To deem an advertisement successful it must generate a conversion — a reader who responded to your ad by taking the specific action that you asked him to take. So what’s the best ad copy length to generate a conversion? The short answer is that there isn’t a simple answer. But here are a few tips.
You should think of your advertisement as a job application. You are applying for the job of winning a contract to sell your products or services to the buyer. Do you think you can do this in a single sentence?
Can you grab attention, demonstrate benefits, show proof, convince the reader, and ask for action in a single sentence? Probably not. Then what is the minimum number of sentences?
This is a question you should ignore. It’s not a helpful question.
You’ll be more limited by space constraints in your advertisement than you will be words to say. While not always true, longer copy tends to perform better than shorter copy. The reason for this is that you have more space to demonstrate more benefits to the reader. You can provide more testimonial evidence that builds independent support for your case. You can extend guarantees. You can develop copy that really relates to the reader’s situation because you can include as many details as you need to in order to help create the mental image or emotional response that you are aiming for. You can ask for action multiple times.
Want to see an example, written by a copywriting master, that generates thousands of dollars whenever it’s sent to its owner’s email list? Then click here for an example of a long sales letter that produces conversions.
EXCUSE ME, SIR, CAN I INTEREST YOU IN SOMETHING THAT’LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE?
Imagine a speaker on a platform overlooking hundreds of people. He’s going on and on about whatever idea or crusade he’s promoting. He doesn’t stop with just one or two sentences. He knows he’s not going to convert the entire crowd of people standing on the floor below him, but he is looking to persuade those in the crowd who may be on the fence. To do this he utilizes all of the skills in his tool belt to catch the attention of those individuals and maintain it.
You are performing a similar task when promoting your products or services. You may find it surprising just how much copy an interested party might read. Who doesn’t like to read more about ways that their life can be improved? Who doesn’t like to read more about how their futures are going to be better if they start with taking such-and-such simple action today?
When you are preparing your next ad (or reviewing an ad prepared by your ad agency), and the question of copy length comes to your mind, remember this article. Recall the man on stage who must exhaust his options to win over converts — not everyone in the crowd, but certainly the ones who are capable of being won over.
The answer that should come to your mind for the question “How long should my copy be?” should be “Long enough to get the job done.”