Warning: Do Not Read Anything Else Until You Have Read This On Advertising!

The headline is one of the most important sections of any advertising feature. Look at newspapers and magazines, they don’t just have the name of the publication and the rest copy (Body or story.). They have eye catching headlines that make you want to read the story. Browse the magazines at your newsagents/book store and look at the headlines. They draw your attention and make the magazine sell, and that is what it is all about.

It is no good having great stories or information about your new widget and no one reads it because your headline is boring, or worse still you have no headline.

There are many different types of headlines, some arouse the curiosity of the reader, others announce how to do something. No matter what type of headline you use, be sure to capture peoples attention or more importantly your target markets. Some proven attention words used in headlines are, Free, Announcing, How to, New, Warning, Don’t, Attention and Seven Ways To.

Here are a few examples of the words put in headlines;

You can just replace some words and modify it for your market such as, “How to double your sales in six months.” could become, “How to cut your tax in half.” or “How to lose 6 kilos in six weeks.” Regardless of what type of headline you use or who your target market is make it compelling to read on.

Attention: Why Your Color Matters.

Some colors can also create an optical illusion which can make the ads easier or harder to read. Red colors appear to move towards your eyes, while blue appears to move away from you. Colors can also have different psychological meanings.

Red, is hot, excitement and can also mean danger. It can make headlines stand out.

Green can convey a fresh feel as well and associated with nature. Some big petrol and chemical companies have put green in their logos in the last couple of years to suggest they are more friendly and in tune with the environment.

Brown, is wholesomeness and ageing, can also be dull, boring and dirty.

White pureness, cleanliness. White weddings and white doves, however, too much can be a sterile environment, like hospitals.

Orange can mean action and warmth.

Black is sophisticated, mysterious, can also be expensive and strong. Black can also suggest evil and gloomy, like ninjas and the dark of night.

Purple is royalty, but can also be associated with witch craft.

Yellow suggests refreshing and bright, however can also look cheap and cowardly.

Blue is stability, peaceful, formality, however it can be cold in darker shades. Royal blue can mean trustworthy

Different shades of the color can also change the perception of the meaning. Dark blue for instance is dramatically different to light blue, as are different shades of green.

Combining colors has a big impact, like black and gold can mean elite and expensive. Red and yellow can really stand out, together they catch your attention, no wonder McDonalds has the golden arches.

When selecting colours for your advertising materials or even your corporate colours, think about who is your target market. Are you marketing to young outgoing types? Then your marketing materials may look boring if you use a lot of brown, however brown may be suitable for some elderly customers. Match your clors to your preferred customers.

A common mistake for small businesses owners is to use to many colours on their brochures, signs, business cards flyers, etc. While a range of colours might make the advertising material look pretty, it also makes it hard to read.

Does Size Matter?

For posters and point of sale material you need to consider what distance the ads will be viewed from, as this will drastically effect the size the font needs to be. Will your clients be walking quickly past it four metres away (13 feet), or will they be stuck in a crowded elevator 15 cm (6 inches) from it?

There is no point having a great ad if you can not even see it.

If your advertisements are aimed at the elderly then consider size and colours, are they easy to read? Obviously, this applies for making products for the elderly as well. Make sure the labelling is big enough to read.

Some directions / information on the labels for medication bottles are very hard to read for someone with exceptional eyesight, little known for someone who is eighty.

Reverse Print and Highlights

Limit the use of reverse print, as it is hard to read. Anything that is a hard on the eyes, will not be read.
Like anything in business, there are exceptions, for example, a very short headline may be used with reverse print. A few short blocks around words to catch peoples attention is okay, however, limit the amount and length for easy reading.

Try reading this. This paragraph is repeated so you can see how hard it is to read. Reverse print is when you use white text on a black background. Limit the use of reverse print as it is hard to read. Anything that is a hard on the eyes, will not be read. Like anything in business there are exceptions, for example a very short headline may be used with reverse print. A few short blocks around words, to catch peoples attention is okay, however limit the amount and length for easy reading. Imagine if this paragraph was longer or a whole page, yuk.

This guideline also applies not just to white font on a black background, but any light font on a dark background or highlighting.

Do not forget, some newspapers or even quality magazine advertisements may bleed, (The ink runs.) making the ad even harder to read. If your ad has reverse print with small font size and the ink bleeds, the material will be very hard to read. Ouch, wasted advertising dollars.

Highlighting black text with a touch of yellow stands out and obviously it is easier to read then say with a dark text and dark highlights, use it again only for key words. Highlighting certain words with a touch of light grey is also is a good way of drawing attention. Limit the amount of colours used for highlighting.

Highlighting and reverse print is effective, but is should be used sparingly.

If you are not too sure about designing your ad, then the general rule in advertising is to, avoid anything that distracts the reader from the message.

I am still amazed of the amount of brochures, flyers, business cards and now websites that use dark backgrounds and highlights that hide the text and make it hard to read.