3 Tips to Produce Effective Advertising Copywriting for Print and Broadcast Media

As a direct marketer (and reader of this blog), you have learned what advertising copywriting is. But how do you implement it in different forms of media?

As an AWAI-trained copywriter, I have found two online resources to help you produce print and broadcast media advertising copywriting.

The first resource is a SlideShare presentation by Amit Garg titled “Copywriting.” The slideshow offers bullet points on what copywriting is, why you should pay attention to it, and how to produce it.

Mr. Garg also offers guidelines for writing copy for print, TV, radio, and outdoor media.

The second resource is an article written by Kimberly McCall. The Inc.com post, “Design and Copywriting for Effective Print Advertising,” offers eight ideas for creating graphic design and copywriting that generate leads and sales.

3 Tips to Produce Effective Advertising Copywriting for Print and Broadcast Media

Drawing from the information I gathered from the resources mentioned above, as well as my experience as a direct response copywriter, I have produced three tips that will help you produce effective advertising copywriting for print and broadcast media:

Stir the Core Emotion

For your advertising to forge a personal connection with the reader, it must target and focus on what makes the reader tick. That’s how you get audiences to act.

To succeed as a salesperson, you must fully understand the human psyche. And here’s some psychology 101: emotions move people towards acting.

And the deeper you dig to stir up the reader, the higher the chances that your audience will act accordingly.

Think of politicians. Their advertising stirs you up by highlighting how bad the opposition is. And they take the most significant part of their commercials pointing out how horrible the competition can be to your community should they be chosen for office.

They’re stirring up your anger towards the opposition’s philosophies so that you vote for whomever the commercial is promoting. That’s human psychology 101.

Better yet, that’s salesmanship and advertising 001.

Find what makes the reader tick and zero in on that emotion. Then, develop a powerful desire to fulfill or avoid that feeling.

And finally, spur the audience into taking a specific course of action.

Focus on Your Unique Selling Proposition

If you’re to sell anything to your market, make sure it is what sets you apart from everyone within your field.

When you’re selling something, you answer, “Why should the audience buy this offer over everything similar to it?”. By focusing on your unique selling proposition (your USP), you give a strong answer to that question while you separate yourself from the market herd.

For example, if I market myself as just a copywriter, I would be competing with thousands upon thousands of copywriters worldwide. Seriously.

You can find them anywhere: on freelance websites, job boards, Google, etc.

But, if I market myself as a direct response copywriter, I would be separating myself from the copywriting herd by letting my market know my specialization.

If I want to take it a step further, I could market myself as a financial direct response copywriter – setting myself even further apart from everyone else and more appealing to the financial market.

Your unique selling proposition is the selling idea that will make your advertising stand out from the rest.

Tell a Captivating Story

The key to a captivating story is to present a situation with which the reader can identify. You describe the situation as vividly as possible, and then you present a way of solving/acquiring it.

People care about themselves first – their wants, needs, and fears. If you present a problem or situation, they do not have or cannot see themselves in, they will not pay attention.

They won’t care.

Therefore, when you’re writing your copy, present your story in a way the audience recognizes.

If you were to sell a hammer, you wouldn’t be talking about how great a football dynasty the New England Patriots are. You instead would be presenting how hard it is to nail in or pull out XYZ nails with your run-of-the-mill hammer.

Carpenters, engineers, and DIY parents can identify with nailing with lousy instruments. Thus, chances are they will listen to your offering so they can hammer nails easily.

Present relatable stories. Make the reader the hero. And engage the audience along the way.

That’s how you tell captivating stories in your advertising.

Advertising Copywriting for Print and Broadcast Media

Starting today, when producing print and broadcast media advertising copywriting, you should zero in on stirring one core emotion. Remember that your unique selling proposition is your selling idea.  And tell a captivating story that leads the reader to your offer.

Do you have a comment or question about advertising copywriting for print and broadcast media? Leave a comment explaining your side of things. If you think this article could be helpful to someone you know, feel free to share it with them!