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Tips for writing more effective advertisements.

The Barstool Test

March 17, 2015 by 3 comments

“In an article published in the Harvard Business Review, Charles K. Ramond described experiments designed to measure advertising effectiveness,” writes Bob Bly in The Copywriter’s Handbook. “The experiments showed, not surprisingly, that advertising is most effective when it is easy to understand.” {1}

And one of the best ways to ...

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How to Write a Strong Call to Action

June 7, 2010 by Leave a comment

All salespeople, even raw trainees, know there is one specific thing they must do at the end of every sales presentation: They must ask for the sale.

Salespeople are trained that if they don’t ask their prospect to take action right then and there, he or she may never do ...

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Long Copy or Short Copy?

August 21, 2009 by 3 comments

One of my clients is always saying to me, “I want something short. People don’t read anymore. They don’t have the time.”

But is that really true? Will business prospects not take the time to read long copy? Or are there times when long copy is better? And how do ...

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Ignoring this “Reader’s Habit” Could Cost You Sales

July 9, 2009 by 1 comment

I spent a couple of days at the Paris Air Show last month. And as I usually do at such events, I picked up a bunch of product brochures to take home and study. Reviewing them, one thing jumped out at me. I saw the same costly mistake being repeated ...

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How to Write Powerful Headlines

January 7, 2009 by 5 comments

You’ve just drafted a handful of benefit-driven headlines for your next space ad. You’ve picked out two or three that look fairly promising.

But each…just seems to lack something.

You’re wondering to yourself, “Will any of these really work? Can I be sure? How could I make them better?”

Well, ...

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Always Use a Benefit Headline

December 9, 2008 by 3 comments

A couple of months ago, a client showed me the trade magazine in which an article I’d written for her had been published. She seemed pleased.

I felt sick.

Unbeknownst to me, and to my client, the magazine’s editor had replaced the headline I’d written with a much shorter one ...

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