Real, Live Ads Are Placed
On The "Chopping Block"

First of all, thanks to everyone who submitted an ad to be put on the "Chopping Block". I wish I had time to do them all, but I had to select just a few for our “class” today.

Disclaimer before we get started: To the folks whose ads are on the “chopping block” today … this isn’t personal. I’m only trying to help you, okay ;-)

Let’s dig right in, shall we?

“Join Top EARNER” … I’m not sure what that’s trying to get across. Am I going to join the “top earner” income bracket? Am I joining a top earner’s “team”? The top earner for what exactly? The top earner earns how much?

“No Cold Calls, No Warm Market” … I have no idea what this program is, but based on that it SOUNDS like it’s MLM. Even if it’s not MLM, you’ve just turned away the part of your audience who doesn’t want to do MLM.

Here's a possible revision...

Because I don’t know the benefits of the program, I’ve capitalized on the curiosity behind the phrase “Reverse Funnel System” and made it the focus of the ad.

Also, take note of the line: “If you surf the web, you’re over-qualified.”

One of the most powerful things you can do is to tell someone that it is “simple and easy” … without saying the words “simple and easy”. Trust me, it’s not always a “simple and easy” thing to do.

What I’ve done by saying “If you surf the web, you’re over-qualified.” is that I’ve let the reader determine in their own mind that it is simple and easy. I’ve stated a fact, and they’ve translated it into “simple and easy” on their own. It’s a much more powerful way of getting "simple and easy" across to the reader.

Let's look at another ad...

People do not want to join another ezine or get another magazine subscription or anything like that.

People want the benefits that are attached to an ezine or a magazine. See the difference?

Also, the ad is too general. What kind of opportunities are being offered? Opportunities to join another program? Opportunities to advertise?

What kind of business tips... advertising and marketing? ... or tax tips? Or all of the above?

A lot of ad writers try to write an ad for EVERYONE and end up writing an ad that speaks to NO ONE.

Don't fall into that trap! Write your ad for one specific person in a targeted interest group.

Let’s take a step back for a minute and get back to basics.

People want to avoid pain and gain pleasure. Your ad should use at least one of the below elements, preferably two…

• Give them a promise of pleasure/enjoyment
• Help them avoid pain
• Make them feel like they’re missing out without your product/service
• Make them curious

I don’t know anything about the type of info or tips that are part of this site's offer, so I'm not going to make an attempt at an ad re-write for this one. But the benefits listed need to be specific, not generic.

Next...

“What You Should Know about Gum Disease” is actually the name of a book being sold. I just don’t believe this name “works” as a headline or a book title. The book should be renamed to grab attention and force someone to want to crack open the cover and see what’s inside.

Now, let’s go back to the 4 basics from above and ask yourself these questions…

1) Where’s the benefit in this ad? I can’t find one.

2) Where’s the pain avoidance? Some might say “gum disease” is the pain to avoid, but that’s not enough. What exactly will happen to me? How will I suffer if I have gum disease? (Ex: If this was cholesterol, you wouldn’t just say “avoid high cholesterol”. You’d talk about avoiding a heart attack or stroke.)

3) Do you feel like you’re missing out by not clicking on this ad?

4) Does it make you curious enough to make you have to click the ad?

Without knowing anything about gum disease, here’s some suggestions...

Below is a stab at an ad while being more specific.

Let’s take the test…

Did I list a benefit? No.

Pain avoidance? Yes, whatever is placed at the end of the ad.

Missing out? Yes, if you answered “yes” to the headline question. If not, you don’t apply to this ad. The copywriter needs to write a diffferent headline that speaks to you.

Curiosity? Not so much curiousity, but I’ve made it interactive with the promise of a quick quiz to see if they are at risk. So a touch of curiosity with the pull of being interactive and getting them to participate.

The ad should convey what's in it for ME ... not tell me about YOU!

This ad screams out "I'm not sure what I'm doing here, please be charitable towards me."

That's not exactly the type of message you want your business to send to your potential customer.

Let's end on a high note today...

Note: This is a "Double Ad" with extra space for text in the Description field.

This isn’t an ad that’s trying to get everyone to click on their ad. They’re only intersted in getting their target market to click on it. Also, it’s subtle, but for me, it made me curious.

The two questions asked are both to be answered with a ”YES” vs. a negative response. Nicely done.

Bad: Not much. It could be kicked up a notch with a specific benefit such as “I made $X,XXX.XX last month.”

Tip for Any TrafficSwarm Account

You should always have at least two ads in your TrafficSwarm account at all times. The reason is that you want to continuously try to out-perform your top producing ad with a new test ad.

Next time I'll reveal a couple secrets on how you can go about that exact process and have dramatic results without even changing your original offer.

Plus, I'll lay more ads on the chopping blocks to give you more real-lfie examples that will drive home more of the most effective and proven copywriting strategies being used today.

I hope you're able to use the tips and suggestions above for your specific ads to improve the attractivesness, curiosity, and click-thru rates of your ads, regardless of whether it's on TrafficSwarm or Google or anywhere else.

To Your Success,

The TrafficSwarm Team

P.S. Click here to see more ads on the "Chopping Block".