Freelance Copywriter Secrets: The Essential Key to Advertising Success

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Just about every freelance copywriter will need to own a copy of "Tested Advertising Techniques," written by the legendary copywriter, John Caples.

In the mid roaring twenties, 25 year old Caples produced advertising history when he wrote the most renowned ad of all time. It began with the words:

They laughed when I sat down at the piano.
But when I started to play---

That extraordinary ad for, of all issues, mail order piano lessons, became the most productive, and most imitated ad of all time.

But apart from his remarkable writing talent, Caples changed advertising history in an even a lot more profound way. Throughout his career, he pioneered the notion of rigorous, scientific testing for every element of ads and direct mail.

Just about every ad, just about every mailer was designated as either a test sample or a control sample. The control sample was frequently the top performer from the previous test and not a single aspect of it was changed.

But the test sample was changed in one single way. It could have had a unique headline, a unique coupon, a different 1st paragraph, and so on.

Then by comparing the outcomes of the control and test samples, the ad or mailer could consistently be improved. In the subsequent test run, the most beneficial performer of the two samples became the control for the next comparison.

Caples was such a powerful advocate of testing due to the fact he saw how a campaign's results could be drastically improved. 1 time he tested to ads for the similar product. Each ads were properly written, both seemed to appeal to the target audience and each could have been chosen by various ad agencies as the final version.

But when the two ads were run side by side, one version pulled in 19 ½ a great deal more sales than the other.

Had this test in no way been run, the agency might have been pleased with the lesser ad's results and run it for years.

So what things can be improved by testing? Here are a couple of:

1. The headline. This is the most vital element of any ad, mail piece or web page. Without testing, you are leaving it to opportunity.
2. What picture or graphic produces the finest outcomes? Or would no image at all be most effective?
3. Which publication(s) produce the most sales when the same ad is run side by side in competing magazines or newspapers?
4. What appeal pulls in the most sales? The appeal is what hot button are you trying to push in the customer. Are you appealing to his want for security or his will need for monetary gain? Are you appealing to her need for sexual satisfaction or desire for adventure?

But how can the results of all this testing be compared? First, retail sales can provide the specifics necessary. Laser-scanned bar codes at the checkout counter reports sales info instantly and in actual time.

A different way that various consumer goods and quickly food restaurants are tested is through test cities. I keep in mind when McDonalds 1st introduced the breakfast burrito, I was in Indianapolis visiting my wife's relatives. I attempted the breakfast burrito and liked it. But when I got back household, I attempted to order 1 from one of the nearby McDonalds and they looked at me as though I had green skin. The breakfast burritos were being tested in Indianapolis and no where else.

Finally there are important codes. If you appear at a coupon for a typical direct mail ad, you will quite possibly see some thing like, "Dept. XYZ." I guarantee there is no department named XYZ at that provider, but XYZ represents the important code for a certain version of the ad.

In spite of the a lot of decades of analysis demonstrating how testing improves the profitability of advertising, there are nonetheless various businesses that spend mountains of dollars with out testing. I hope they are winning business awards for their creativity and the entertainment value of their ads, mainly because their competitors will be producing all the sales.

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.