10 Ways to Write More Effective Ads

10 Ways to Write More Effective Ads

What is advertising?
Is it something to be regarded as a work of beauty or art? Is it clever slogans or amusing prose? Is it workmanship to be judged for an award or recognition?

It’s none of the above.

Advertising is salesmanship multiplied.
Nothing more.

And advertising copy, or copywriting, is salesmanship in print. The purpose of a copywriter‘s job is to sell. Period.


The selling is accomplished by persuasion with the written word, much like a television commercial sells (if done properly) by persuading with visuals and audio.


As Claude Hopkins wrote in his timeless classic, Scientific Advertising:

“To properly understand advertising or to learn even its rudiments one must start with the right conception. Advertising is salesmanship. Its principles are the principles of salesmanship. Successes and failures in both lines are due to like causes. Thus every advertising question should be answered by the salesman's standards.
“Let us emphasize that point. The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. It is profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales.

“It is not for general effect. It is not to keep your name before the people. It is not primarily to aid your other salesmen. Treat it as a salesman. Force it to justify itself. Compare it with other salesmen. Figure its cost and result. Accept no excuses which good salesmen do not make. Then you will not go far wrong.

“The difference is only in degree. Advertising is multiplied salesmanship. It may appeal to thousands while the salesman talks to one. It involves a corresponding cost. Some people spend $10 per word on an average advertisement. Therefore every ad should be a super-salesman.

“A salesman's mistake may cost little. An advertiser’s mistake may cost a thousand times that much. Be more cautious, more exacting, therefore. A mediocre salesman may affect a small part of your trade. Mediocre advertising affects all of your trade.”

These points are as true today as they were when they were written nearly one hundred years ago!

So the goal then becomes: how can we make our advertising as effective as possible.

The answer is on this e-book.

7 Days To Easy-Money: Get Paid To Write A Book

You can get paid to write a book. It's easily possible to make a fast $10,000, or even a six figure amount. You could even make seven figures --- over a million dollars for twenty pages of text. It sounds incredible, but a fast seven figures is certainly possible if you have a HOT, hot idea or have had an experience that hundreds of thousands of people want to read about. In his 2001 book about writing non-fiction, Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?, author Marc McCutcheon says that it's not hard to make a good income: "you can learn the trade and begin making a respectable income much faster than most people think possible".

The good part is that you don't need to write your book before you get some money.  

Here's how....

7 Days To Easy-Money: Get Paid To Write A Book
(Write A Non-Fiction Book Proposal And Sell It)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
7 Days To Easy-Money: Get Paid To Write A Book .................................................... 1 
(Write A Non-Fiction Book Proposal And Sell It) ................................................... 1 .................................................................................................................................... 1
7 Days To Easy-Money: Get Paid To Write A Book .................................................... 2 
(Write A Non-Fiction Book Proposal And Sell It) ................................................... 2 

TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................3
Introduction..................................................................................................................10 
Sell your book the easy way --- sell a proposal ....................................................... 10 
You and your publisher: a partnership.....................................................................11 
Why write a proposal first?......................................................................................11 
How do you write a book proposal? ........................................................................ 12 
How to use this ebook..............................................................................................13
Work FAST..........................................................................................................13
Can't devote a week to writing your proposal?....................................................13 
Day One: What’s a book proposal? Get an idea for your book ..................................14 
Day One Tasks.........................................................................................................14 
Task One: Look over four non-fiction books ......................................................14 
Task Two: Work through the Idea Generator exercises in this chapter...............14 
Task Three: Create a computer folder to hold your working files.......................14 
Task Three: Create a Work Log...........................................................................15 
What’s a book proposal?..........................................................................................15 
Got an idea for your book? Great! ........................................................................... 16 
Start here to develop an idea for your next book.....................................................16 
Idea Generator One: What you're good at ...........................................................17 
Idea Generator Two: Your past experiences .......................................................17 
Idea Generator Three: Your knowledge ..............................................................18 
Idea Generator Four: What you enjoy most.........................................................18 
Idea Generator Five: From challenge to opportunity...........................................19 
Checklist: Is this the right idea for you TODAY? ................................................... 19 
Day Two: Develop your idea and assess the market ................................................... 21

