 Print isn’t dead, and your hard work pays off online, too
The end of print has been predicted, pretty accurately, for years now. Iconic vehicles like The New York Times have hinted at their future demise, while seemingly immortal printed pubs ranging from Newsweek to Macworld to even the Encyclopedia Britannica simply no longer exist as ink on paper. Local papers are struggling to stay in print, too. So why on earth should you care about writing a good print ad? Lots of reasons. First, print still isn’t dead, so if you’re writing an ad for a go-to trade pub or local paper, you can’t afford to do anything less than a stellar job. Second, lots of the same rules for print apply to online, so a grabber headline can still grab, and great copy can still compel. Your effort will hardly be wasted. To the contrary: you can most likely leverage it and make it pay off multifold. That said, let’s dive into the details. Some may be obvious, others not so much: Consider the venue. Traditionally, magazines tried to focus on niche audiences (remember George Carlin’s great joke about Walking magazine? [“Hey, here’s a great article: ‘Putting One Foot In Front of The Other!’”]), so you can often safely assume a certain level of domain knowledge in a trade publication’s audience that you can’t in a general-interest publication. Similarly, if the particular issue is event-themed (annual industry round-up, or prep for a big trade show), you won’t need to devote too much space/effort to bringing your audience into the right frame of mind. They’ll already be there, so take advantage. Consider the purpose. This will reflect upon your advertising strategy (you have one, don’t you?), so you’ll know whether it’s branding, maintenance, hard-sell, event-driven, etc. Given the size of your company and the venue in which it will be appearing, consider how much the audience recognizes your company name/logo/brand… or not. (These same rules apply for rotating banner ads online, which can be even more fun to write.) Consider the visuals. Yes, some ads work with nothing more than text. But if you’ve got a key visual you’re using, develop synergy around it. Don’t describe it; don’t make a slide show. Offer an intriguing counterpoint. Don’t state the obvious. Force the reader to stop, think, and engage. Other “mandatory” visuals—color themes, web address, disclaimers, taglines, etc.—must all be considered… but in their proper context. Remember, you’ve got maybe one or two seconds to grab your reader, so prioritize properly. Go nuts on the headline. And by “nuts,” we mean go for volume. Write a dozen versions. Don’t pre-judge. Just keep at them. Then do more. Create and use a keyword list as we’d suggested in our “Tagline” blog post to help get the juices flowing. Walk away. Come back. Try again. You’d be surprised how often the simple act of turning a fresh mind to the assignment yields a plethora of great ideas. Subheads next. Not every headline requires a subhead. Depends on the headline, the message you’re conveying, and sometimes, simply, the amount of space you have. Once you have your short list of headlines, this will be easier. But remember: the subhead, just like the headline, is not the end of the ad. It conveys information but still keeps the reader moving ahead, to… The body copy. Again, message and space constraints will be big dictators here. But more than anything, have fun. Engage your reader as if they’re sitting across from you. Don’t draw them in with a cool visual and headline, only to bore them with the body copy. That would be tragic. Your brand should have an established voice and tone, so be sure to adhere to them; this should actually make your job easier. Feel free to challenge, to provoke, to set up and pay off surprises. Reward the reader for following your story. Consider the call to action. The CTA, as it’s known, is the “closer.” It’s the point at which the reader simply must get in touch with your business in order to learn more/accomplish more/save money/whatever. If you’ve been building your logical argument, step-by-step, throughout this process, this will actually come pretty organically. Look back at your visual and headline for possible “payoff” wordplay that “buttons” the copy cleverly—but please don’t force it. Better to simply get your message across than appear pretentious by trying to make something clever when it isn’t. Consider getting help. Some people find working on print/display ads to be a liberating and mind-expanding pursuit. Others consider it a daunting task. If you’re one of the latter, or simply want to keep your time free for core activities, consider bringing in expert help. The results will be the best you can get, and the investment will pay strong dividends. Contact us and let’s get a quote in your hands.
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