Writing a good ad is what separates a successful campaign from a failure. It's your first point of contact with potential customers, and what you use to grab their attention. In this article today I will go through some of the things you need in order to write good ad copy. (We are going to assume you already know your client and target audience.)

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1. Write down EVERY IDEA.

To start off with let's talk about actually coming up with ideas for ad copy. I like to usually start out with a big pad of paper and a pen(but a computer works too). Then I’ll write down every idea that comes into my head as I explore my client's site. This list will not be clean and it will not be organized.

Another thing I like to do at this time is to go on Google and start searching. It could be anything but one of my favorites is to look up “Good google ad copy” and search through the images. Even though the ad copy that is showing might not be amazing or related to my current client I often get some of my best ideas and inspirations from here.

The entire point of this exercise is to just get the ideas flowing. (Half the time I can’t even read what I’ve written). This writing is called your U.F.D(Ugly First Draft). Its never going to be perfect and 90% of it probably won't end up in your final draft but it needs to be done. Gregory Ciotti, the author of How to Write with Substance once said,

“People mistakenly expect to hit the bulls-eye on the first pass. Abandon the idea that your first draft should be anything but exploration.”

So get to it!

   2. Walk away

That’s right you heard me. Walk. Away. Go and do something else. Take your mind off of writing for a while. Usually, I like to either go for a walk, maybe grab some food, or even just let it sit overnight. That way I can come back to it with fresh eyes and a new perspective on it.

“When it's time for me to walk away from something, I walk away from it. My mind, my body, my conscience tells me that enough is enough.”
-Jerry West.

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3. The Revision

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Okay ladies and gentlemen, its time for the hard part. Sit down and buckle up because its gonna be a bumpy ride.

Let's start this off simple, read through what you have written down.  If you can read it out loud that's even better. But what you really want to be doing is looking for those solid points you have written down and start to establish them into a framework of some kind.

Heres an example of some ad copy I might work on-

1st Draft

Headline:

1. Looking for a Good Dog House?
2.Build Your Custom Doghouse here
3. Call Us Today!

Description:

1. Get in contact with one of our Doggy House Design Specialists. We can build anything for you. Let's Get Started Today!
2. Doggy Houses are Unique and Make your Dog happy!

Now here is what it looks like after some revisions

Headline:

1.Quality Dog Houses For Sale

2.Free Shipping over $49 dollars.  

Description:

1. We Have Dog Houses That Cater To Your Dogs Every Need In a Price Range That Works For You.

2.100’s Of Unique Dog Houses Available.  Find the Perfect House for Your Dog Here.

As you can see writing ad copy is not a very clean or easy process. However, by taking it one step at a time and breaking it down into a couple of easy steps, what looks like a brick wall of impossible becomes a mountain of creative possibilities. If there's one thing that I hope you can take away from this article its this:

“You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.
That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”
― Octavia E. Butler

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