How To Choose A Typeface For Your Sales Letter Or Advert

Legendary copywriter John Caples said the principal consideration in selecting the style of type for your headline is that it should be easy to read.

"The easiest type for people to read is the type they read most often. Therefore, set your copy in the customary, everyday styles of type used in newspaper articles and magazine articles. Avoid fancy type. Avoid script. Avoid too many italics. Avoid type that is too faint or too bold. Avoid any style of type that calls attention to the type itself rather than to the message. Do not try to create atmosphere with type."

Capital letters and large font give headlines more visual impact.

"If your headline is a long one, set some of the more important words in capitals or extra- large type, or both. Large type in a headline has strong attention value. It also gives force to your message. Consider this headline in ordinary size type:

ANNOUNCING NEW MODELS

Now see how much more emphatic the headline looks in larger type:

ANNOUNCING NEW MODELS

"The big type adds strength and force to your announcement. It makes big news out of it instead of little news," Caples said. "It gives the impression that you are speaking in a strong voice instead of a whisper. An announcement in small type suggests that you yourself do not think that the announcement is important."

Even when you have no news, you can give your headline a news 'flavour' by putting it in big type, he suggested. However, he warned against using capitals for more than six or seven words in a row because it becomes too difficult for most people to read.

Copywriter Michael Masterson recommends you keep things really simple. "Never try to get too fancy with type styles and layouts. Generally, headlines and subheads work best in a clean, readable, bold serif or sans-serif typeface." (Letters in a serif typeface have little styling marks at the top and bottom whereas letters in a sans-serif typeface are very plain and have no styling whatsoever).

Mix upper and lowercase type, recommends direct mail expert Ted Nichols. "A combination of the two, usually works best for headlines.

Use a degree of caution, he says, when choosing the typeface for your headline. "Some typefaces only draw attention to themselves and away from your message. Select one that fits the style and substance of your communication."

How Big Should Your Headline Be?

Use your allotted space effectively. For small space ads, devote a large percentage to creating a dominant headline. Make your attention-getting headline a large part of your display ad or marketing document. You want to make it obvious and impossible to disregard.

Place your headline inside a call-out, caption, or balloon attached to a graphic, suggests Nichols. "It's a visual stopper that naturally draws the eye and has a good chance of attracting plenty of interest. This technique gives any headline a fighting chance."

Look for additional opportunities to use headlines. On visual pieces such as display ads and brochures, there's often additional space available for secondary headlines. Captions and call- outs naturally attract attention and are therefore ideal places to insert headline copy.

Additional headlines and sub-headings can also be used to provide visual relief by breaking up longer sections of copy. Material that appears easy to read gets read much more than large blocks of copy.