If you’re in the product design space, you understand how important getting your product out there is.
Product advertisements not only have to be catchy, but they also need to be informative. That means that product ads should include what the product does and why people need it.
But as we all know, writing a compelling ad can take time and effort. And these are two things product designers don’t always have an abundance of.
This article will walk through the do’s and don’ts of writing a product advertisement. That way, you can spend more time designing products instead of advertising them.
Do: Exude Confidence
This is your product. You know it inside and out. And you’re excited to share it with the world.
So show that excitement in your product advertisement. It would be best if you wrote product ads in a way that conveys confidence, not uncertainty or lack of belief in what’s being sold.
When people encounter product advertisements, they want to see what your product has to offer. But more importantly, product ads should make the product stand out from its competitors. And there’s one surefire way to do that: exude confidence in your product.
For example, life insurance ads will often include phrases like “Don’t wait” and “Secure your family’s future.” Both phrases are meant to instill a sense of urgency in the mind of consumers who might be on the fence otherwise.
Product advertisements may lack creativity, but they more than make up for it with the product’s value proposition.
An ideal press release should do three things:
- Explain what product does and why people need it
- Be aesthetically appealing and clear about the product’s benefits, features, and return on investment (ROI)
- Exude confidence about product’s value
Nobody wants to buy a product from someone unsure of his own product. So when you’re writing product ads, pretend that your product has no competition and that you think it is truly one of a kind. That way, you’ll sound convincing when communicating with customers.
Do: Leverage Social Proof
People are more inclined to buy a product if others have bought it and loved it.
This is why product advertisements often include names, logos, and endorsements from well-known brands. These product endorsements lend credibility to your product because people trust these product endorsers.
A perfect example of social proof can be found in Google AdWords product ads:
Google uses the logos of other companies as product endorsements. And that’s because these companies trust Google enough to allow their logos to appear in product advertisements. This helps convince consumers that they too can trust Google if they use its products like Gmail or G Suite.
Other forms of leveraging social proof include using customer testimonials on product landing pages, naming well-known publications that have written product reviews, and even including product review snippets within product advertisements themselves.
Of course, it’s important to remember that product advertisements don’t always need social proof. Sometimes people want a sneak peek of what they’re getting before shelling out money for it.
So a press release that reveals details about the product may not make sense if you’re trying to get your audience to buy the product without knowing too much about it first.
DO: Know Your Audience
How can product advertisements be effective if they’re communicating the wrong things to product audiences?
This is where product research comes into play. Product advertisements are a product of product research. And that’s why product designers should always conduct product research before writing product ads.
So how do you get the information you need for your product ad? Well, it’s good to know what kind of people will buy your product. There may be different segments within a larger target audience.
Then figure out which ones are the most profitable (i.e., likely to buy) and then perform user surveys or interviews with these individuals. By doing these two things:
You’ll have access to crucial marketing information. For example, how much money your target audience is willing to spend, how often they’ll use the product, and how they expect it to benefit their lives
You’ll know how to phrase or word your product advertisements so that your customers are interested in buying into your product.
It’s a good idea to create personas before writing any of your marketing campaign materials. Personas are not actual people but rather representations of ideal users. Once you’ve created personas for your target audience, then conduct more research on how these ideal users think about and react to products like yours.
Once you have this information, write an outline of how you want each persona’s story about using the product to unfold (i.e., how it will improve his life). And then use this story outline as a guide for how to create an ad that gets attention.
DO: Be Clear About Your Call-to-Action
What is your ad saying to potential customers? What do you want them to do, and why should they take action?
If you’re not clear about this part of the ad, consumers won’t know what to do next or how your product will improve their lives.
So it’s important to state a clear call-to-action that gives product audiences some idea of what they need to do next after reading the ad. To be more specific, make sure you ask for action in the ad itself. For example, “find out where you can buy X” or “sign up for our newsletter.”
In other words, ad copy is more persuasive when companies ask for action instead of just listing out their product features.
DON’T: Sound Like an Infomercial
It can be tempting to write product advertisements that sound like infomercials or TV commercials. But this audience-annoying habit is a huge turn-off for most people.
As you may know, infomercials are those late night/early morning ads with repeated phrases and the celebrity spokesperson who appears to say how awesome the product is.
You may believe that your product is truly next level. However, it’s important not to talk about how awesome your product is without providing actual evidence of why it’s so great.
So how can you avoid sounding like an infomercial? Product designers should take special care when phrasing their ad copy because persuasion speaks more strongly than words alone. In other words, the ad copy should persuade product audiences to buy into the ad itself.
One way is through storytelling. Instead of just saying, “my product is great,” use storytelling techniques to create ad copy that shows how your target audience will benefit from using your product.
For example, if you created an ad for a weight loss pill, it would be more effective to say something like: “You know how you’ve tried everything before and nothing seemed to work? Well, finally there’s this amazing new supplement that helps cleanse the body and get rid of all those extra toxins.”
Or try writing ad copy with an air of mystery so that consumers are intrigued enough to want more information about what you have to say.
DON’T: Make False Claims
Of course, when creating ad copy, you may want to tell product audiences about all of the amazing ways your product can improve their lives. But before writing ad copy that says your product does X or Y, make sure those claims are true.
Why? Because false advertisements not only frustrate consumers but also damage a company’s reputation in the long run.
So while it may seem like a good idea to put extra emphasis on making the ad stand out from the rest, it’s important to keep ad copy truthful.
DON’T: Be Too Vague
On the other hand, ad copy shouldn’t be generalized or too vague. It should speak to a specific target audience and make them feel like they’re the product’s number one priority.
For example, you want your ad to impact people who are younger than 35 years old. Then, only write ad copy that speaks directly to that demographic in particular.
DON’T: Get Distracted by Your Own Product
It’s easy to get ad copy side-tracked when talking about a product. Oftentimes, ad copy takes the form of an ad report that goes on for pages about how amazing your product is and all of its different features.
While it might be true that people are genuinely interested in hearing you brag about your own product, it can also come off as boring. In other words, ad copy should be persuasive and tell audiences why they need or want your product instead of just straight-up bragging.
And if there is something cool about the ad’s design, then make sure your audience knows who created said ad as well.
Click here to read a press release sample written by the experts.
How To Write an Ad: The Do’s and Don’ts of Product Advertisement
Ad copy is a form of marketing that tells product audiences why they should buy your product. It may seem like common sense to write ad copy, but it’s also easy to get off track when writing ad copy.
However, product advertisement doesn’t have to be boring or generic. Instead, ad designers can still use persuasive language and storytelling techniques to create ad copy that speaks directly to their target audience. This will leave them interested and wanting more.
