I have read thousands of ad copies online and offline over my lifetime. I have read excellent ad copies that made me buy right away and some that may have had a decent product, but had a poor ad copy that turned me away.
Now that I am in business, I have written some of my own ad copies. Some of them have worked, some of them have bombed. The key is to keep changing and testing your ad copy, don't just write one and then stop. I don't have a college degree in copywriting, but I know how to learn from the mistakes and never give up.
Below I've made a list of 42 deadly ad copy sins that I've made over the years and that you can learn from:
-no compelling headline
-no believable testimonials
-no sub headlines
-no attractive benefits
-no features
-no strong guarantees
-no asking or answering questions
-no proof of benefits offered
-no contact information for questions
-no endorsements
-no conversational writing
-too long of sentences
-no deadline to order
-no free trials
-spelling mistakes
-grammar mistakes
-too light of text
-too dark of background
-ad copy doesn't blend together
-no breaks in ad copy
-no bullets
-ad copy in all CAPS
-few ordering options
-no visual aids
-no comparison to competition
-no reminding of benefits or deadlines
-no information about your business
-no appealing adjectives
-no appealing phrases
-too large of text
-too small of text
-no emotional appeal
-too large of paragraphs
-no story telling
-no underlining or bolding of keywords
-too short of ad copy
-too long of ad copy
-no facts or case studies
-hard to understand jargon
-no free bonuses
-too low of price
-too high of price
Don't get me wrong, not all 42 of my ad copy sins will apply to each and every ad you write. It is just a list you can use in the future. If you currently have an ad copy, compare it to the list right now. Your ad copy could make or break your sales.
By David Riewe,
The Internet Marketer and Publisher,
Ft. Worth, TX, U.S.A.
david[at]riewe.com
http://riewe.com/
