Producing Powerful Ad Layouts

Anyone can lay out a good ad. Anyone. You don't need years of graphics arts or marketing instructions. All you need to do is to remember some simple tips that can turn a drab, mediocre ad into a powerful order-pulling masterpiece.

First of all, there are two ways to build an ad. Either fill it with text, or leave plenty of open space. Both ways are good, depending on the type of product or service you're selling, and the crowd you're trying to reach.

If you're selling a product directly from your ad, and it requires a lot of explanation or description, pack that ad full of text. This will create a block of grey text which will not stand out to the eye, so you'll need to put a strong black border around your ad.

If you're trying to solicit responses, which you'll follow up with more information, cut the text in your ad to a minimum.

The white space in your ad will draw the eye, so you won't need as strong a border. You still should put a border around the ad, but a thin double line will do, so as not to attract attention away from the message of the ad.

A few words about the wording of your ad.

Make sure it follows a logical progression. Start with a headline emphasizing the benefit the customer will get from your product or service. For example, "Increase your business' profits and lower it's costs!"

Follow up with a subheading hinting at what will follow in the body of the ad ("Secrets of a professional marketing consultant revealed!").

The body text of your ad should tell just a bit about your product, but should concentrate on the benefits your customer will receive. Personal benefits, not features, are why people buy products and services. End with your contact information, how prospects can either contact you for more information, or how they can order your product or service.

Spice up your layout with a bit of graphic art. Clip art is widely available at office supply and art stores. It should be easy to find a book of art that will apply to what you are selling. Cut the selected art from the book and paste into your ad. Don't overdo the art, though. Use only one graphic at the most. More than one looks unprofessional.

What follows is the biggest, most important tip I can give. When laying out your ad, USE A RULER! The worst thing you can do is use an ad that has crooked text that is off center.

So many people try to do their own ads by "eyeballing" it, which will only yield unprofessional results. A good idea is to get some layout boards, also available at office supply or art stores. This is cardboard that has a blue grid printed on it that will not reproduce when copied.

Use rubber cement to attach your blocks of text. Typewritten is ok, though computer laser-printed or "rub-down" text is better looking. Check at the office/art supply store for rub-down text. Attach or draw your art and borders.

Remember to emphasize benefits, keep things even and straight, leave white space if applicable, and use art sparingly as a compliment to your ad.

If you follow these suggestions, your advertising quality will improve vastly.


Related Articles

How to Make Money with Circulars and Ad Sheets

Have you placed your display ad in a national magazine with over 20 million readers, then waited for the orders to pour in? But the days go by and there is little or no responses?

Ad Sheet & Printer Ripoff Report

If you've been in mail order for more than a month...chances are you've been ripped off by one or more ad sheet printers. This report won't make you a mail-order genius but might keep you from loosing your shirt prematurely.

How and Where to Advertise

There have been entire volumes written on mail order selling. For printed information, the best way to learn HOW & WHERE to advertise is to go to your newsstand and check through all the magazines carrying large numbers of classified and space ads.

Publishing Your Own Ad Sheet

When you have accumulated sufficient knowledge from preparing your own circulars and from co-publishing magazines and ad sheets of others, you may want to become a publisher.

How to Get Free Printing

This method of getting free printing is currently being used by several different mail dealers. It works! Here's the plan: Run an ad similar to this in any mail order magazine:

The Secrets of Million Dollar Sales Letters

Regardless of what you're trying to sell, you really can't sell it without "talking" with your prospective buyer. An in attempting to sell anything by mail, the sales letter you send out is when and how you talk to your prospect.

Facts & Figures About Magazine Ad Readership

Here are some interesting results of a study conducted on readerships of magazine ads. Most of the stats are from Starch INRA Hopper, Inc and other studies.

Insider's Secrets to Obtaining Advertising...Absolutely Free

The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies.

How to Turn Big Mails Into Profit-Making Ventures

What is a Big Mail? If you are a total beginner to the mail order world, you will have no idea what the term means. Before I knew better, I used to think a Big Mail was just a big envelope containing some type of free samples.

How to Put Together a Winning Direct Mail Package

Most business beginners think Direct Mail means purchasing a mailing list and mailing an advertising flyer to a bunch of folks they know absolutely nothing about. This IS NOT what Direct Mail marketing is.