When you prepare your ad, concentrate on creating strong, eye-catching headlines. For many readers, the headline is the only line worth reading. Make certain your headline and artwork or photograph work well together. Keep your message simple; appeal to readers' interests. What will your product do for them, and why should they buy it? Make it as easy as possible for the reader to respond to your ad. And always check and recheck that it has all the required information and that it is accurate.

Give yourself the ten-second test. Look at your ad for 10 seconds. If the prime objective of your ad does not come through to you in 10 seconds, start again.

Once you have an ad that you believe will give you good results, test it. When you have a winning advertisement, run with it. Run it. Run it.

New ads are tested against those that have proven successful. You may want to try other ads and test them as well to see which "pulls better," once you know what to expect from the first one. (This will give you a basis of comparison.)

Testing also means creating and running ads in different sizes: partial pages (one-half or one-fourth), even smaller ads, and full-page ads are all tested to see if results can be increased. Always include a code or department number in your ad so that you can accurately determine results. Use some method for identifying the ad from which you get responses months later. Your tests will not be worthwhile if you cannot identify the ad that has been answered.

Reprint your advertisement. Mail copies to prospective customers and to your regular customers. Then mail it again. You may triple your advertising effectiveness by direct-mail follow-up with the same sales message. If you are sincere and enthusiastic, your ads will reflect that authenticity, and your message will get responses and good sales results.

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