At some time in your lives most of you will have to draft a classified advert – whether it’s to sell something you no longer want or, if you’re in business, to advertise your products and services cheaply.
As they are normally charged by the word, you have to be as concise as possible. In addition, you have few, if any, options for illustration, design, and so on. Your words are literally the only tools you have to achieve the goal you are aiming for. So, it’s important that the words themselves are chosen very carefully. Here are some guidelines for creating good classified advertisements:
- Assume the reader already has an interest in buying the product or service (or why would they be reading the adverts under that category?)
- Tell the reader as much as possible within the number of words available.
- Show the benefit to the reader of buying the product.
- Try to create some positive feeling about the product.
- Tell the reader how to respond to the advert.
Many classified ads give the impression that they have been dashed off in two minutes on the back of an envelope. This is a waste – always produce a series of rough drafts before sending off the finished version. Why not follow the seven-step procedure below?
- List all the features and benefits you can think of for your product or service that might appeal to the reader.
- Identify any points about the product or service which are unique, as these may be powerful selling points. Underline any benefits you think readers will find particularly attractive.
- List any ‘feelings’ words which may help readers feel good or reassured about the product (reliable, friendly, traditional etc.)
- Decide how many words to aim for. Your target will, of course, depend on your budget. But you do need to allow a realistic number.
- Write your advert! Then check it contains all the information and ‘feelings words’ which you decided were important from your list.
- Compare your advert with others which are likely to appear in the same column, to ensure it competes.
- Re-read your effort to check everything is correct and ask yourself: If I was looking for a product (or service) like this and read this advert, would I be likely to respond?
Don’t be in too much of a hurry to submit it to the newspaper or magazine. Advertising people have a saying: Give it a week. Even if you can only afford to give it a day, with a fresh eye it is amazing how often you will spot improvements you could make!
