How to write a good advertisement

Many people hate advertising because it is irrelevant, shrill or poorly thought-through. Writing ads that attract, inform and motivate our audiences is an important skill, but it is nothing new. 

The TV series "Mad Men" celebrates the heady days of advertising in the 1960s, but modern advertising came of age much earlier. Vance Packard's book, "The Hidden Persuaders" (Amazon) explored how advertisers tap into human motivations and weaknesses. It was first published in 1957.

Even earlier, in 1942, Victor O. Schwab wrote the seminal work "How to write a good advertisement" (Amazon). Republished many times, the work is a classic of logic and commonsense. Fundamental lessons include focusing on the benefits to the buyer, not on the strengths of the company or even the features of the product or service.

Schwab was a very creative writer, as illustrated by this poem his book:

I see that you’ve spent quite a big wad of dough

To tell me the things you think I should know.

How your plant is so big, so fine, and so strong;

And your founder had whiskers so handsomely long.

So he started the business in old ’92!

How tremendously interesting that is… to you.

He built up the thing with the blood of his life?

(I’ll run home like mad, tell that to my wife!)

Your machinery’s modern and oh so complete;

Your “rep” is so flawless; your workers so neat.

Your motto is “Quality”… capital “Q” –

No wonder I’m tired of “Your” and of “You”!

So tell me quick and tell me true

(Or else, my love, to hell with you!)

Less – “how this product came to be”;

More – what the damn thing does for me!

Will it save me money or time or work;

Or hike up my pay with a welcome jerk?

What drudgery, worry, or loss will it cut?

Can it yank me out of a personal rut?

Perhaps it can make my appearance so swell

That my telephone calls will wear out the bell;

And thus it might win me a lot of fine friends –

(And one never knows where such a thing ends!)

I wonder how much it could do for my health?

Could it show me a way to acquire some wealth –

Better things for myself, for the kids and the wife,

Or how to quit work somewhat early in life?

So tell me quick and tell me true

(Or else, my love, to hell with you!)

Less – “how this product came to be”;

More – what the damn thing does for me!

Too much to read? Here's Jeff Waite reading out the passage:

Understanding the publishing process

Publishing a document can be harder than it looks. If you have ever had to help a colleague, boss or client get a document published in a ridiculously short amount of time, you will know how helpful it would be if they understood all the steps involved, what could go wrong, and how much time is required.


If only all clients could be well informed. At least you can educate yourself, and a good place to start is this promotional video by the company Inís Communication, which focuses on the development sector. Since Inís offers a wide range of publishing services, the video provides a useful overview of the types of issues involved in developing a corporate document.

This information could be helpful for anybody who asks the question 'why does production take so long?'. After all, they probably just ran over time on developing and agreeing on the text and want to see the finished product already! A quick look at this video should clarify that a professional document requires some important decisions and involves a series of steps that take time. While some of these steps can be compressed, run in parallel or even skipped, you risk having a poor result. And if you are planning a major document for your institution, it is likely that you cannot afford to take those sorts of risks.

Publication steps
Procedures covered in the video include:.

• Client consultation (getting a clear brief from the person or team that wants the publication). What is the expected outcome? What is the overall scope of the project?
• Target audience and format. Messaging and tone, print vs electronic, overall nature of the result and how it will be used (what do you want to achieve as a result?).
• Filling the blanks: research and re-writing to get the contents to reflect the intended result. This addresses tone and length, structure and content, and overall messages and impact.
• Editing (language appropriate to the audience, accuracy, grammar and ease of reading). Note that this is a crucial stage and cannot be easily truncated. If your document was written by a member of your staff, or had inputs from a whole range of people, there is a strong possibility that the text simply does not match the needs of your target audience. Many institutional texts need substantial editing and even re-writing before they become truly accessible to diverse audiences. 
• Design (layout concept, visual identity, style and impact). The same as your prior documents? Or something new: modern or traditional, serious or fun?
• Layout (illustrations, photos, use of colours and space). This is also the stage for the final proofing of text. It is your last chance to correct errors (but the text should already be edited! This is also not a time for re-writing, so plan accordingly). 
• Adaptation to other outputs e.g. web, ebooks etc. (these should have been planned in advance).
• Production - printing, XML and web, loading into ebookstores etc.

Marketing
Don't forget the final important steps in promoting your publication! Consider how it will be released to the news media and other defined audiences. Will it be online in time for your public announcement? Are the files big enough to download or send by email? Should you put them on digital platforms like Issuu or Slideshare? Will it be sold or released through Amazon or the iTunes store? 

How to write a good blog post

Updated June 2013
Blogging regularly is generally agreed to be good practice: posting every day or every week can help you build a regular cadre of readers, since they know when to come back for more (or check your RSS feed).

Some people also blog because they want to be visible and demonstrate leadership. Creative types, entrepreneurs and freelance professionals typically need to promote their work and ideas, or to foster a community of interest. Their work provides a source of content, but they still need to craft a good story and do that repeatedly.

Others just blog for fun, so there should be no pressure. For example, I tend to blog about things that I find interesting and useful - and only when I get some spare  time - so my posts are sporadic, but I don't feel stressed about trying to maintain my blog. However, even casual bloggers might want to keep their blog up to date, but find themselves distracted or simply running out of inspiration.

So there may be times when you are stumped for something to say. I found a couple of useful articles discussing what to do about this.

Art business coach Alyson Stanfield proposes a formula that might help aspiring bloggers or anyone else wanting to communicate, but unsure where to start. These are her basic tips for creating a post with images:

• Title: before or after the blog is written.
• Introduction (how to 'hook' readers and draw them in).
• Main body text (stay on message).
• An image for visual appeal (or as a centerpiece of discussion).
• Conclusion (what happens now?).

If you are a creative type, Alyson is also running a blogging class for artists, called Blog Triage.

Social media trend-spotter Jenn Herman has posted a series of tips for overcoming bloggers' block ("When You Just Don't Want To Write"). She recommends:

1. Eliminate Distractions
2. Get Comfortable
3. Find Your Zone
4. Just Start Writing
5. Use Your Emotions
6. Don’t Procrastinate

If you need more, perhaps you would benefit from a training course on how to write and get inspired. There are plenty of options, many of them free online. For example:

• Creative Writing Now
• Crafty Writer's creative writing course
• Creative Writing: A Master Class eCourse (iTunes)
• Open University courses (many options available)
• Writing in the sciences (Stanford University, via Coursera)
• The Creative Spark (MIT OpenCourseware)

Good luck!