If you are looking to advertise your business in print media (magazines, newspapers, flyers, etc.) do it right!  Personally I have never been a huge fan of advertising in print media because I’ve found I personally get better bang for my buck as a T-shirt Entrepreneur with other mediums.

But the media exists and people still use it so it is important to understand it.  Also please understand that this article is not meant to be completely inclusive about all the issues you have to consider in advertising with print media.  That would take books to cover completely.  What this article is meant to do is introduce you to some basics of writting an ad.

Some people think the first thing you need to decide upon is the size of your ad.  Even most advertising executives you deal with in print (or other) media will think that this is the most important thing in the world and will start throwing terms at you like “double truck”, “advertorial”, “scotch double truck”, “gutter” and “column inch”?

We’re not going to talk about those things.  Why?  Because they are NOT as important as conveying your message in a way that makes people interested in what you have to say and ultimately want to buy your product.  This is true of ALL forms of advertising regardless of medium.

While ad size and possition does play a roll, it is the message that will hook your potential customers.

Here’s the way most people (including so-called advertising professionals) write an ad.  We’ll use a fictitious website that sells widgets in our example:

Bob’s Widgets
Best widgets around.  Wide selection.
Multiple colors. Great Prices.
Don’t buy a widget without seeing Bob’s Widgets!

Call: 555-WID-GETS
000 Widget Lane, Anytown, USA
Web: www.bobsgreatwidgets.com
Email: bob@bobsgreatwidgets.com

Are you motivated to buy a widget from Bob?  Heck you don’t even know what a widget is or why you should buy one!  Unless you really need a “widget” (which you don’t because they do not exist) are you even interested in this ad?  Heck no. You, as a reader, are moving on.  And that sound you hear? It’s the sound of crickets chirping at Bob’s Store.

But day after day, week after week you see newspapers and magazines filled with these types of ads crammed into the corners of pages.  You and other readers never stop to look at them.  People buy these ads because they are cheap.  But they don’t work (at least not well).  They exist for one purpose and one purpose only – to make money for the publication.  Not to make money for you.

I guarantee you that I can make you at least interested in Bob’s Widgets using simple techniques even if you do not want to buy a widget. So how should ads for Bob’s Widgets look?  Try this:

Since the dawn of time…

Man has needed the right tool for the job.
Doing the job right is a matter of pride.
And when you’re ready to take pride
in your work, Bob’s Widget’s has your
Widget waiting …

555-WID-GETS
000 Widget Lane, Anytown, USA

Ok, so you STILL do not know what a “widget” is.  But you are interested!  You know it is some sort of tool.  And at least if you are a man you are thinking “Hey, I got to get me a widget!”

And what did I do?  I created interest.  I appealed to something that people can relate to.  I told a story.  I put Joe Schmoe reading the ad into the ad.

Will it cost more?  Maybe. Will it be more effective?  Yep. Yep.

Forget all the pointless information.  People EXPECT your product to be of high quality.  They don’t know why widgets have to come in a variety of colors and they do not care!  They don’t care about how great YOU think your prices are.  So why tell them?

The trick to effective advertising is creativity.  If you give the reader the same thing as they expect (who, what, why, etc) then you have given them nothing.  When you surprise them and give them what they do not expect is when you will have success.  Stories sell.  Bland facts are boring.

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J.J. Jackson is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. and Cafepress “Top Shopkeeper”. He has been selling t-shirts on-line since 2004 and is the owner of the T-Shirt Entrepreneur, a site dedicated to helping people get involved in the T-shirt Economy. He is also the owner of Funny When Wet T-shirts, American Infidel Tshirts as well as many other online t-shirt and gift stores.