to perform a search [after being exposed to an advertising message]. ...
The Great Online Advertising Divide Widens TechCrunch
all 3 news articles
advertising - Google News


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