Getting ready to sell some stuff in the Pennysaver?
A good classified ad will help you move your item or grow your business. Regardless of what your goal is for your classified ad it is important to do some homework first.
A classified ad is not horribly different than other advertising. The price is lower – and if done right, the profit can be much higher. The first step in writing a good ad is to remember the key elements – A.I.D.A
- Attention (headline)
- Interest (body text)
- Desire (added body text)
- Action (call to action)
The Headline
A good headline will jump off the page. It will catch the readers attention and draw their eye. It will also inform them of what your ad is all about. Here are a copy of examples.
- The Newbie Blueprint Used To Make $3000 In a Month
- Discover the Unique Strategies He Uses To Make $2.4 Million!
They both work great. The first one creates excitement about making money each month. It gives you the idea that anyone can do it – so it broadens the appeal. It gives the idea of a plan or instructions – and people like getting a list of items to do for success.
The second one, is really just a partial headline in reference to a super web affiliate that makes a ton of money online. But, it engages people because of the numbers, and the idea that they too can be part of what he has done. It draws them in, raises questions, and gets them excited. That is what a good headline will do.
Of course – in a classified ad, you have to get the headline to be shorter – You can do that by taking out unimportant words: Newbie Blueprint. Make $3K / Month.
The Body Text
Now, in just a few words you have to tell your audience a little about what they are getting. Service, report, item for sale, yard sale – just be as specific as possible so they do not feel mislead. It is typically best to write for the trash can – just keep writing. It may require that you sit down at the computer, open up word/notepad/textedit and just start writing. Just don’t stop, even if you have to write, ‘I don’t know what I am going to say, but at least I am writing….”. You get the idea. The ad won’t get written if you do not take action! So, get writing.
Once you have some lines that you like – move them into a clean document. DO NOT DELETE YOUR OLD ONE! Keep your ramblings, as there may be material there you do not realize is worth keeping just yet.
Now, start cutting out words that you don’t need. It is a small ad and you are paying by the word. Make sure you convey your meaning – but leave the filler words out.
Desire
Now, you have to appeal to their need/want for what you are offering. You have caught their attention, given them something to consider – now hit them where it counts. Figure out what your target audience is really looking for. Understanding your audience isn’t that difficult. Spend a few minutes taking notes about who you are writing to and why? What are they looking for? What problems are you solving for them? What matters to them that is relevant to your ad?
Now – Use It! Use what you know about them to catch them up in the ad. That is the point – right?
Action
This is where you have to be very good. You need to call them to action. That action may be to call you, go online, buy a product, order now, call a toll-free number, or many other actions. It needs to be clear and a logical conclusion to the previous parts of the ad. Make sure they have no doubt what you want them to do. In sales, this is called asking for the business.
And You Do All Of This For What?
Writing ads can take up a ton of time. It can be hit-or-miss, and often you have no way of gauging how successful each ad is until weeks later. You must be writing ads to sell something – What if there was a better way of testing your ads and of selling things? Would you be interested? What if the other way could make it possible for you to never need to write another ad for the Pennysaver? Would you be interested?
