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Five "do not" tips when writing ads
Only knowing what you're doing wrong can help you do it better. Here are five tips on what not to do when writing ads. These are tips to help you improve your level of quality for your readership.
1. Don't be clever
The greatest headlines and copy are those that are straightforward and to the point. Use language that you would use in conversation - but be sure it's not jargon (unless specific to industry) or grammatically incorrect.
2. Don't be flowery
Don't give in to the temptation that adjectives are winners - they're not. People respond better to verbs. It's quicker and to the point.
An active sentence such as "Tom kicked the ball" is far more forceful, entertaining and effective than "The ball was kicked by Tom". Remember that adjectives are a waste of time.
3. Don't think it's about you
The biggest mistake companies make is mentioning how great they are and how excellent their services are, etc., etc., ad nauseam. Keep it about the prospect/reader/customer. Write how it can affect them - make it about them.
Also, remove the "I" from your keyboard. Never write in the first person - people are selfish, and are more interested to see what's in it for them.
4. Don't waste time
Get to the point quickly. People don't have all day to read - and there are tons of ads out there. Make yours quick and to the point. It is hard, but that's what copywriters are paid to do: to come up with catchy, to-the-point copy. Remember, one idea per paragraph.
5. Don't be a punctuation-junkie
Right, remember this: for every comma you use, you lose R50. Rather use a dash or an em-dash. A comma retards the flow. So don't use too many punctuation marks - and never use an exclamation mark, unless it really, really works.
5. Don't be negative
Your copy should be positive, even when explaining a problem to the reader. At a glance, readers remember the sentence without the "not" - so for example, "Brand X believes in not disappointing customers." For some reason, psychological or other, readers will keep "disappointing and Brand X in their minds" - make it positive.

About Claudio Milo
Claudio is a copywriter with work experience relating specifically to commercial literacy-as a copywriter with years of experience in writing copy for many public relations companies and various brands, his skill-set is poised to contribute greatly to public relations companies or advertising agencies in which his specialised sense of accuracy and efficacy for copy must be an asset. His area of expertise lies primarily in copywriting-especially in press releases - and corporate copy editing, proofreading. Twitter claudio_miloRelated
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