A.I.D.A. - E.A.S.Y. to remember. Hard to execute.

Here's a simple way to remember a basic way of constructing copy, which I find especially useful for DM. Don't get restricted by it, however. It's just guidelines for you to mess around with and create some 'killer' copy:

A - Attention

I - Interest

D - Desire

A - Action

Attention

The first thing your ad should do is grab attention. That's its job (well its first one at least).

The headline is key to grabbing attention. One way you could do this is through surprise. Tell the customer something they didn't know. Show them something that would save them money. Or even put their name in the headline. Here's an example of a classic ad headline:

Maybe this sort of headline wouldn't work today, I'm not sure. But it's certainly intriguing and much more interesting than writing, "Learn to play the piano and impress your friends".

The main point here, though, is to make sure that when the customer looks at your ad or picks up their letter on their doormat, they see something that catches their eye.

Interest

Once you have their attention, you have the equally hard task of keeping them interested.

The customer hasn't got time to read your ad, or at least they won't spend time reading it. So the one thing I would recommend to do is put the benefit up front. But before that, and here's where the interest comes in, you could tell them about their 'problems' that are related to your product. If it's in the headline, elaborate a little. Tell the customer what you can do for them and if they are in your target audience, they'll be interested.

Another way to keep interest might be by telling a story, or using interesting typography, or, god forbid, putting an image in there. Whatever you do, make it interesting!

Desire

Once you've got the interest of your audience, you'll need to create desire if you want to get results. Your customer can recognise that they have a need. Your job is to turn that need into a desire for your product.

A great way to do this is to show them how their problems can be solved by having your product. You could demonstrate this with a case study from a 'real' customer, creating a sense of authenticity and trust.

Desire and Interest work together, so you'll need to do both these things in as little as one paragraph on occasions.

Action

This is often where ads seem to fall on their face. They do a great job selling the product and creating a desire for the customer but fail to be clear and direct about how the customer should act.

If you're not up front about what you want the customer to do, they wont do it. Simple as that. Tell them "To receive these fantastic offers, call us today on 0800 800 852, or visit us at www.buymore.com". It's amazing how many ads don't make this clear enough.

Writing for Digital Media

What is Digital Media??

Internet - Banners, microsites etc
Handsets - Text messages, Bluetooth communication
Interactive TV - Pressing the red button
Bluetooth Posters - e.g. at bus stops
TransVision Digital Screens - The one's you see in tube stations

Why is it different to traditional media?

The main thing that digital media and traditional media have in common is that words sell. The more words you can get away with the better (usually). But one difference you should always take into consideration is the fact that people read 25% slower online. This is an interesting fact, especially when some online ads are timed (banners). People tend to scan a lot more, so having the ability to be succinct, conversational and enthusiastic gives you more chance of success.

Ways to keep readers engaged

As I said before, be succinct, conversational and enthusiastic. You can do this by bending the rules of grammar if need be. Like starting sentences with and, but and because.

Also, try to keep your sentences short. And apply subheads when necessary to suit the style of the 'scanners' who will be reading your ad.

People love to know what you can give them, and the easiest way for you to do this is by using the words 'you' and 'your' loads. An example could be - 'A service to make your business more profitable'. If I had a business, I would certainly be intrigued.

One way to leave your readers uninterested is the use of puns. Avoid them like you would a naked Margaret Thatcher. Don't try to be clever (puns are not clever). The reader should digest your copy without even noticing. They shouldn't have to think too hard, because if they do, they won't.

You should be interesting, stylish and, the hardest of all, original. If you are writing for a client with guidelines, then being original is made even more difficult (but still possible). But if you find the freedom we all deserve in writing, then don' t be afraid to create your own tone of voice. I guess this is only possible when you write for a young company searching for the identity to make them a successful brand. A great example of this would be Innocent drinks. They created a fun, natural, feel-good tone to their brand, which has subsequently been a huge success.



A great example from Innocent of how creating a tone of voice
can help make a brand successful.

Much more to come on this subject...

Headlines

To me, headlines are the most important part of a Direct Response/Mail ad. If the ad features a main visual then I guess that and the headline would share responsibility.

If we compare to a sales person, the headline could be seen as the moment they first make contact with a customer. The main difference is that a sales person cannot be ignored. They can be waved away, shouted at, or even worse, spend ages with someone they can never sell to. But they cannot be ignored.

An ad can be ignored. If the headline (or image, or both) is of no interest to the reader, then they'll throw the letter out, turn the page, or stare at something else while waiting for the bus. They'll never read the body copy, which is the same as a sales person never getting to their main selling points. Therefore, the headline needs to be honed to attract the target audience and the target audience only. Figure out why they would want your product and then tell them. Don't have a mysterious headline that you think is intriguing because, although that may attract loads more readers, it will not tell your target audience that you have what they want. Here's a quote for you:

"Headlines on ads are like headlines on news items. Nobody reads a whole newspaper"
Claude C. Hopkins

What I think he means is this; when you're on the bus/train/tube to work and you have the Metro in hand, flicking through the pages, what stories do you read? I know that when I read it I only scan the headlines until I find one that interests me. Then I read the full article. Customers will act in a similar way. Make your headlines the best they can possibly be.