Other than the headline (the attention grabber) without doubt the most important element of any advertisement is The Benefit , or "What's in it for me?"

We can carefully and painstakingly write a thousand words of beautifully flowing copy, select the perfect weight of a classical serif font, lovingly craft a piece of typographical brilliance and skillfully mould this together with a slice of photographic genius into an aesthetic masterpiece.

But if there is no obvious benefit to be had, you may have a very expensive White Elephant on your hands!

So let's get back to basics and remember how and why someone may be looking at your advertisement.

They haven't bought the newspaper to read your ad, they bought it to read the news and hopefully (between the news and many other ads) they'll come across yours and then, as long as it's well-crafted and has a strong headline they'll stop to read it - perhaps for a few seconds.

However, if they are to read on, stay interested and then respond, (which is the main aim of the ad!) it must have that vital ingredient, The Benefit , and it must be very clear, very strong and fairly early in the proceedings or you've lost them.

It doesn't necessarily have to be 'screaming' at you and it needn't be about money (Safety? Ego? Must-have item?) but it is that vital 'Achilles Heel' trigger that makes someone make that purchase (or call, email, visit a shop, visit a web site etc).

The importance of The Benefit should never be underestimated when you are structuring your copy, whether it is a Press ad, Radio, TV, Direct Mail, Leaflet or Online (particularly Online!)

And please, don't confuse 'benefits' with 'features' - they're very different. Features are details that support the Benefits. They actually do nothing for the customer.

THE BENEFIT. EVERYTHING ELSE IS JUST WINDOW DRESSING!