I was recently watching an episode of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. The task of each team on the show was to create a four page advertorial for LifeLock and Norton to promote a new product that was created by bundling their two products together.

The team that won had created a campaign that was visually appealing with very little text or copy. The team that lost was the team that created an advertorial with too much copy and not enough blank space.

This is an excellent example of how in today’s world you only have a very short period of time to communicate your message. We live in a microwave society. Everyone wants whatever information they are seeking to be presented in a very concise and easy to digest format, especially if it’s an advertisement for your business.

The big mistake a lot of businesses make in both face-to-face meetings and in their advertising is providing too much information too soon.

We are exposed to thousands of messages every day, and most people have learned to ignore attempts to get their attention unless there is something that piques their interest immediately.

You’ve probably heard of the 30-second elevator pitch. I don’t think, in most cases, you have 30 seconds. Most people’s attention span is so short, you usually only have five to ten seconds to capture their attention.

The same thing applies to writing copy for a brochure, website, flyer, social media, or whatever you are using to promote your products or services.

Writing great copy and crafting an appealing message is really very simple. You have to pique your audience’s attention with a great headline, communicate the benefits of your product or service, and close with a call to action. And remember, blank space is actually a good thing when it comes to writing great copy. You don’t have to fill up the entire page with content.

If you want to learn how to write great headlines, go to magazines.com and check out the headlines on some of these magazines. They have to grab your attention at the newsstand so you will buy their magazine. They are experts in communicating in a clear concise way.

If you want to learn how to create a clear, concise, and appealing message, check out Google AdWords. These are the paid ads located to the right of your screen when you do a search in Google. They are trying to get you to click on their ads but have a limited number of words to communicate their message.

Writing great copy for your website and crafting a clear, concise message for your target audience is well worth your time. It will attract the people you are meant to work with and improve your brand identity. Spending just a little extra time on this part of your business could generate thousands of dollars every year for years to come.