by James Burchill

Created on: February 19, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2007

What I'm about to reveal are myths that most people think are 'true.'

They seem set in stone yet they are deadly to the advertiser.

I'm certain you'll be surprised. Certainly you may even doubt what I reveal to you. But I've discovered that these myths must *NEVER* be followed - unless of course you like throwing your hard earned money down the drain!

There are essentially five common 'Newspaper And Magazine Advertising Myths'

Before I go any further I have a proviso to what I'm about to reveal to you about advertising. Here it is

Everything I talk about here has one goal: To help you make more money - substantially more, with your marketing, sales, and advertising.

If you're looking for 'pretty' advertising or advertising that looks good without getting you leads and orders then you should look elsewhere.

So when you're reading through these advertising myths and facts, be aware that I'm only talking about newspaper and magazine advertising that makes money - plain and simple!

So let's get started

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Advertising Myth 1: Your ad must first 'look good' before it is placed in any publication

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Many people (not your prospects by the way!) judge newspaper and magazine advertising on the 'look and feel' of the ad. In fact one of the mysteries of the modern world is having advertising awards for aesthetically appealing ads. That's just plain nuts!

It doesn't matter how good your ad looks. What counts is how much money you made from the ad!

Of course I'm not saying your ad cannot look good. What I'm saying is your number one objective is to get the sale (or at least a response.

Never forsake this goal for creating a good looking ad!

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Advertising Myth 2: Your company name needs to be prominent in the ad

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Regardless of how familiar your company or service is to your prospects you should always place your company name at the bottom of the ad. Never ever put your company name at the top of the ad.

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Advertising Myth 3: You should never use a reply coupon because it looks 'unprofessional'

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Many design agencies frown on response coupons because once again they don't look 'good.' A coupon has the ability to *double* your response instantly.

You must therefore have a very good reason not to use a coupon in your ads. (By the way I've never come up with a good enough reason - unless of course you're restricted to space!).

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Advertising Myth 4: You should use a design agency to create your ads

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Like all professions there are good and bad design agencies. However only use a design agency that uses 'direct response' advertising principles.

All other design agencies will never get the results you should expect with your newspaper and magazine advertising.

In almost every case you are better equipped to create your own advertising rather than using a design agency.

You'll save thousands of dollars and almost certainly make more money from the advertising you create.

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Advertising Myth 5: Your ad must not have too much copy (words) and have lots of white space

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This is the number one mistake people make with their newspaper and magazine advertising.

You cannot ever hope to get a high response to your advertising if you don't give people a reason (or several reasons) to respond. This means that your ad needs to be *FULL* of copy.

Contrary to popular belief an ad crammed full of relevant and benefit written copy always *substantially* wins over an ad without lots of copy.

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So there you have it. If you want more sales and more success from your newspaper and magazine ads you must step outside the box.

You must break from tradition. You must forget about creating good looking ads. Do this and I promise your sales and profits will soar!

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