Learn How Advertise Successfully from Forward Productions Learn How to Advertise Successfully.
Site MapSite Home
Related Sites >Traffic-Reach - Unlimited Quality Traffic - On DemandSmartAuctioning.comForward Productions SitesMapJoin Our Links Directory!


Direct Mail Catalogs & Brochures: Write Captions That Sell


Many prospects skim through catalogs and brochures, glancing at the photos and reading the accompanying captions only when a particular image arouses their interest. That's when you have their attention. And so that's when you sell them.

My advice for writing captions is to never describe what readers can see for themselves in your photo.

If your photo shows a man in a golf shirt, for example, don't place a caption beneath the photo that simply says "New Golf Shirt." Instead, write a subhead that communicates a benefit that the reader cannot see, one that the photographer could never capture. Write something like this:

NEVER A HOLE IN ONE: Our new Glengarry Golf Shirt features a Teflon fabric protector that forms an invisible shield around fibers for superb protection against tears and punctures.

My second piece of advice is to start your captions, whenever possible, with a pithy intro phrase. In five words or fewer, capture the essence of what you are saying with a clever word play, like the one above.Here's another example.

My local newspaper ran a story about the problem that my city is facing this summer with some homeowners watering their lawns every day when they should be watering every other day to conserve water. The story was illustrated with a photograph of a city bylaw officer, in uniform, at the door of a homeowner who was in the very act of breaking the bylaw. The photo caption began:

LAWN ORDER: Bylaw Enforcement Officer Jack Phillips issues a warning to homeowner . . .

That caption put a smile on my face and forced me to read the story. Your captions and subheads will do the same if you make them clever, interesting and laden with benefits that interest your readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.





Help keep Advertising Advice available by donating any amount.





MORE RESOURCES:

Earthtimes (press release)

Online advertising up 11 percent from last year
CNET News, CA - 5 hours ago
Internet advertising revenues for the third quarter were nearly $5.9 billion, representing an 11-percent increase over the same period last year, ...
Internet Advertising Revenues in Q3 '08 at Nearly $5.9 Billion MarketWatch
Online Advertising Nearly $5.9 Billion in the Third Quarter Seeking Alpha
Growth In Online Advertising Revenue Slows InformationWeek
PC World - Forbes
all 213 news articles


Current World News

TV Ads Contribute to Childhood Obesity, Economists Say
New York Times, United States - 5 hours ago
The researchers used several statistical models to link obesity rates to the amount of time spent viewing fast food advertising, finding that viewing more ...
Researchers: Ban on Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse ... MarketWatch
Study: Banning fast-food TV ads could dent obesity The Associated Press
Fast-food ad ban could cut child obesity: US study Reuters
Los Angeles Times - Telegraph.co.uk
all 460 news articles


Sport Chalet Teams With TM Advertising
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
one of the nation's premier specialty sporting retailers, today announced that it has hired TM Advertising as its first advertising agency of record. ...
Precor Selects Sport Chalet for California, Arizona and Nevada Earthtimes (press release)
Precor Names New England, New York Metro Home Fitness Dealer MarketWatch
Precor Selects Sport Chalet for California, Arizona and Nevada MarketWatch
all 28 news articles


Advertising Agency Search Consultant, Hank Blank, Speaks to AAF ...
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
"I recently had the honor of attending several of Hank's presentations when he spoke at the American Advertising Federation 4th District quarterly ...


WideOrbit Welcomes Angela Bandlow as Chief Marketing Officer
MarketWatch - 3 hours ago
WideOrbit drives the business of selling advertising - maximizing advertising profitability and sales efficiencies. Media companies around the globe rely ...


Journal Communications Reports October Revenue for Its Publishing ...
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
For the tenth period 2008, advertising revenues of $32.48 million decreased 3.8% compared to $33.75 million for the 2007 tenth period. ...
Journal revenue down in October The Business Journal of Milwaukee Bizjournals.com
Mixed month for Journal Communications Radio Business Report
Journal Communications October revenue slips Forbes
Streaming Magazine
all 15 news articles


A Global Strategic Business Report on the Advertising Industry ...
MarketWatch - Nov 19, 2008
The global outlook series on the Advertising Industry provides a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research ...


Digital Signage Leaders Give Digital Out of Home (DOOH) Industry ...
MarketWatch - 2 hours ago
"We expect that gross advertising spending in Q1 for digital out of home networks will be light, but we have already seen significant bookings for Q2 and ...


DailyTech

Compromise On Search Deal With Microsoft Could Lift Yahoo
CNNMoney.com - 8 hours ago
Microsoft also wants to build a unified search and display advertising platform, a goal that will be hard to achieve without Yahoo's search business. ...
Yahoo! Is the One for You, Microsoft Motley Fool
AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:33 pm EST TMCnet
Analyst upgrades Yahoo, calling stock cheap MarketWatch
Redmond Channel Partner - DailyTech
all 82 news articles


Advertising pioneer George Beach to be honored
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - 5 hours ago
By Jane M. Von Bergen The interview was winding down, and longtime advertising executive George Beach had begun to relax a little. ...

Advertising - Google News

Site MapSite Home
Related Sites >Traffic-Reach - Unlimited Quality Traffic - On DemandSmartAuctioning.comForward Productions SitesMapJoin Our Links Directory!



© 2006 Forward Productions A Quality Host is our favorite web host