Why do we put so much advertising material into the bin without so much as a second glance?
Usually because too many ads are uninspiring, too much like all the rest or don’t tell us what we want to know. We simply don’t notice them, or perhaps haven’t got time to.
We do take note however when we react to the first few words of an ad. These ads grab our attention immediately, to the point where we want to read on.
And there’s the hook. If we’re inspired we’ll keep reading. Even if the ad is a bit long but continues to maintain our interest, we’ll keep reading.
Okay, some people just never look at ads, but others will generally at least take a glance – and when they do you’ve got about two seconds to hook them. If you haven’t managed it in those first few seconds, the ad or direct mail campaign could be wasted money.
So how do you make people sit up and take notice rather than file in the bin? A few tips can make all the difference.
Make them react
Something about those first words or sentence needs to make us react: “that’s funny”, or “that’s weird”, or “that’s different”. The worst kind of ad is one that generates no reaction whatsoever.
In his book Write Right – The secrets of writing business letters and ads that really work, Paul Dunn makes this point: “In other words, we want that opening to have IMPACT and draw the reader in. We want it to stimulate some reaction – either negative or positive – but some reaction nevertheless. We certainly don’t want zero reaction or apathy.”
Stirring a reaction might only require one word, or maybe one sentence. Either way it has to tempt the reader to want to know more. Finding out more might require the prospect to visit the shop, or even just continue to read the ad or letter. At this stage, that’s all you’re wanting.
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