"Hey! Where's My Ad?"
By Peg Bastin
Have you ever wondered why you didn't see the free ad you
submitted? I bet you thought you had the perfect ad! Why
isn't it there? Well, let me give you some idea of why
newsletter publishers get gray hair!
You MUST follow the guidelines. Guidelines? What's that
mean? Is that like RULES? YES!
There is only so much space available for advertising in a
newsletter. To accommodate as many free ads as possible
there are limits on ad size.
Let's take a look at some of these guidelines:
- Spelling and typing errors.
If you want to be believable, check your ad for proper
spelling and typing errors. Use capital letters at the
beginning of sentences, not through the whole ad.
Don't use all caps as it makes your ad hard to read,
and reminds me of salespeople yelling at me to buy
their product. Not likely!
- Making your links clickable.
URL's must begin with http:// and email addresses with
mailto: in order to be 'clickable.' If readers can't
just click on your URL or email address to see your
offer, you will lose their attention. Most are too
lazy to 'cut and paste' your URL into their browser
window. Make it easy for them to view your offer.
- Formatting your ad.
When you get to the end of your 60 or 65 character
line - you do a 'hard return' (for you Newbie's - that
means you hit the Enter key) to go on to the next line
of your ad. This 'hard return' will keep the lines
from running all the way across the page, which the
publisher must take the time to correct.
- Characters per line.
The most popular choice is 60 to 65 characters per
line. Some list servers can only accept a certain
number of letters per line. If your ad exceeds this
limit, it will not look the same as you typed it. It
will be one long line and a one word line, then
another long line and so on.
- Lines per ad
Some publishers allow 5 lines, others 2, 3, or 4
lines. This may or may not include the URL or email
address. This does not mean you can send 6 or 8 or
more lines and expect to see your ad! Personally, I
like a 2 or 3 line ad best. It is much easier to read
than a very long ad.
- Unacceptable ads.
Most publishers don't accept ads dealing with hate,
adult, racial or gambling content. Avoid these topics
if you want to see your ad published.
- Use the proper Ad Code.
You will have to actually read the issue to find the
ad codes! Yeah! You might actually enjoy it too! Some
ad codes are found on a certain day every week, others
are in every issue. Some you have to hunt to find, and
others are with the ad guidelines of that newsletter.
But.... you must use the correct code of the week. If
you use an outdated ad code, you will not see your ad.
How do I know when to post my ad?
How often can I send my ad?
When I submit an ad I write the date I posted, and that
week's ad code next to it. Also, I put the date I can send
my next ad. This will reduce your chance of accidentally
submitting your free ad too soon and having it deleted.
Even with all this I have been known to submit a duplicate
ad. Then I have to send an email to apologize!
Follow these easy suggestions and you will see your free
ads published. I am grateful that free ads are still
available. They are a lot of work for these editors each
week. Wouldn't it be a nice surprise for these editors if
we all submitted ads that are correctly formatted, spelled
and typed?
Mmmmmmm! Is that the sound of cheering I hear? The
publishers thank you!
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Written by Peg Bastin Learn to Understand Your P.C. in
Simple language! If your PC is a Pain in the ya know where -
Learn "How" and "What" to do!
http://www.bastinmarket.com
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
You have permission to publish this article electronically
or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are
included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be
appreciated.
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