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FREE!

Is There a Magic Word in Advertising? You Bet!

By Jeffrey Dobkin

Some words really are magic in advertising. The word "Free" in the headline (or in the subhead) beats anything else in attracting attention and getting people interested. For additional value, also include it in the first line of the copy, and again in the close. This is probably the BEST single word you can use in a headline.

A free offer increases response. Although overplayed and overused, this remains one of the most effective ways to generate a response to an ad. Just be careful to make sure you get qualified responses when offering something for free. Don't wind up sending out mountains of free merchandise or literature and getting back no sales. Ugh. When making free offers, make sure you are advertising to the correct market, and your audience has the money and the authority to purchase your product.

Think of the brilliance of this: a moving company offers in their headline: Free booklet shows you how to pack your house and valuables for moving. It offers (1) a free book that (2) directly benefits their ideal audience: people who are moving. I'm sure it produces a ton of the highest quality and most well-qualified leads.

The formula for the safest, most successful ad headline is simple--Free booklet offers benefit, benefit, benefit. This is my personal recommendation when you are writing any ad. It's particularly helpful when you are having trouble writing a great headline.

Stated other ways: New Feature makes Benefit, Benefit, Benefit. This formula is an effective and safe way to write any headline, and I don't care what you are selling. Free booklet offers how to get benefit, benefit, benefit. Or free item shows you benefit, benefit, benefit. When you are having trouble, this formula is the answer.

Another example: Suppose you're a printer. Attractive headlines may be:

* Free booklet shows you how to specify printing to get lower costs.

* Free brochure shows you how to select paper.

* Free brochure shows you how to specify correct colors.

* Free booklet show low-cost folding options.

These headlines sound so good, I'd like to get these guides myself. If you already have a promotional mailer printed, "Free booklet shows you how to buy printing at a 10% discount" would be perfect headline for your ad--just include a 10% off coupon with the piece.

Low-cost free gifts make for great response, too. One of the lowest cost ways to raise your response rate is to create a free gift of useful value. Probably the most inexpensive way to do this is to create free literature. Paper is cheap. Create a data sheet that is informative, contains "how-to" information, or explains something practical about your industry, product, or service. A safe variation on our free offer can be to give away an educational booklet on the subject. Can you find some "how-to" or useful information related to your service or product potential customers will want?

Make your material as useful as you can, so your free gift has a high value to your audience. In your ad, make your offer sound so great, customers will feel they are missing something if they don't call right away to get it. Use FREE! liberally throughout your ad. If you create a useful gift of lasting value, customers will call you for years to use your services. As a lead generation device, an informational product is an excellent marketing tool. Probably the best.

When drafting your ad, kindly remember you aren't in a contest to see who can be the most unusual, or win an award for being the most different. You just want to make money, so create a good solid ad, built on a traditional format that has proven time and time again it will pay for itself by generating maximum response (our objective). Ads that draw the greatest number of qualified response have the best chance of success. This is your objective, and the basis for a short ad campaign on a limited budget. If you have a long-running campaign you can be more flexible in your style and content. If you have an unlimited budget, let's talk.

Get that one extra reader in 100 who was going to whiz right by your ad to stop and read your headline, read the ad, pick up a pencil, or the phone or come in. The headline is the most important line in your ad. Don't be satisfied with a good one. Make sure it's a smashing great one. Make a free offer specific to you audience, and make it sound sensational.

Jeffrey Dobkin is a speaker, direct mail copywriter, and marketing consultant. His book, HOW TO MARKET A PRODUCT FOR UNDER $500, is available from

Danielle Adams Publishing Company
Box 100
Merion Station, PA 19066
      
      

         

            

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