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 Is It An Article or An Ad?

By David Frey

This Sunday my wife is going to run in the HP Houston Marathon. I'm excited for her but I'm also very concerned.

You see, it's her first marathon and she's been training very hard for the past six months.

She's already done two 20+ mile runs without any problems, but I'm just worried that she's going to hit the wall (that's what runners call it) and not finish.

That would break my heart and hers as well.

So You're Probably Asking What Does Running Have to Do With Today's Marketing Article...

Well, recently she has brought a few running magazines into the house so I've started reading them (I read every magazine I get my hands on).

And I was thumbing through one of her magazines this morning and ran into the article below.

The article -> http://www.davidfrey.us/recommends/running

(copy and paste the link into your browser)

The article is about a new British supplement that gives the body added strength and energy while running.

It caught my eye because that's exactly what I've been worrying about lately.

After reading most of the way through the article my marketing instincts kicked in and I suddenly realize that it's not an article, but an advertisement!

Even I Was Duped Into Thinking This Ad Was Really a Genuine News Article

In fact, after looking back at the ad - - here are some things that made it seem like a real article.

1. Notice the word "Advantage" at the top. That looks like a section heading for the magazine.

2. Notice that there is no photo whatsoever of the actual product. Just a photo of people running.

3. Notice the quote, "He told me, 'it was safe, all natural, and best of all perfectly legal!'" That looks like a quote from someone who is being interviewed.

4. And the "Going the Distance" headline simply looks like a headline for an article - - especially when you see the, "by Karl Jansen" line.

5. The article is also written in a Question and Answer format. It makes Karl Jansen appear as an authority on running.

6. Notice the last line at the end of this ad. It says, "I usually get my shipment about a week after ordering." It's as though this guy, Karl, who knows so much about running uses the stuff too.

For those of you who haven't seen this type of ad, it's called an "advertorial ad."

It's an ad that is designed to look like an article.

Why?

Because...

...Studies Have Shown that News Articles Get Looked at At Least Seven Times More than Advertisements

That means that you automatically have seven times the chance of capturing your prospects attention when you use an advertorial ad, as compared to using a traditional retail ad.

Advertorial ads rely on the "news oriented" headline to grab peoples attention.

So if you're going to use this type of advertising you need to learn how to write a killer headline.

Here's an advertorial ad that has a great headline. So good, it's almost impossible to not read it.

Read the headline -> http://www.davidfrey.us/recommends/shocks

(copy and paste the link into your browser)

Notice that this article uses the word "shock."

That word actually creates a "shock-like" effect in the mind of the reader and gets their attention.

The word "local" also evokes curiosity.

We always want to know what our neighbors are doing (we are a voyeuristic society).

When I show these articles to business owners they always tell me...

...People Will Never Read All That Copy!

Well, that's bull crap.

People WILL read long copy IF, AND ONLY IF the copy is about what they're interested in.

Trust me, you couldn't get me to read one paragraph of a quilting article.

But my wife will read every letter of it.

And you couldn't get my wife to read a lick of marketing crap.

But I still get suckered into buying marketing stuff I don't need, because I love the stuff so much.

Listen, if someone is in the market for a car, they WILL read an article with a headline that reads,

"Local Dealer Shocks Community: Cars to Sell for Just $39 Down Payment!"

Even Auto Retailers Are Catching On To This Type of Advertising - - Look At This Ad...

Here's an ad that COMBINES the traditional retail ad with photos and prices with an advertorial ad.

Here's the ad --> http://www.davidfrey.us/recommends/dualads

(copy and paste the link into your browser)

Now you can't see the entire ad but notice how the ad on the right is a traditional retail advertisement.

The advertorial on the left supports the traditional retail ad.

In a way, it "preps" the reader for the more "in your face" retail ad by educating them about the benefits of the automobile.

It's what I call "Education-Based Advertising."

Most retail ads repel readers, but this approach uses an educational message to invite the reader to look at the offer.

How Would You Like to Get Into the Education-Based Advertising Business? Check Out This Ad...

This is a little off topic, but I found it interesting.

This ad was shrunk down to fit on my scanner but it's actually a full-page ad out of the Houston Chronicle.

Actually, it's the combination of four different ads.

Here's the ad -> http://www.davidfrey.us/recommends/health86

(copy and paste the link into your browser)

Each ad is promoting a health related product or service.

Notice at the very top right of the ad, the line that says, "To Participate, Please Call Brandon Ryals or Marcus Pitts."

What these guys have done is purchased a full-page ad from the Chronicle (probably at a deep discount) and then resold the ad space to these four companies for a nice little profit.

Notice the headline reads, "Focus on Health" and that each ad is in an advertorial format.

Each ad has photos, but they're only used to support the copy (instead of the other way around as in most ads).

Should You Use Advertorials Ads to Market Your Business?

I've been asked this many times.

My standard answer is...

...it depends.

If your a retailer selling low dollar products - - perhaps not (like grocery stores).

But in every other case, you should test it. (how's that for a straight forward answer)

All I can tell you is, all the advertorial ads I've ever written for business owners (and for my own products) have ALWAYS out pulled a retail-type ad.

And most of them by a very wide margin.

So before you let your ad agency create your next ad, think about using an advertorial ad.