I have had this discussion on numerous occasions; trying to explain the use of action words. I don’t know what is so hard about the concept of quality ads using a few basic concepts. On line classified ads can be a tricky bird if not done correctly. With all of the information on the Internet today they will simply get lost in the clutter, and that is something that we just don’t need. Any reputable website will be indexed and your ad will be searchable within weeks of proper placement.

My question to you is where is your ad REALLY? Yes, I know far to well that it is on the classified site you put it on next to the other hundreds of ads, but what will make people read it over the others? It’s your eye popping title and great picture of course! Let me back up for a moment and check out your title, it looks like all the others so why should I read it? It’s time for a title rewrite. It should not only say what you are selling, but also why yours is better or different than the rest. Ok, now that that is fixed let’s see the photo. No wait you don’t have one. That is easy to fix, but lots of people seem to forget that a picture is worth a thousand words, or maybe a thousand dollars.

Now you have a great title and an eye pleasing photo, lets get to the meat of any ad, the content or body as it is so often called. The object of the body is to explain what you have in greater detail, causing the reader to get excited about what you have, ending with a call to action. The call to action is the most forgotten part of the body, and the most important. You may not think that a call to action is necessary. (It always is) Keep in mind that people like to know what they need to do next. Stop and think about it for a minute. Do you want people to call a phone number, send an email, click a link or just send it to someone else. You have to be clear in your call to action and make sure that they know when to do it. You know, ACT NOW or OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY. My personal favorite is LIMITED TIME OFFER ACT NOW, it sounds silly, but it will work.

Well there you have it, my slant on great classified ads with all the components that it takes, lets recap.

1. Well written eye catching title.

2. Well done photo

3. Ad body that causes excitement while explaining what you have in detail.

4. Explanation of what you want people to do.

5. Ending with a call to action.

Good luck and happy ad writing!