How To Write A Killer Ad

A lot of folks have been asking me how to write a killer ad.

Here’s how you do it in 11 easy steps, and of course this is a Hybrid Marketing^tm strategy so it will work equally as well online or offline (Google Adwords, newspaper, Craigslist, etc).

1. Talk it out first before you write it.
2. Call a friend, associate or employee and explain your product or service to them.
   (This will help you get common questions out in the open, and also help with overcoming common objections)
3. Tape record that call.
   (Digital recorders work fine if you don’t have a tape recorder, guess I show my age haha :-)
4. Have that conversation transcribed onto paper.
   (Or into a word processor, then print it out. I find it’s easier to work on real paper)
5. Label every single sentence in there with an
   - F if it’s a feature (describes what your product or service does),
   - A for an advantage (over a competitor), and
   - B for anything that’s a benefit (tell your customers what it does for them).
6. Write the sentences rated 1-10 by their importance. 1 being the least important and 10 being the best. You will have an F-1, F-2, F-3, etc. B-10 would be the most important benefit.
7. Combine all features, advantages and benefits ranked 6 or higher and create a headline from there. In other words, if you’ve got a B-10 and B-9, A-10 and A-9, an F-10 and F-9, you want to create your headline out of those. Use the 6-8 benefits to tell your story. Your 6-8 advantages will create interest and your 6-8 features will credentialize your story with details and facts.
   
8. Tell them how to order and how to order now.
9. Reverse the risk from them to you using risk-reversal.
10. Reward them for immediate action.
11. Re-write five different versions.

This seems like a lot of work, but it’s really not. (Hey, it likely beats the pants off what you’re doing now).

This is how you will end up with a killer ad.

Roll it out small and test it, and when it works, roll it out in a big way.

Easy enough for ya? Please comment below.

- Lee Collins