Newspaper Advertising

Effective Newspaper Ads

Written by Rayzelle Forrest Young for Gaebler Ventures

Tips on creating a newspaper ad that stands out from all the others. Explains the importance of using attention grabbing headlines and being concise.

Although in today's times there are many more technologically advanced ways to advertise your business, marketing with newspaper ads can still be effective.

There are several things that go into creating an effective newspaper ad campaign. Among them are how many times the ad is run, the ad design as well as the size. If you're thinking about running a newspaper ad for your business, here are some tips to make your ad a more effective.

Attention Grabbing Headline

The first step in creating an effective newspaper ad is developing a headline that will grab reader's attention. To do this, use action words inside of short phrases. Make sure you use a font that is easily readable. Your headline is what will lead readers to read the rest of your ad so it has to gain the attention of reader's right away or they will move on to something else on the page.

Be Concise

Get straight to the point and be concise in when presenting the actual ad. Readers tend to read parts of the ad that jump out at them or is short enough for them to read quickly. To help with the flow of a concise ad, use bullet points and short phrases. If you have brand names in your ad make sure they are in bold letters or highlighted in some form. This will draw their attention to the brand name.

Include A Call To Action

In your ad make sure you include a call to action. This would be something like "Come In Today", "Call Now" or even "Visit Us On The Web." After reading the ad your want your audience to take action otherwise the ad is useless.

Use Space Wisely

Space equals money so be sure to wisely use the space. You can do this by using blocks of black and white in order to make your ad stand out from everything else on the page. Since newspapers are for the most part a bunch of words on a page, large areas of black and white will catch reader's eye. Do this in conjunction with short and bold headlines to get the greatest effect.

Limit your Fonts

Don't use more than three font types. Limiting your fonts will keep your ad looking clean and uncluttered. Try to use types that emphasize your brand name. Do this throughout all your ad campaigns in conjunction with your business logo in order to create brand recognition. Place your logo and contact information in the best area of the ad. These are the things you want the readers to remember the most. A good technique to use is to put your contact information along with your logo in the lower right corner of the ad. Since readers scan from left to right, this will be the last thing they see.

By using the newspaper ad creating techniques above you should be able to develop an ad that will stand out from all others. If you couple your ad with good frequency, say once a week, your business name, contact info and products or services will be remembered by your audience.

Rayzelle is an entrepreneur and writer. Based on her experiences as an owner of her own dance studio, she will share her personal tips on being a successful entrepreneur.

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