Answering important questions about your book

Whichever advertising medium you ultimately use, the advertising message

you convey must quickly and powerfully answer the questions: who, what,

where, when, why, and how. At the same time, the message needs to focus on

the potential reader’s wants and needs.

While making sure that your ad appeals to your target audience, the ad must

also quickly answer a number of questions. Here are some of those questions:

-

 What are you offering? In this case, you’re offering a book. People need

to know that.

-

 What’s the book about? In one sentence or less, successfully and suc-

cinctly summarize what your book is all about.

-

 Who will be interested in reading it and why? Focus on what your

book’s target audience will want to know about your book.

-

 What does the book offer to its readers? Does your book offer exclu-

sive or valuable content? If so, your ad needs to bring this fact to the

attention of potential readers.

-

 What’s unique about your book? Focus on why someone should read

your book as opposed to another book on the same topic.

-

 How will readers benefit from reading your book? What will they

learn? Focus on the value or knowledge the reader will obtain and how

your book can help the reader.

-

 What information will readers obtain? List a few specific examples of

topics covered in the book. Give readers a taste of what they can expect.

-

 What problems can the book help solve? Be specific and address

issues or topics that relate directly to your intended audience. For exam-

ple, focus on how the book will help your readers overcome a problem.

-

 Why should someone buy your book right now? Create a sense of

urgency. Provide one or more reasons why the information in your book

should be obtained right away.

-

 Where can they obtain a copy of your book? Is the book “Available

now from bookstores everywhere!” or “Available exclusively at

www.[Web siteURL].com”? Don’t make potential readers search for your

book. Tell them exactly where they can purchase it right away.

-

 How much does the book cost? List the cover price of the book. If

you’ve already created a perceived value for the book’s content, poten-

tial readers should think they’re getting a bargain when they see how

much the book actually costs.To convey your message quickly, use powerful words that create excitement,

demand, and urgency. You can find great tips for writing copy for ads and

other pieces in Writing Copy For Dummies (Wiley) by Jonathan Kranz.

Whenever you’re advertising in any type of media that allows for visuals, be

sure that your book’s cover is prominently displayed. People need to know

exactly what the book looks like, so they can find it easily on a bookstore’s

shelves. The cover of your book should be designed to sell itself. (See

Chapter 9 for details on putting together an attractive book cover.)

You have only a few seconds to make a positive impression. For a display ad,

the headline and the graphics must jump off the page at the reader. The sample

book ad in Figure 20-1 uses a bold headline to quickly attract a specific audi-

ence’s attention (in this case, single guys), and then asks a question to further

engage the reader. The book’s cover is prominently displayed. The remaining

text conveys the relevant information about the book and provides details

about its content.

Take a look at ads for other books. Examine the format, the wording used,

and the approaches the various ads take. Determine what approach mostly

likely works with your book and try to use those same advertising tech-

niques, assuming they apply to your book and your potential audience.

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