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What do you look for in: An Ad


Rune
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Let's say you're hunting for a new site. You're browsing through site's advertising sections. What, specifically, do you look for in an ad? What will make you click? 

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I guess if it's a genre I'm interested in and the ad is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, I'll click on it.

 

But when I get to the site and start poking through apps and threads, that's what makes or breaks a site for me. Don't care how nice and friendly people are in the c-box or how "active" the site is... if I see a lot of pointless, ho-hum dribble in threads, apps and want-ads, I won't stay.

 

 

"Of all that is written, I love only what a man has written with

his own blood."  Friedrich Nietzsche ~ Thus Spake Zarathustra

 

3paIAn.gif 3pasUm.png 3ica7j.gif 3pa1UW.png 

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Things I look for:

 

Recommendations from my friends.  IF a friend plays it, i'm WAY more likely to get involved

 

Otherwise:

Genre I like

18+ or not

Something werewolf-esque in the pic, or some hint thereof.  That's what will absoultely make me click on it.

 

That's enough for the add itself, but I spend WAY more time kicking around teh site than looking at the ad.  I've clicked on a TON of links, just because of genre.  The site itself is what pulls me in, or makes me go "not for me"

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If I'm actively searching sites through either a directory or an advertisement section of the site the first thing which will grab my attention is the sub heading; if you cram in words like 18+, Verse etc... Something that will make opening that tab stick out to me instead of moving on to the next page of adverts.  Ignoring that gives perusing folk nothing but a name to base potential interest on. That is probably the biggest thing for me as once I have opened up the ad I'm most likely going to take a gander at your site no matter how bad the advert itself is.

 

If I were to be picky though, the advert itself should be clean, not too dated (ie; not look like it was slapped together in MS paint) and fit the theme of the sales pitch I'm seeing. I'm aware not everyone has access to photoshop or a inclination or ability to do so, though those shiny beautiful pieces will draw my attention, though what happens after is up to what I find on the site.  Bonus text/blurb is a bonus but not necessary but better to keep it concise.

 

 

Edited by Morpheus
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I'm very much a less is more person, so take whatever I say with that in mind.

 

What do I need on a general ad?
The site's genre, rating, a blurb to let me know what the site is about and the important links (index, rules, plot/lore, wanted ads). From there, if the blurb and genre are interesting, I'll click and start reading around.
 
If it's an ad in reply to a request, then I expected it to be an actual reply, and not just a drive-by copy/paste. Especially because in 9 out of 10 cases, those drive-by ads don't fit the request (I know that wasn't in the question, but I had to add it because of reasons).

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Shady McShaderson

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Hmm. Browsing site's advertising sections... like in the directories or on many forum rps' advertising sections? I tend to pay the most attention browsing through rp requests in these rp resources communities because I like seeing who ends up responding to those.

I wonder if "hey, just check out my site in my signature" ever works because it never has for me.

Anyway, what I look for when I check the ads out (ignore the contradiction with how long this got after my initial claim on point 1):

 

1. Text. Dude, that 10 to 20 sec pitch? Relevant here. The first advertising text you see outside of the graphics should be the immediate attention grabber. People who use text along with graphics are people who are perfectly aware that graphics don't always show up for people. Those are very smart people.

 

So, I like to see immediate info: Forum host, activity or membership size, ratings / age thing, site genre / subgenre, and setting. I look for those five facts about a site before reading the 'synopsis', so to speak. Otherwise, if it isn't something to my interest (smaller group, 18+, interesting setting, my particular genre, or even a genre I like just looking at), I won't keep reading. In case of rp requests, I really appreciate people who take the time to tailor their initial reply to the request before pitching their ad in.

 

Additionally, don't make people take more than 3 minutes to read an ad.

 

2. Linkage. I wanna open up tabs to plot, rules, and wanted ads. So, for convenience and time constraints, I totally appreciate neatly placed links: home, rules, plot, subplots, adoptables / wanted ads, and advertising section. Or instead of advertising section, a who's who. I like seeing who is already thurr.

 

3. Graphics. Okay, so we get to the pretty part. I love graphics and I want to see them. Seeing what people do inspires me to practice more graphics, but it also gives me a strong impression of how they do their site.

 

Messy looking graphics? Usually messy looking site.

Hastily put together graphics? Site uses premade skin that's been used a thousand times everywhere else - do. not click.

Unique lines, layering, and visible text? Okay, that has potential.

Lovely color scheme? Ooh, then I can expect the color scheme on the site to not hurt my eyes if I click.

Beautifully blended layers and colorifying with people and backgrounds? I'm jealous and will be checking your site out.

Very wide image that fits perfectly inside the text box? This can be a mix of "expect them to have super giant banner that overwhelms the forums" or "this site doesn't think internet runs out of space and they know what they're doing, so click on this". 

