Top 10 Tips For The Perfect Magazine Advertisement

It’s tempting to try and fit in as much information as possible. Too many words, images, colour and shapes are just confusing. It’s important to have a single, clear purpose for your advertisement. 

 

So, firstly you need to decide whether you are brand-building, selling, inviting or highlighting. This will help you to create a clear message, even if you have to leave out some parts of your standard branding, such as a long tagline. 

 

Once you have decided on the purpose of your advisement it’s much easier tell the reader what to do next. 

 

You might want them to call, email or visit your store, but tell them why and what they will get in return. This is your ‘call to action’ and every advertisement should have one. So, for example, you could say ‘Be the first to buy our new range – 20% discounts in-store until the end of the month’. 

 

People like instructions that can make it easy for them to make a decision. 

 

Even a small advertisement can be really effective when it is designed well. This might sound strange, but white space can work for you. Resist the temptation to fill up every millimetre and use your space to really highlight what’s important. 

 

Your reader’s eyes will be drawn to the lightest or brightest areas first, so leaving plenty of white space around your message will encourage them to look at your most important point. 

 

If your reader can’t immediately see what your advertisement is about, they will move on, so tiny print or too much text won’t work well in a magazine advertisement. 

 

Your brand might include some specific colours, but colour has its own language. You might use your brand colour for your logo and as an accent colour, but your main colours should support the purpose of your advertisement. If your advert is about creativity and enjoyment, then yellows and oranges could be good choices. If you’re talking about relaxation try blues and greens. 

 

You can break all the rules if you want to have some fun and let people know that you can be light-hearted. Humour can be memorable, and people will appreciate it if you make them smile. Just don’t go too far away from your brand values and keep your credibility in mind. 

 

Choosing the right typeface to reflect your advertisement’s purpose is important too, but don’t use too many styles. You want your advertisement to be easy to read so save the complex fonts for a larger headline or subtitles. Sans serif fonts (no curlicues) are best for your body text. 

 

Like your call to action, your readers will respond to a direct offer. For example, include a code on your advertisement, which will help you to measure your success. Offer the first ten readers to call with your advertisement’s code something that they will value – free cake with their coffee in your new shop, for example. 

 

You can always ask about editorial content appearing in the magazine so that your advertisement can appear on a relevant page. At Pulse Magazine we will always try to do this for you, but if you have something specific in mind, just let us know. Or ask us about sponsoring a regular column that you can appear alongside. 

 

If you’re including images and graphics they need to be sharp, clear and easy to understand in relation to your message. Ideally your images will sum up what your advertisement is all about at a glance. 

 

We’re always happy to give advice and make suggestions about your advertising ideas, so just give us a call.