How to write an ads

B Y : C H E L D Y S Y G A C O E L U M B A - P A B L E O , M P A ; L L B
HOW TO WRITE AN ADS

WHAT IS A HEADLINE IN
WRITING AN ADS
 In advertising — whether it be billboard, magazine,
newspaper, bus, bus benches, posters, car wrap, etc
— the headline is the first, and sometimes only,
impression you can make on your audience.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

HOW TO WRITE A HEADLINE IN ADS
 Without a good headline, the rest of
your ad — the supporting copy, the
website address or phone number, or
even the client's name — may as well
not even be there. With a regular
advertisement's competition — other
ads in the same magazine, other
billboards, a screaming baby sitting
next to you on the bus — a headline
must not only grab your audience's
attention, it must also communicate
the full message to the audience and
pull them into the rest of the
advertisement. CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

What type of headlines are there? How do
they work?
 A headline is a promise. They promise the audience a
benefit - of reading more, going to the website, of
trying out the product or service. The following
defines the different types of headlines you'll find

DIRECT HEADLINES
 Direct headlines are straightforward. They don't try
to be clever. They simply state a benefit. For
example:
EXAMPLE:
 "30% off all purchases this weekend."

INDIRECT HEADLINES
 are used to raise the audience's curiosity.
They pull the audience in, and the body
copy fills in the rest of the information.
 use puns, double-meanings, plays on words,
figures of speech, metaphors and
symbolism.
EXAMPLE: in Greyhound's attempt to get a younger
audience to ride the bus - their advertising firm formulated
their messaging (think creative brief) to "transportation gets
you to a location on a map, but travel is emotional, life-
altering. empowering and a uniquely American rite of
passage. " So one of their headlines, in turn, reads:

"Don't Let the Mark You Leave on the
World Be A Dent in the Couch."
See this campaign featured in Commarts. CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

 But let's say, the client is a
State Park, and the messaging
of the creative brief is,"State
parks are a way for a family to
spend quality time together,
inexpensively."
 Then the headline might be:
"Spend More Time, Not
Money."

NEWS HEADLINE
 News headlines are pretty simple
— and work when the subject of
the ad is — news. For example,
announcements about new
products, new and improved
versions, etc.
EXAMPLE: in Apple.com's news
feed:
 "Coming Attractions:
IPHONE 7"

THE HOW TO HEADLINE
 The How to Headline is very
common. The motivation is very
simple — the audience is
promised that after they read the
rest of the content — they'll
experience an immediate
benefit. This is used quite a lot
in online headline writing -
specifically for blogs.
EXAMPLE:
 "How to Write Better
Headlines." CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

 But let's go back to the State Park client — a how to
headline for that campaign might be:
 "How to Have a Memorable Family Vacation
For Less" CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

QUESTION HEADLINE
 might sound simple, but they're not.
The questions must be something the
audience actually wants answered. And
the body copy, must answer it just
enough to satisfy the audience, but also
keep them interested enough to follow
through (follow through being, call the
phone number, visit the website, buy
the product). Using the State Park
client again:
 "Are You Tired of the Same Old
Family Vacation?"

 Such a headline needs an
instant pay-off — like a subhead
or very well written body cop
EXAMPLE:
 "Then come to Sea
Mountain State Park where
we have something for
everyone in the family to
enjoy — from camping and
fishing to surfing and
skiing." CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

COMMAND HEADLINE
 are bold and tell the audience
just what they should do. These
headlines need strong verbs as
their first word.
EXAMPLE:
 "Stop Wasting Money On
High Priced Theme Parks."
 or
 "Go See Nature. Go Sea
Mountain."

