Tuesday
Sep232008
4 Things Never to Do When Writing Ads
by Roy H. Williams
(Edited from original)
First the Conclusion:
Each of us lives in a private world alone, trapped by our own opinions, limited by our own attitudes, guided by our own experiences. Sometimes I wonder how we’re able to relate to each other at all.
And yet we create ads under the assumption that customers are all alike.
When writing ads:
1. Never assume that other people think like you do. You’ve got to be willing to see your own opinions as those of an irrelevant freak.
2. Never assume that other people make decisions using the same criteria you use. EXAMPLE: A product comes in two sizes. A ten-ounce package costs a dollar. A forty-ounce package costs two dollars. Half the people will buy the ten-ounce package because it’s cheaper. The other half will buy the forty-ounce package because it’s cheaper.
3. Never assume your ad to be relevant to more than 10 percent of the people who encounter it. There is no such thing as the general public.
4. Never write to “everyone.” An ad written to an individual is always more effective than an ad written to a faceless mob.
Now read the introduction.
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(Edited from original)
First the Conclusion:Each of us lives in a private world alone, trapped by our own opinions, limited by our own attitudes, guided by our own experiences. Sometimes I wonder how we’re able to relate to each other at all.
And yet we create ads under the assumption that customers are all alike.
When writing ads:
1. Never assume that other people think like you do. You’ve got to be willing to see your own opinions as those of an irrelevant freak.
2. Never assume that other people make decisions using the same criteria you use. EXAMPLE: A product comes in two sizes. A ten-ounce package costs a dollar. A forty-ounce package costs two dollars. Half the people will buy the ten-ounce package because it’s cheaper. The other half will buy the forty-ounce package because it’s cheaper.
3. Never assume your ad to be relevant to more than 10 percent of the people who encounter it. There is no such thing as the general public.
4. Never write to “everyone.” An ad written to an individual is always more effective than an ad written to a faceless mob.
Now read the introduction.
Subscribe to The Wizard Chronicle
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