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Rule #12: Repeat Your Story in the Coupon or the Closing

Written by: Brad Sugars

Article Overview: This is Rule #12 in a series of articles on "21 ways to Increase the Power and Profit of Your Advertising Without Spending an Extra Cent," by Brad Sugars.

Rule #12: Repeat Your Story in the Coupon or the Closing

Research shows that when people read ads they do not start at the beginning and work their way to the end.

Yes, they jump around the ad (or letter).

For example, most people read the headline of a direct mail letter first. That you'd expect. Plus (perhaps) the first few paragraphs. But the second thing they read is the postscript (P.S.).

In an ad, after the headline most people will go straight to the coupon (or the last paragraph - your close, if there's no coupon).

Why?

When you read a mystery, knowing "who-dun nit" before you begin would completely spoil the experience. You read a mystery for the suspense, and for the puzzle.

When you read an ad, your most important question is: what's the point? (What's the ending?). You want to know where you’re going before you start, so that you can decide whether the journey's worth the trouble or not.

Let's say a headline intrigues you. Do you want to spend time reading this ad? Do you really want to know more?

You look at the coupon and discover the product is interesting and costs $5. You read on.

OR: You look at the coupon and discover the product is interesting and costs $1, 000. You turn the page.

OR: There's no coupon, there's no close, there's no apparent point to the ad… It's not obvious what the ad is trying to tell you. Sometimes, when I see an ad like this, I try to figure out what the guy's trying to sell. That's a mental exercise because I spend most of my time writing copy. You - and almost everybody else will give up and turn the page.

You should treat your coupon (or close the last two or three paragraphs) as a mini-advertisement. Restate the offer precisely and succinctly, with as much sizzle as you can.

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Article Tags: advertisement, direct mail, dun, intrigues, journey, mail letter, mental exercise, mystery, paragraph, paragraphs, postscript, puzzle, suspense, worth the trouble



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