 

4. 'Synopsis'. Okay, so this is the meat of things that I look at that describes the site a little more fully. This should just be a blurb, honestly. This is the part I say not to make people spend more than 3 mins reading. I'm over here making y'all read this long ass thing BUT LISTEN, I AM THOROUGH WHEN I ANSWER TOPICS! 

 

Anyway, when I see a 'tree' formation of text (lots of one or two line paragraphs, and I do mean lots), I skip. When I see big fat paragraphs with more than 5 sentences, maybe 3 - 4 of those paragraphs, I skim or skip. I just wanna know what the real deal is and if you can't summarize this in like, two paragraphs, then I don't trust you to know how to organize the rest of your site. I bet it'll be difficult af to find anything on your site. 

 

I wanna know the immediate impression of your plot, I wanna know immediate expectations of your site, and I wanna know a little more about what you initially stated. Like, you're a small town rp? Awesome! Where? I also love cute, quirky stuff like "You wanna _? Then, _!" I'll totally click on that in a heartbeat.

 

I also love character keywords, like the kinds of chars you can create in the game, so you mention things like... treasure hunter, scientist, blue collar workers, etc... I'm sold. Your character list and wanted ads should also reflect that when I come looking. I also love feeling like I'm already immersed in your world when I read your ad, so using turn of phrases or descriptions that puts me into that feeling will draw me in.

Edited by Kaycakes

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home sweet home.

18th century British India rp. Jcink premium.

 

be geeky with me!

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I'm not a judge a book by the cover sort of person. If I see shitty graphics but can see where they have tried? I'll join. No one is ever perfect and frankly slapping together something in gimp doesn't make you a pro. I just may offer to make them better later should the admin request. I like short and sweet. I don't need a 'sales pitch' to know if a site is right for me. But I'm like that in real life.

 

I personally want to know the genre, the rating, and the links I'll need to investigate myself.

"Everyone has been doing so much soul searching during all of this,

and I'm just over here drawing pics of my character's dicks."

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Archaic Cyborg

Genre/setting, age req, host, activity level (rapid fire vs casual), fandom or original or a mix. I like blurbs that are short, no novels, because that makes not a blurb. Lastly, staff count would be a bonus- I've seen large staff groups crash and burn more often than smaller teams.

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I'd like to know what the genre is.  If the ad just has "Bubbles and Knives RP" on a generic picture, I may click for curiosity, but likely not.

 

I also like a nice picture.  Oddly enough, I don't prefer the most "fashionable" graphics trends in advertisements because it makes things all look the same.  I'm most likely to click on ads whose pictures are very simple.  I guess its kind of nostalgic for me back from when more sites had simpler graphics.

 

Oh, there needs to a be a link to the main forum.  I don't care about links to rules or plots or advertisements - I'll get to those directly from the main board if I can navigate the layout of the forum.  (And if I can't navigate the layout, I'm not going to join anyway, so there's no point in reading the rules and plot through a special link.)

 

And I'm not a huge fan of all the paragraphs of text that go with advertisements.  I have it on my own site because once people said that they liked it and I'm not the intended audience for ads since I'm the administrator and already on the site.   But I don't read the paragraphs.  I just look at the words on the graphic and immediately below it.

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What I Look For;

- Image: clean and clear text UFC it has it

- Links: Rules/Plot/Claims ... Mote is cool but I can figure the rest out

- A blurb: Genre/Rating/Setting/Synopsis ... I actually like more information, probsbly one of the few. 

 

What Turns Me Off:

-Image Onlys

- Text Onlys

- If I can tell the admin/poster has a poor attitude from the get go or if they were lazy

 

*shrug*

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All I need is the name of the site, an indication of the genre and fandom and that's it. Ads don't need to be complicated and have oodles of info on them. If I find the genre interesting, or if it's a fandom I'm interested in, that's all I need. The rest I judge by the forum when I actually get on to it. You can have the most sparkly ad in the world, but if the forum isn't up to scratch, your ad won't do anything to help you attract members.

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Guest Parasite Eve

Whether or not it is a multiple genre site rather than one set plot. I'm not really into the sites where you have to make character accounts and mandatory bios to get started. I enjoy my freedom. To go at my own pace or create a character sheet when I feel good and ready.

 

I'll also see if the site is 18+ for another level of freedom to be able to not limit myself be it describing a scene of battle or what not. As long as there are people to write with I'm not too bothered by activity. I'll admit though, I like a surge of welcomes. Friendliness is attractive to me so if I go somewhere where I'm made to feel welcome when I initially join I'm going to want to go back. I mean why wouldn't you give new members a welcome, it's easy. Unfortunately I have seen sites that don't bother to welcome new members which is a shame.

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