The $250 bid equates to $50/article @ 500-600 words each, five delivered per day as needed. Here is a sample of my writing (published in the Greater Lansing Business Monthly, January 2005 – 671 words):
Hey, Look at Me!
OK, admit it. We all want it. “What do we want?” you ask. Oh, come on, you know. We want more attention paid to our advertising. How do we cut through the clutter and get our ad to stand out? Well, it’s back to the basics. In advertising, it starts with a KISS.
Just a little KISS
KISS means “Keep It Simple Stupid.” It’s the simplest ads that stand out. Recall the highly-successful Volkswagon campaign of the 1970’s, featuring an ad of white space with a small picture of the car. Translation:
• Make your ad clean. People avoid clutter.
• Don’t be afraid to be different. Different attracts attention.
• White space is your friend. It draws attention to your message.
It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson!
“Elements” are the pieces used to create your ad. In a nutshell, these are text and graphics. How can these draw attention? Let’s see.
Text obviously serves a purpose, but how do you get it read? If you’re talking headlines, make them big and bold. There is no set word length as long as each word is needed. Headlines set in upper/lower case are much easier to read. If you need lengthy body copy, make sure you break it up so it can be skimmed. Use bullets, charts or illustrations to engage readers. Or, try placing your text so it forms a shape. This provides visual interest and increases readership.
Graphics come in all shapes and sizes, don’t be afraid to try something new. Photographs don’t have to be rectangles. Try using other shapes. Choose a photo or illustration that has some zip. If the content of your subject isn’t very interesting, crop the graphic in an unusual way.
If you don’t have a graphic, be creative and incorporate different kinds of lines, like gradients, or something with a pattern. You can also use text to create a graphic. Accomplish this by using over-sized text as a light shadow in the background. Make it even more appealing by running part of the word off the ad space. You can also distort the text, or create a 3-D effect.
Caught You Looking!
The “look” or layout of your ad has to draw attention in this page-turning world. Principles such as balance, unity, contrast, and movement can help.
Balance is appealing. Symmetry is the easiest to achieve. However, don’t put the dominant element in the dead center. It’s called ‘dead” for a reason. The optical center is just above the actual center. Since symmetry can get boring though, experiment with asymmetry or a combination of both. This will add visual appeal to your message.
Unity is achieved when we group like elements together. This creates the illusion of less information and makes the ad more inviting. Be consistent with the amount of white space you use around each element when you group, or you will disturb the balance.
Contrast, is the spice of life! Make sure you make it obvious in your ad. The dominate element should dominate. Contrast deals also with color balance. If using color, emphasis the important information with it. Make sure that multiple colors are not too close in range. Since there are many shades of gray, contrast is even more important when designing in black and white.
Movement is used to get the reader’s eye to flow through the ad in a specific order. Four common visual paths are vertical (downward), diagonal (top left to bottom right), a Z-pattern, and C-spiral (can also be a backwards C). Place the elements in your ad in one of these patterns to increase readership. Directional cues in your graphics can also help. Things such as a finger pointing, or eyes looking towards one of your other elements, increase the awareness in your message.
Utilizing these tips will help get your ad noticed. This is very important since most readers must notice an ad seven times before they take action on it. So, keep the look of your ads consistent to help achieve this goal.