1. An advertisement or an announcement of a religious service should be dignified in appearance. How much confidence would you have in a physician who, sending out an announcement of a change in address, used a dodger carelessly printed in big type on cheap paper? A minister of the gospel should be just as particular to have his advertising look neat and dignified as should a physician, a lawyer, or any other professional person.
Your printed announcement is your representative. You would not think of sending a poorly dressed, unkempt person to the homes in a city to announce your meetings; neither should you send a cheap-appearing printed representative. You are judged by the appearance of your printed announcement.
Seek out the printer who does neat work. It may cost more, but it will be worth more to you.
2. Do not try to tell everything on your announcements; make them brief. Everyone has a good bit of curiosity in his make-up. Write your ad. so it will arouse that curiosity.
The following points comprise the formula of a good ad:
Attention
Interest Desire Action
These may be used in the following manner:
Perhaps an engraving for the "attention" item. A display line so worded that it will create "interest." A short explanatory paragraph in small type, written so the reader will "desire" to hear the lecture. The name of the speaker, the time of the lecture, and the address supply the "action" element of the formula.
3. In the make-up of your ad., avoid monotony. The use of big type throughout an advertisement does not insure its being read. In fact, one large or "interest" line will arouse the curiosity of the reader so he will read the smaller type of the following paragraph, while if all the type is large, it will lack contrast and interest, and perhaps will not be read at all.
Another item to watch is the spacing of the different groups, as well as the length of the lines. If all lines in the advertisement were the same length, it would be monotonous. Your engraving or "attention" getter is perhaps narrower than the width of the longest type line. Under it comes your display or "interest" line, which should be bold and full length. Following that is the paragraph in small type, in which a "desire" to hear the lecture is created. Make this block of type narrower, leaving white space on either side. Then comes the address, name of the speaker, date, etc., one line of which could be fairly bold and full length.
Mountain View, Calif.
