Effective newspaper advertising is all about weighing the cost of the ad versus the expected draw on the audience. Some of the best tips for creating unique, attention-grabbing newspaper ads are to use color wisely and to show photographs of the item or service being promoted. It can also be helpful to avoid overpaying for placement and instead focus on the content of the ad.
People are instinctively drawn to color, especially when reading a newspaper as a large amount of it is in black and white. In general, papers typically offer three different color options when placing an ad: black-and-white, two-color, and four-color. Black-and-white tends to blend in, and it can be difficult to draw a reader away from other ads or content. Two-color tends to be only slightly less expensive than four-color, yet it typically draws only slight more of an audience than black-and-white. In most cases, four-color ads can provide enough visual impact for effective newspaper advertising.
One of the most important parts about advertising any product or service is to provide potential customers with a good idea of what is being offered. Photographs are ideal in doing this, especially when promoting an item. Illustrations can have a similar effect, although it can cause concern in discerning customers as to why an actual photo of the item is not shown. When an advertisement is for a service, showing a photograph of the storefront or the people providing the service can help to sell the deal to potential customers.
When it comes to placing effective newspaper advertising, location often does not matter, despite many newspapers selling space at a higher premium based on location. In general, if the promotion is well-written, laid out, and attention-grabbing, it will do just as well at the top of a page as it will at the bottom. There are, however, some exceptions to this. The first and last ads of a section in a newspaper tend to generate slightly more attention, as many newspaper readers skip between sections that hold little interest to them, and only see these areas.
While color and occasionally location will draw readers into a promotion, the actual content of the ad is the cornerstone of effective newspaper advertising. The text should be clear and fully explain the item or service being offered. Despite this, overcrowding an ad with content will typically cause a newspaper reader to lose interest. Keeping the text concise yet catchy is important when creating effective newspaper advertising.