A really short blurb on a t-shirt doesn’t have to be boring. All it takes is a little creativity, and a lot of copywriting know-how.
If you’re looking to write something that’ll make people laugh, maybe cry, or nod their heads in agreement, then you should consider writing a t-shirt ad. You’ll need to abide by some very specific rules when doing so, which you can learn from experience.
Here, we’ll cover ten rules that’ll help you write the best damn short blurb ever for a t-shirt.
1. Keep It Simple
In every other type of ad, you’ll usually find some type of complex headline, or a large, complicated list of features. This isn’t the case with a t-shirt ad. The simpler the better. If you can get your point across with simply three words or less, then do so. Simple ideas are usually the most effective, and the easiest to remember. They also tend to be the most appealing to the audience you’re attempting to reach.
Complex ideas usually work well if you’re attempting to target a very specific niche audience or demographic. However, the general public usually dislikes complicated ideas, or finds them hard to understand. Keep things simple, and your target audience will have no problem comprehending your message.
2. Keep It Short
People love short, snappy messages. If you can get your point across in the fewest possible words, then you’ll be able to catch the attention of your readers. The least amount of text possible will help pull this off. The most effective t-shirt slogans or slogans are usually no longer than three words. People love quick, snappy comebacks and one-liners. Keep it short, and you’ll be able to pull off some amazing cheeky one-liners. When you write a t-shirt ad, you’ll usually find yourself in the position of coming up with funny one-liners to use in your copy. If you can think of a witty retort to a popular saying or phrase, then you’ll be able to incorporate it into your writing.
It’s usually best to keep your copy to under a hundred words. Anything longer, and you start to lose the attention of your audience. You also want to make sure that you don’t overuse excessive words, as this will cause your piece to be deemed as “candy wrap” or “fluff”. There’s also the risk of your words being taken out of context, and thus causing you to lose all credibility. You don’t need to keep your copy concisely worded, as there are many ways for you to still express your point, but keeping it short and snappy will help make your writing stand out.
3. Stay Fresh
What makes a good ad copy is the ability to stay fresh. This means you need to keep coming up with new material to put in your ads. Stale ads will lose their effectiveness quickly. Coming up with new ideas will help you to maintain an edge over your competition. If you’re stuck for fresh ideas, then you can always resort to writing about something that recently happened in the news. This will ensure that your copy will still be relevant, and will help you to stay fresh.
You don’t want to just copy paste from previously published ads, as this will make your writing rather boring, and eventually, ineffective. When looking for inspiration, look for what’s new and fresh, instead of rehashing ideas that were previously successful.
4. Use Statistics & Facts
The statistics & facts are important when writing an ad. Knowing how many people are searching for your product or service can help you determine the effectiveness of your ads. Look into the numbers first, before you start writing your ad. This will help you determine how many people are likely to be interested in your product or service, and whether or not you should even bother writing the ad in the first place.
Sometimes, the statistics can be rather tricky to find. You’ll need to search for keywords and phrases in the form of stat blocks, such as:
- Searches for (Keyword or Phrase): x, y, z
- Performed on (Keyword or Phrase): z, x, y
- Clicks or Bids (Value): 15, 25, 37
- Cost per click (CPC): $2.50
- Clicks (Value): 40
Wherever possible, you want to include numbers and facts in your writing. When writing copy for a t-shirt ad, you’ll usually need to look into the search statistics for your chosen keywords or phrases. This will give you an indication of the strength of your proposed message, in terms of how many people are already searching for it.
5. Highlight Benefits
The key to effective copy is to always point out the benefits of your product or service. In a world of endless options, your target audience will appreciate your highlighting the reasons why they should choose your product or service over the others.
If you have more than one option, and you want to pick a particular product or service over the others, then you can use the benefits listed below to support your decision:
- Product or Service (Keyword or Phrase): x, y, z
- Reliable (Keyword or Phrase): x, y, z
- Affordable (Keyword or Phrase): x, y, z
- Quick (Keyword or Phrase): x, y, z
- Eco-Friendly (Keyword or Phrase): x, y, z
Make sure that your readers are aware of what their desired product or service is. Let them know how it differs from its competitors, and what benefits it has to offer. Mentioning the drawbacks of your competitors’ products or services can also be a good way to convince the reader to opt for your product or service. These are all important aspects of effective copy, and you must include them all in your ads. If you don’t, then you might as well not have bothered writing the ad in the first place. You’ll also need to make sure that you mention the price of your product or service at some point, especially if you want to keep the attention of your readers.
6. Keep It Objective
The last thing you want to do is to write an ad that’s based on your subjective opinion. When people read your copy, they often want to know what your angle is, and whether or not you’re trying to sell them something. To keep your writing unbiased, you need to make sure that you don’t have any prejudices toward a particular product or service. The best way to do this is by keeping an objective standpoint, and avoiding hyperbole or emotional language.
What this means is that you must be able to write objective, factual descriptions of how your product or service works, without regard to your opinion about it. If you want to write something that’ll sound funny or flamboyant, then you can always resort to exaggerating a little bit. However, if your goal is to write something that’ll be taken at face value, then make sure that your adjectives and adverbs don’t sway the reader toward your own personal preferences or opinions. Simply present everything in an objective manner, and you’ll be able to pull off some amazing copy.
7. Look For A Decent Place To Sit
When you write an ad for a t-shirt, you need to keep in mind where you’re going to sit when you’re doing so. This is often a problem for people who write text on laptops, as they don’t have enough screen real estate to comfortably write and take notes, while simultaneously looking up important information. The ideal situation is to find a comfortable place to sit, with proper lighting, and a place to store your laptop, so you can take notes and continue writing without any problems.