Creating effective advertisements - part 3

Creating a two-stage subscriptions promotion: how do you sell subscriptions when you have just a tiny space for your advertisement?

This question taxes all copywriters when creating, say, a classified two-stage advertisement, or a promotion to go on a packet, or small leaflet.

How do you cram a unique benefit into a few lines?

It really helps if it is clear what your publication’s audience is, or the title is very well known, like, for example, the Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest and Cosmopolitan.

The Wall Street Journal is so well known it doesn’t always need to sell its benefits within a promotion. It can concentrate on what the offer to the prospect is.

It can use the promotion to get the paper into the prospects hands and let the content sell the publication over 5 issues.

If you are ever staying at the Amsterdam Hilton, (try the John and Yoko suite!) you’ll find the credit-card style room keys have an interesting message:

“FREE 5-DAY TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION – THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE”

There are some very good reasons why this promotion will work:

1. The Hilton’s international travellers are just right for the publication – so the medium is a good one

2. The Wall Street Journal filters prospects by asking for a business card to be sent with the key card – removing holiday makers and others

3. The Wall Street Journal isn’t always stocked by a newsagent

How the promotions works
The prospect sends the key card with his or her business card to the Netherlands address. The newspaper starts the trial subscription within a few days.

Following the trial, the prospect is sent an invoice, offering to continue the subscription.

This invoice, if unpaid, is followed by a personal telephone call, asking for the prospect’s credit card details if he wishes to continue.

There’s not much pressure – the publisher sends the newspaper and the reader makes up his own mind.

Go here to see previous articles on creating effective advertisements