REASON WHY HEADLINE
 highlight the product/services benefits
immediately. The copy will usually have
a list of the features and benefits. These
headlines can start on paper as "reasons
why" but "ways to" and "tips for" are a
natural evolution.
EXAMPLE:
 "20 Reasons to Take a Sea
Mountain Vacation"
 or
 "30 Tips to Save Money While
Having Fun" CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

TESTIMONIAL HEADLINE
 presents outside — real —proof of the advertisement's promise. A
testimonial comes from what another person has said about the
product or service, and their actual words are used in the headline.
The audience will know they are reading a "testimonial" by its quote
marks, and the rest of the testifiers story is usually continued in the
supporting copy.
EXAMPLE:
 "It used to be hard to satisfy a sixteen-year old, a four year
old AND a 40 year old — on the same vacation — until we
came to Sea Mountain..." CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

what's a tagline?
 A tag line (or slogan) is a one
or two line phrase associated
with a product, campaign or
business. They are a major
part of a the brand, its
presence and its message. Its
how a company is known by
its audience and also relays
the promise and personality
to its consumers.

EXAMPLES OF TAGLINES
 Nike : "Just Do It"
 Volvo : "Volvo. For Life."
 Jollibee : “Beeda ang
sarap!"
 Apple : "Think
Different."
 M&M's: "Melts in your
mouth, not in your
hands."
BDO: “We Find Ways."
think
different
We find ways!CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

The difference between headlines and taglines —
in writing
 — is not much. You often use the same technique in
writing them. Brainstorming. Focusing on the
message being sent, etc.
 However, HEADLINES are used within individual
ads used in a campaign that might last 6 months to a
year, where there are different headlines being used.
A TAGLINE, however, for that same campaign,
finishes each individual ad within it. It's usually used
as the end of the messaging, locked in with the logo,
and can last longer than the original campaign it was
created for. CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

HOW TO WRITE THE HEADLINES +
TAGLINES:
STEP 1:
 Absorb everything in your creative brief. Do
as much research about your particular
product/service — from biographies of
founders to audience reviews on website
forums. Let it all marinate in your head, and
start talking to your friends and family about
it. Try to convince them that your
product/service is a good/better idea than its
competition. Sometimes, you'll find that
you're speaking the beginning of a good
campaign. You'll find some of your sentences
would be good headlines, or better yet, you've
defined the whole product/service with the
beginning of a memorable tagline.

STEP 2:
 Look at the billboards as you're driving. These billboard
ads have just a few seconds to get your attention and sell
your their product or service. The copy is usually going to
be a very good headline / tagline with a picture of the
product/service/benefit/benefactor. Note these, because
60% of them are great examples of effective taglines.

 Then, research magazine and
newspaper ads, listen to radio
commercials and watch those
on TV. What caught your
attention, and what do you
remember most about your
favourite ones? The last things
you remember are probably a
good headline and/or tagline.
MASARAP ARAW-ARAWIN

STEP 3:
 Make a list of everything that relates to your client.
Or write a paragraph — one that you might recite to a
family member or friend to convince them that your
product/service is better than its competition.

STEP 4:
 From that list/paragraph, underline the top 25 or 30
things that are important and worth mentioning.
Narrow down that to a list of 8 or 10 of the most
important things to be said about your client. These
are the core of your argument. Of these, highlight the
top 3 or 4 selling points. CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

STEP 5:
 Based on your core -brainstorm headlines for each
selling point. Come up with headlines that fit within the
same family.

EXAMPLE: if your main benefits for your State Park
client are cost, proximity and a great outdoor experience,
then the following headlines would fit within the same
family:
 "More green. For your wallet."
 "More green. Less gas."
 "More green. More fun."

 Your tagline might stem from
your family of headlines or it
might be a separate point all
together, that still states the
benefits as a whole. But the
tagline must state the
product/services' umbrella
promise and not a specific
benefit. For example, a tagline for
the state park might be:
 "Greener Means Better
When It Comes To Vacation"

 Try to keep your brainstorming
short, and speak at a level that most
people can understand. Try to be
clever, but not too clever.
 Also - give yourself a high number of
headlines to reach per benefit, and
give yourself a high number of
taglines to write to. Don't stop
brainstorming when you think
you've reached the right one,
because the best might come five
taglines down the road.

 WHEN YOU'RE DONE — narrow them down to the
5 best headline families (which you then turn into
visual campaigns) and the 10 best taglines. Present
these to your client for further input/to get narrowed
down more. CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

THANK YOU FOR READING!
CHELDHAYE

How to write an ads

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