The 100 Word Rule

One of my cardinal rules for print advertising (full-page or spread) is to keep the copy under 100 words. Preferably 80 words, but no more than 100 words. Why? Two reasons: attention and retention.  In today’s time-crunched world, no one wants to invest more than 30 seconds reading an ad, no matter how provocative the headline or salient the benefit. Second, keeping the copy short forces you to focus on a single message with a singular benefit, which increases the likelihood that it will be remembered — and acted upon. See my print samples to see how the 100 word rule works. BTW – you will see exceptions, which will be covered in part 2 of this post.