writing

 Title:  Should You Write a Long-Copy Ad or Keep it Short? Word Count: 735 Summary: Should you write a long or short ad? The truth is, the reason people read ads has nothing to do with copy length. Keywords: copywriting, copywriters, writing, advertising copy, ads, brochures, mailers, web content Article Body: Okay, you’re ready to write the ad of a lifetime.  The one that will pull like crazy and leave them begging for your product like Somalians for food.  So, do you whet their appetite with a short and sweet ad?  Or write a long-copy ad that’s stuffed with information?   The 80-20 rule says 80% of the people only read the headline (and maybe a caption, if you have one).  But the fact is, readers will read a long-copy ad.  One McGraw-Hill study looked at 3,597 ads in 26 business magazines. What they discovered was that ads with 300 or more words were more effective that shorter ads in creating product awareness, inducing action and reinforc...

 We all learned how to write in school, but in advertising, there are some simple techniques that experienced writers use to convey messages with greater impact and brevity.  Without being too tutorial, you’ll find these 9 tips quite handy when writing your next sales letter, brochure or web page. Avoid the wimpy verbs—is and be. These “do-little” verbs only occupy space and state that something exists.  So don’t write “There is one simple omission that can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.”  Do write “One simple omission can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.” Similarly, avoid “We will be running the new program from our Dallas office.”  Instead, opt for “We will run the new program from our Dallas office.”  Place the longest item at the end of a series.  Start with the simple and work toward the complex.  It’s less confusing and makes a more memorable ending to the sentence.  If you have a series like “He was always...