zkzz pound for pound

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Hey, that was a sorta compelling piece of
copy, wasn't it? The "sales job" kinda gets lost on
me though when they get to the part about how... yesterday...
that overturned tanker tractor-trailer closed what's known as
"The 18 Mile Stretch" for 20 hours. Be kind of a
bitch if that happens again today or tomorrow, won't it?

Hey, by the time you read this, it'll be all
over... and maybe... absolutely nothing bad will have
happened. Either way, what can it hurt by teaching you more
about how to write copy? OK, what I am about to teach you is a
way (maybe not the best or most inspired way, but... a way...)
that at the very least gets the job done.

Use your
collection of 3x5 headline cards to write a headline.

Use your
nugget notes about the features and benefits of your
product... plus... inspiration from your "swipe
file" to write as many "bullets" as
possible.

Use the
opening paragraph you are about to read in my latest
ad as an exact template for your ad.

Use the close
(that's where I ask for the money) as an exact
template for your ad.

Now listen up! In newspapers there are all
sorts of shapes and sizes for ads... but... there are only a
few "SAU's" which means "Standard Advertising
Units" for which you can get extremely low price
advertising space. They are either a full page ad, a vertical
1/2 page ad, a horizontal 1/2 page ad or, a more or less
square-shaped 1/4 page ad. Observe:

one

full page

two

vertical

1/2 page

ads

two

horizontal

1/2 page

ads

four

1/4 page

ads

Of all these, everything else being equal, pound-for-pound,
dollar-for-dollar, the most cost effective block of space you can buy is a 1/2
page vertical. It insures your headline appears above the fold and will nearly
always pull something like what 70% of a full page ad will pull. Of course, if
you have a full-page's worth of really good copy... use the full page! One-quarter page ads do work but, they will not
pull 25% of what a good, full page ad will pull... nor... 50% of what a good
1/2 page will pull. Here is the 1/2 page version of a brand new ad I have just
finished writing. It will be set as a vertical
half page.