Make Your Newspaper Ad Leap Off the Page
When you look at the page of church ads in your local newspaper, what do you see? Does your church’s ad immediately jump off the page at you, or does it blend nicely into the background? If it falls into the latter category, you could be wasting valuable ad dollars and missing the opportunity to reach families in your community.
To capture the reader, you must catch their eye – and quickly. Take the time to evaluate and redesign your ad to get the most bang for your buck. Whether you’ve decided to "do-it-yourself" or hire a professional designer to develop your ad, you should keep the following in mind:
1) Say More with Less
Just like a long lecture, too many words will bore the reader. Think about what you want your ad to say, and say it as briefly as possible. Remember, this is advertising. It must answer the question, "What’s in it for me?" first and foremost. An ad doesn’t need to provide exhaustive information, but motivate the reader to act. Consider the following information:
a. Church name
b. Weekly sermon topic
c. Service times
d. Location
e. Phone number
f. Upcoming special event
Now, try to reduce the words you’ve used by at least five words. Then, try again. Try until you simply can’t cut one more word. Now you’re ready to go.
2) Accentuate the Attractive, De-emphasize the Mundane
The largest type in your ad should answer the "What’s in it for me" question. If you catch the reader there, he’ll read the smaller print. You can make more room for the interest-grabber by putting the location, phone number and service times in smaller type.
3) Look for the Right Look
Pick two typefaces that are clear, complementary, and suit the overall feel of your church. Consider a mix of a serif type face (small lines at the ends of the letters, like Times Roman) with a sans serif face (no lines at the end of the letters, like Arial).
4) Be Bold!
All ads are composed of the same elements: Text, pictures or graphics, lines and background. If you are dealing with black-and-white ads, as most churches are, bolder is better – within reason, of course. An area of dense black will not just ask for attention, it will command it.
A bold headline in distinctive type or a short headline in a black background with reversed-out bold white type will catch the eye. A simple eye-catching graphic or clear photo will also have areas of density, which will command your reader’s attention. Avoid poor quality photos, corny or dated clip art, or images with excessive detail — these simply don’t work well in newspaper reproduction.
5) Keep It Simple
Less is more in design as well as text. Study the ads throughout the paper. Which ones look the best to you? The ads that use few words and a lot of space to convey an idea are usually the ones that get readership. Learn from them.
6) Let It Flow
Remember that once your ad catches the eye, the information should be arranged in such away that it flows from the first point and travels naturally through the remaining information. If you look at the ad and the information has no logical flow for your eye, someone else may get lost in it, too.
7) Put It to the Test
When you’ve got a finished product, take your ad and lay it in the paper next to the rest of the ads. Close your eyes and then look back at the page. Does yours stand out now? If it doesn’t, do some fine-tuning, until you get an ad as vibrant and lively as your church. Don’t stop until you’re happy with what you see.