How many words should an advertisement contain?
When I throw that question out to groups, I hear some interesting first responses:
Groups of people hoping to create their first ads say: I never read long letters or ads with lots of words.
Groups of experienced marketers who really haven’t written an ad themselves, but have approved many say: That will depend on the media, the space available, and blah, blah, blah.
Groups of copywriters say: The longer the better. The more you write the more they bite.
To the amateurs I say: Be a little more humble. Just because you don’t think you’d respond, you have, in all likelihood, bought something after getting 700 words or more. Chances are, a short ad didn’t persuade you to buy.
To the marketing executives I say: Be a lot more humble. The space available is a function of your ability to sell. It also avoids the basic question.
To the copywriters I say: No. Nonsensical. You’re missing the point.
The point is to make a sale.
If you have limited space then you must have such a powerful message that it compels the potential buyers to seek information some place else. The remaining words of the sales pitch will be delivered there. One of the most successful ads ever, and the silliest, was in a classified ad in a New York City newspaper. It just said, “Send $1" and gave the address. Dollar bills flowed in. The kooks at the post office or some government bureau purported to protect people from themselves deemed it a con and shut the guy down, taking his money (and they put it in the government coffers as if it was better used or safer there). The space demanded he get pithy and he did. But the action required an address where the curious dupe thought he’d get more information on something bigger. On a less silly front, the lawn sign read, “I’ll pay cash for your home” and gave a phone number. Was the sale made? Nope. But the first person who tried that, supposedly in St. Louis, got swamped with phone calls. The ad worked – it achieved its objective.
Remember, the purpose of the headline is to drive the reader to the next sentence or action. The headline length can be a few words or many words. One headline I wrote was “When is a diet pill worth $135 a bottle... when it works.” That headline has been used over and over since I wrote it in the early 2000s. It’s a little long. I’ve used headlines twice that long. But, one of my most successful headlines was “We Don’t Sell Fish.” It had enough of a curiosity factor to make people want to read the next sentence. They did and we followed that with benefit after benefit for people to attend a one week course that cost them $3,000. Hundreds came.
That next sentence after the headline might be uttered over the phone, in an email, a twitter, a website or into the store where the rest of the advertisement takes place.
The length of the ad is strictly based upon its purpose. And you should only use enough words to accomplish that purpose. Not a word more or less.
Sometimes it takes many words. Remember, advertising is simply salesmanship in print (or on a another medium).
Determine your purpose and write as many words as it takes to close the sale. Don’t limit yourself when writing to the physical constraints of the ad space or cost. You’ll edit later. Get the message out there in a free flowing logical progression first. Don’t be constrained by what others will think either. Someone will always be there to utter the foolish words, “that’s too long.” No. It’s either effective or ineffective.
