Print Ad That Works!

Be it India or US or any country, there are some written rules for creating effective print advertising, which hold universally true irrespective of the boundaries and cultural differences.

Following are the key areas you need to focus on while creating a print ad/campaign:

• Have a message in mind—Clarity of thought while writing a copy for print ad is extremely vital. The next step is to know how you want your readers to understand it, which means how you wish to convey your message. If it is a campaign, make sure your reader takes away the same uniform message from each ad. 
• Have a headline that has stopping power—Short and to-the-point headlines always work. Throw a question, challenge a common belief or throw the offer in the headline. 
• Use an updated Logo—Use an eye appealing logo with appropriate colors that match your product and the taste of the audience you are targeting. 
• Choose the right color scheme—Right color scheme for an entire ad is equally imperative while building a brand and its presence locally as well as online. Also, make sure that colors used are in streamline with the colors of the logo.
• Consider the size of your print advertising designs—Print ads require higher DPI (300 Dots Per Inch) while web graphics require 72 DPI. Thus, it is essential to utilize high-quality graphics, photos and vector images.
• Typography matters—Depending on the type of media you are using to communicate your message, you must use the fonts. Some fonts which may work for online ads may not necessarily work for the print ads. Hence, a careful study and use of fonts can help you to know if your ad will be read or merely glanced by the viewer. In simple language, the fonts must be easy on eyes while reading.
• Graphics vs Photos—Choosing between graphic and photos depends on your product and the message you wish to send across to your viewers. Lately modern ads use lot of vector images while the ads that want to set up a tone and be straightforward in their message make use of images. 
• Print friendly Media and Image—Make sure your image is at least 300 DPI for a print ad and its copy-right free.
• Be in the audience's shoes—While creating an ad it is important to know how your audience reacts to what. You must understand your target demographics well in order to come up with an ad that is bang on. 
• Incorporate a call to action at the end—End your ad with a message that reads, 'visit our website, call us on ********** number or scan a barcode to avail the offer'. Basically the reader must not read your ad and flip the page. You want him to act the very moment. 

While creating an ad, we do not necessarily follow these steps in this particular order. But, these are simple things which can help us come with an ad that works. So, what are you waiting for? Get started with one of yours! 

See you next time. Until then, bye!