Day Two Tasks ........................................................................................................ 21 
Task One: Keep studying non-fiction books .......................................................21 
Task Two: Develop your idea..............................................................................21
Dispelling myths and a word about confidence.......................................................21 
Myth One ............................................................................................................. 21 
Myth Two.............................................................................................................22 
Myth Three...........................................................................................................22 
Myth Four ............................................................................................................ 22
Today we'll develop your idea and assess the market .............................................23 
Note: your personal experience is valuable ......................................................... 23 
Simple steps in developing your idea ...................................................................... 23 
1. Write down everything you know about this idea ........................................... 23 
2. Make a long list of possible book titles ...........................................................24 
3. Create a list of contacts....................................................................................25 
Assess the market for your book..............................................................................25 
1. Visit large bookstores ......................................................................................25 
2. Visit your library..............................................................................................26 
3. Amazon.com .................................................................................................... 26 
Write a report on your discoveries...........................................................................26 
Day Three: Write the blurb and outline your book......................................................27 
Day Three Tasks ...................................................................................................... 27 
Task One: Write at least three blurbs...................................................................27 
Task Two: Collect sample blurbs ........................................................................27 
Writing the blurb......................................................................................................27 
Your blurb helps your agent and editor to get a contract for you ........................ 28 
Sample blurbs.......................................................................................................28
Sample blurb from: LifeTime: Better Time Management in 21 Days by Angela Booth ...................................................................................................................29 
Sample blurb from: Making The Internet Work For Your Business by Angela Booth ...................................................................................................................30 
Write your blurb in easy steps .............................................................................31 
One: Make a list of the benefits to the reader ...................................................... 31 
Two: Rank the benefits ........................................................................................ 31 
Three: Write several blurbs, in various lengths ................................................... 32

Essential blurb add-on: the testimonial................................................................32 
Outlining your book.................................................................................................32 
Start with a mind map..........................................................................................32 
Create your outline...............................................................................................33 
Day Four: Research your book proposal, and flesh out your book's outline ............... 34 
Day Four Tasks ........................................................................................................ 34 
Task One: Create your research plan ................................................................... 34 
Task Two: Create a chapter outline for your book .............................................34 
Research: How much do you need to know?...........................................................34 
Your research plan ............................................................................................... 34 
Work on your book's outline and the first chapter, as you research ........................ 36 
The Brain-Dead Process ......................................................................................36 
What goes into your chapter outline? .................................................................. 39 
Will you need graphics or photographs? .................................................................40 
Day Five: Write your proposal query letter, and submit it to agents and publishers...41 
Day Five Tasks ........................................................................................................41 
Task One: Start a contact list of agents and publishers ......................................41 
Task Two: Send out ten query letters to agents and publishers...........................41 
Today you write your proposal query letter.............................................................41 
Do you need an agent?.............................................................................................42 
Online resources to help you in your agent-hunt................................................42 
Sending your query letter directly to publishers ...................................................... 43 
Yes, you can multiple-submit your query letter, and even your proposal ............... 44 
Sample Query Letter ................................................................................................ 45 
Another sample query letter.....................................................................................47 
Write your query letter! ...........................................................................................49 
Here's a quick outline for your letter: .................................................................. 49 
"Don'ts" for your query letter...............................................................................49 
1. Don't make unsupported claims for yourself or your book .............................49 
2. Don't mention that you're unpublished ............................................................ 50
3. Don't mention that your partner, your best friend, or the milkman think that you’re a good writer or that you've got a brilliant idea for a book ...................... 50 
4. Don't be specific...............................................................................................51
Day Six: Write the proposal.........................................................................................52

Day Six Task............................................................................................................52 
Task One: Write the initial draft of your book proposal......................................52 ............................................................................................................................. 52 
Relax! You'll write your draft in stages ................................................................... 52 
Let's write the proposal ............................................................................................ 54 
Your chapter outline ............................................................................................54 
Your background—why you're the person to write this book ............................. 54 
Write the Overview..............................................................................................56 
Sample Overview Writing To Sell In The Internet Age ...................................... 57 
The Internet gives writers unlimited new opportunities ...................................... 57 
A how-to plus a how-they-did-it..........................................................................58 
What I won't be including .................................................................................... 58 
Don’t hype, BUT DO INCLUDE EVERYTHING RELEVANT ....................... 59 
Your Overview's length ....................................................................................... 59 
Write the Promotions section...............................................................................59 
Promoting with money.........................................................................................59 
Promoting with time ............................................................................................60 
Sample Promotions section Writing To Sell In The Internet Age ....................... 60 
My plan outline .................................................................................................... 60 
Write the Competition section ............................................................................. 61 
Day Seven: Write the sample chapter and revise your proposal ................................61 
Day Seven Tasks......................................................................................................61 
Task One: Write the sample chapter....................................................................61 
Task Two: Revision ............................................................................................. 62 
Today you write your sample chapter......................................................................62 
A fast chapter-writing method ............................................................................. 62 
1. Reread your notes ............................................................................................62 
2. Talk to yourself on paper ................................................................................. 62 
3. When you're ready, write ................................................................................. 63 
Revising your proposal ............................................................................................ 64 
How to revise ....................................................................................................... 64 
1. Read the entire proposal...................................................................................64 
2. Slash and burn..................................................................................................64 
3. Add material.....................................................................................................65

