Denver Search Engine Optimization | Advertising Information | links | site map
Advertising Information

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 solicited advice (you subscribed to the newsletter, after all) 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.


MORE RESOURCES:

Town Hall

On the Call: McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt
BusinessWeek
CEO Gary Pruitt touched upon the company's efforts to strike the right balance between online advertising and reader fees during a Thursday conference call ...
McClatchy profit down 83 percent, ad sales fallReuters
McClatchy's second-quarter profit declinesSacramento Bee
McClatchy Reports Second Quarter 2010 EarningsMarketWatch (press release)
Poynter.org -News & Observer -Bizjournals.com
all 178 news articles »


New Zealand Herald

Yahoo Japan Chooses Google As Search Partner
Asia Media Journal
Today, Yahoo Japan Corporation announced that it has decided to change its search engine and advertising platform to Google Inc. We also determined to ...
Yahoo Japan for better search and advertisings services joined hands with GoogleABH News
Yahoo Japan Teams Up With Google SearchDailyFinance
Yahoo Japan chooses Google for search and adsFortune

all 869 news articles »


Bogusky Turns Back on Career as Advertising Fails to Reveal Deeper Truth
Bloomberg
Alex Bogusky, former creative director of Crispin Porter & Bogusky advertising agency. ...

and more »


Marvel Issuing Takedowns Over Thor Trailer; Hey Marvel: Trailers Are Advertising
Techdirt
The whole idea of it is to act as advertising for the movie and get people more interested in seeing the movie. And having people put it online for you ...

and more »


Volt Advertising Likely to Go After Nissan's Leaf
AdAge.com (subscription)
But the similarities end there, and consumers can expect the advertising to play up the differences. GM, for example, will likely attempt to convey a sense ...

and more »


DirectNews

What earnings reports have revealed about ads
BusinessWeek
July 16: Gannett Co., the largest US newspaper publisher, shows signs it's moving closer to ending a 3 1/2-year slump in print advertising, though it still ...
Microsoft plans to protest Yahoo Japan-Google partnershipWashington Post
Microsoft Will Try to Block Google-Yahoo Japan DealPC World
Google revamps image search functionsMinneapolis Star Tribune
NewsyStocks.com -Wall Street Journal -CNET
all 65 news articles »


Should Food Advertising to Children Be Restricted?
New York Times
Once again, the food industry objects to tougher advertising standards. It claims its own voluntary guidelines are sufficient to protect public health, ...



Belo 2Q Profit Doubles On Ad Demand, Cost Cuts
Wall Street Journal
s (BLC) second-quarter profit almost doubled on strength from advertising revenue and cost cuts, while results came in just below analysts' expectations. ...
Belo Sees 13% Rise In Local RevsMediaPost Publications
Television Company Belo Corp. (BLC) Reports Results for Second Quarter 2010PR Newswire (press release)
A.H. Belo loses less in 2Q but ad revenue is downLas Vegas Sun
paidContent.org
all 21 news articles »


Mediaset 2Q Pft Up On Advertising Spending Growth
Wall Street Journal
MI), Italy's largest private broadcaster, said Thursday that second-quarter net profit jumped 23% as advertising spending returned to growth in its core ...
Mediaset First-Half Profit Rises 34% on Increased AdvertisingBusinessWeek
Mediaset net jumps on ad recovery, sees more growthReuters

all 20 news articles »


Present at the Birth of Modern Advertising
Wall Street Journal
In the nascent days of advertising, in the first half of the 20th century, no one was more successful—or more influential—than Albert ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006