Print advertisements typically involve several parts.

Headline

Headline is the most important element of a print advertisement. If it fails to grab attention of the reader rest of the things just go unnoticed. Headlines may appear on the topic or mid or side of the advertisement. Most of the times it is used above the picture, as it’s believed that pictures grab attention faster than the text. The headline may be the strongest part of the advertisement or may be secondary to a strong visual. A perfectly crafted headline could entice lot of interest and excitement about the ad. Headlines can be of many forms – statement, question, issuing warning, testimonial, news sort etc. It should relate to its target audience. It may use emotional or rational or moral appeal to convince the target audience.

Subhead

Generally, subhead comes just below the headline. It is an answer or support to the question or curiosity that the headline evokes. The subhead ideally talks about the product benefit, carries the mood set by the headline and expands upon the headline idea.

Bodycopy

Bodycopy follows the subhead. This part generates the detail information about the product, highlights product features and key benefits, rationally provides supporting facts or quotations, convincingly establishes superiority of the product and stimulates the desire to purchase.

Artwork

There are various types of visual elements of an advertisement. It can be in any form – photograph, hand-drawn illustration, graphics. An ad may have a single strong self explicit visual or many pictures instead of one. Some advertisements may have no visual in it, but carry few visual elements like decorative border or bullets or a shape. Often visuals carry captions below them like ‘Before’, ‘After’, ’20 years ago’. Such captions help the illustrations to put the message across.

Closure

End of the advertisement is not to be ignored either. This is the part which provokes action that is purchase decision. Closing idea should be striking. It should put the motivation to buy. Several closing ideas can be used like – ‘act now’, ‘visit our dealer’, ‘send enquiries, ‘buy now’, ‘hurry before the stock ends’, ‘limited stock, rush now’ and the like.

Contact information

An effective ad should always carry contact information like – logo, brand name, address, phone numbers, road direction, website url etc. Such details are generally furnished towards the bottom of the ad.

Extras

Certain promotional advertisements may also carry extras like – tear-out coupon, free sample attached, business enquiry form.

Print advertisements have always remained a major tool of communication. Print ads have great impact on the target audience as it brings along credibility, long life and detail information.

It is where when we need writing prompts to help us get out of this rut. Writing prompt can be anything that can make us write. It could be a picture, a word, a phrase, a quotation, an illustration, a person, a place, or anything. Anything that prompts us to write can be called writing prompt.

You will need writing prompts a lot in your writing career, hence I will ask you to maintain a list of writing prompts that can pull you out of the writer’s block. If you think, you are not going to face writer’s block in your career then either writing is not something in which you are going to make your career, or you are not planning to write much, at least not regularly.

How to use writing prompt

1. Make a list of writing prompts that will help you get out of the writer’s block. Always remember, writing prompt for a fiction writer cannot be same as writing prompt for a non-fiction writer. Writing prompt used by a self-help writer cannot be same as writing prompt used by writer writing on health-related issues. Hence, see what works for you and make a list of it.
2. Like anything else, writing using prompts also depends upon practice. The more you practice the more quickly you can get out of the block.
3. When faced with the writer’s block. Start with choosing any random prompt from the list, and then write on it continuously for 10-15 minutes.

In the next blog post, I will tell you how to build your own list of writing prompts. Till then practice what you have learned.

But then, making a generalized statement saying that ‘all money making opps online are fake’ is not true. The internet has made it possible for people to outsource work to the cheapest vendor, irrespective of where they are, and get paid irrespective of other normal factors that affect employment. In fact, if there was no internet, the BPO industry which has changed the economy of dozens of countries would not have existed!

Here are some of the real ones, and remember – most of the programs that pay you to work from home would not require you to pay an upfront fee.

• Resell products

Some of the internet’s most profitable work from home ventures is reselling products online. A provider or a manufacturer that does not have the necessary resources to market, will prefer to pay other people to market and even if they have a marketing team, reselling is hugely profitable, as it opens up access from around the world. For instance, selling and registering websites is a business that is extremely popular and pays very well. Take a look at http://resellers.gossimer.biz/ for an illustration. There are several more kinds of products / services. Do your own research.

• Work from home

The real one – not the namesakes that flood the internet. Websites like elance, guru and oDesk have created platforms to bring together clients and providers. They charge a fee on every billed transaction, and that is a win-win-win situation for the portal, the buyer, and the customer. But you need to have genuine qualifications to work there, as they require your certifications. Try them out.

• Blogging – Advertising

On the internet, advertising is king, and with the advent of online ad services like Google AdSense, it has become possible for people to make money from their blogs and websites. However, you need to have real good content, or you can sell ads on behalf of another website. Try out a program that looks good.

• Selling

If you are not into reselling, you can try selling some real products online. Sites like eBay and many more help you create an online store which you can register on for free. You have tons of resources available for you to market your store online, and if your services are good, you are in for some serious money!

These are just a few of the good opps online. If you are serious about working from home, your best bet would be to ask your way around, and see which are the ones that are really good.

All the best!

But then, making a generalized statement saying that ‘all money making opps online are fake’ is not true. The internet has made it possible for people to outsource work to the cheapest vendor, irrespective of where they are, and get paid irrespective of other normal factors that affect employment. In fact, if there was no internet, the BPO industry which has changed the economy of dozens of countries would not have existed!

Here are some of the real ones, and remember – most of the programs that pay you to work from home would not require you to pay an up front fee.

• Resell products

Some of the internet’s most profitable work from home ventures is reselling products online. A provider or a manufacturer that does not have the necessary resources to market, will prefer to pay other people to market, and even if they have a marketing team, reselling is hugely profitable, as it opens up access from around the world. For instance, selling and registering websites is a business that is extremely popular and pays very well. Take a look at http://resellers.gossimer.biz/ for an illustration. There are several more kinds of products / services. Do your own research.

• Work from home

The real one – not the namesakes that flood the internet. Websites like elance, guru and oDesk have created platforms to bring together clients and providers. They charge a fee on every billed transaction, and that is a win-win-win situation for the portal, the buyer, and the customer. But you need to have genuine qualifications to work there, as they require your certifications. Try them out.

• Blogging – Advertising

On the internet, advertising is king, and with the advent of online ad services like Google AdSense, it has become possible for people to make money from their blogs and websites. However, you need to have real good content, or you can sell ads on behalf of another website. Try out a program that looks good.

• Selling

If you are not into reselling, you can try selling some real products online. Sites like eBay and many more help you create an online store which you can register on for free. You have tons of resources available for you to market your store online, and if your services are good, you are in for some serious money!

These are just a few of the good opps online. If you are serious about working from home, your best bet would be to ask your way around, and see which are the ones that are really good.

All the best!