4. Read for coherency .......................................................................................... 65 
5. Revise for style ................................................................................................65 
6. Copyedit...........................................................................................................65
You're done!.................................................................................................................65 
Resource: Sample Book Proposal................................................................................66 
7 Days To Easy-Money: Copywriting Success ...........................................................66 
by Angela Booth .........................................................................................................66 Proposal........................................................................................................................ 66 
Angela Booth ............................................................................................................... 66 
Overview ...................................................................................................................... 67
The business writing market is invisible to most writers.....................................67 
Writers need this book ............................................................................................. 68 
The book's structure ................................................................................................. 69
What's not in the book .........................................................................................69 
Angela Booth's Background .................................................................................... 70 
Quick Bio.............................................................................................................70 
Partial list of publication credits .......................................................................... 70 
Web site ...............................................................................................................71 
Why this author for this book?.............................................................................71 Competition.............................................................................................................. 72
1. The Elements of Copywriting: The Essential Guide to Creating Copy That Gets the Results You Want..................................................................................72 
2. Teach Yourself Copywriting............................................................................72 
3. The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less.....................................................................................................72
Who will buy 7 Days To Easy Money: Copywriting Success and why? ................74 
My promotions plan for 7 Days To Easy Money: Copywriting Success ...............75
 My plan outline .................................................................................................... 75 
Chapter Outline............................................................................................................77 
How to get the most out of this book.......................................................................77 
Week One: Start Your New Business In Just Seven Days! ..................................... 77 
Introduction & Day One: Getting Started ................................................................ 77 
Day Two: your portfolio, prospecting and marketing .............................................77 
Day Three: Writing Longer Copy ...........................................................................78

Day Four: Public Relations Copywriting.................................................................79 
Day Five: Specialist Copywriting............................................................................79 
Day Six: Focus on Marketing .................................................................................. 80 
Day Seven: Copywriting for performance ..............................................................80 
Week Two: Your copywriting services marketing plan and more .......................... 81 
Week Three: Copywriting for the Internet ..............................................................81 
Week Four: Writing bios (biographies) and creating your own media kit .............. 81 
Sample Chapters: Introduction and Day One .......................................................... 83 Introduction..............................................................................................................83
Can YOU make money freelance copywriting? .................................................. 83 
First must-do: get your client's message across ................................................... 84 
Second must-do: market your copywriting services............................................85 
How much can you earn?.....................................................................................85
Day One: Getting Started.............................................................................................86 
Your Day One Objectives........................................................................................86 
The brief, and your Writing Services Agreement....................................................86
Your briefing sheet ..............................................................................................87 
Your Writing Services Agreement.......................................................................88 
(Sidebar) The copywriter's formula: AIDA ......................................................... 89
Writing copy step by step ........................................................................................89 
Step One: Research .............................................................................................89 
Step Two: Prepare by getting a conversation down on paper or on the computer screen ................................................................................................................... 90 
Step Three: Brainstorm with word associations .................................................. 90 
Step Four: First draft: write it fast........................................................................91
Copywriter's How –To: Five Easy Tips To Write A Perfect, Selling Ad................92 
Tip One: who's the reader? (Or viewer, or listener if you're writing for broadcast.) ............................................................................................................ 92 
Tip Two: Write an attention-grabbing headline...................................................92 
Tip Three: Write the features first, then work out what the benefits are ............. 93 
Tip Four: Don’t forget the response! ................................................................... 93 
Tip Five: Read it out loud .................................................................................... 94
Day One Exercises...................................................................................................94 
Exercise One: Write a brief..................................................................................94

Exercise Two: Getting (conversational) words on paper: Tell me about your favorite pen .......................................................................................................... 94 
Exercise Three: Write ad headlines from the brief you created...........................95 
Exercise Four: Create the ad from the brief and headlines you wrote.................95