Ask the Copywriter
Many of my clients are good writers. Which, for me, is a double-edged sword. Often, the fact that my clients are good writers with great attention to grammar and spelling leads to questions like this:
“Uh, Jason, I know you’re a professional copywriter, but you left the period off the headline in my print ad. Could you please revise and re-send? Thank you.”
While some copywriters see this as a negative email, I see it as an opportunity to enlighten clients on the difference between writing and copywriting.
In the case of the above-referenced email, I have a two-part, general rule about periods and headlines. It goes like this:
1. If the ad is text heavy and reads more like editorial (such as the Ayer #1 format) than a simple print ad, I tend to not use a period in the headline.
2. If the ad is more of a branding ad with heavy reliance on images, I tend to use a period.
A study was done some years ago, and the results indicated that use of a period in an editorial-style ad headline dropped reader comprehension levels and caused readers to feel like they didn’t need to read any further.
In fact, 22% of the people in the study commented that they realized they were reading an ad when they came to the period. It may seem like a ‘duh’ statement, but advertising shouldn’t jump up and scream at you. It should walk up to you and shake your hand, not yell at you from across the room.
Also in the study, 10% of respondents claimed that the period lessened their intent of reading beyond the headline.
The bottom line here is that your advertising should not get its own way. Test your advertising and be sure that your audience is reading past the first line. Talk to your copywriter and make sure you are both on the same page before the first words are even written.