5 Reasons Why Your Banner AD Is A Bomb

I'm so happy to see more authors utilizing banner ads in their campaigns. The effectiveness of images in advertising is not a point of discussion. It really works.

Just like book covers though, careful thought is required when you make a banner. The style and content should attract people and hold their attention. It's designed for a purpose. It's not a box where you dump in everything you can think of. 


When done right, a banner is a powerful tool that can help direct traffic to your book page or blog. But if carelessly designed, it can backfire on your campaign.

Advertising is all about getting your BRAND out there. You raise interest and give people a reason to respond to your Call-to-Action. Buy Now, Join Now, Subscribe Now, Click Here, etc. You want people to do something. You want to convince them that it's not a waste of their time. You want to give a good impression, for people to perceive your product as worthy. 

Is that the message you're sending out? Have you considered that? Point is, if you allow a crappy banner to advertise your product, how will people trust your idea of quality? What does that do for your image and your branding? It's not something that should be taken lightly.

When you advertise, make sure all your ad materials are tasteful, not tacky. I wish I can show you samples of really awful banners, but I might offend people. So, just review this checklist if you're making your own banners.

Here are 5 reasons 
why your banner is a bomb that needs to be diffused


1) NO ONE CAN READ THE CONTENT - If you have to squint your eyes to decipher the words in your banner, it's a failure. Your banner is speaking for you. Why is it whispering? Hey, is that a secret code that needs to be deciphered before the message is revealed? I know, some fonts are really pretty, and you're trying to make the banner beautiful... but, keep it simple. If you have to use scripts, increase the size.

2) YOUR MESSAGE IS TOO LONG - Your banner should not be crowded with words. Keep it short and sweet. If it's a review banner, summarize the review and include only the strong points. Try to avoid including the whole review please, especially the long ones. But if you really must, use fonts that are readable even if they're small. If your banner catches the eye, people might take the time to read through the mini novel on it... but that's a gamble. Might as well get a few words across, rather than risk turning off people with a loooong reading material. People are so impatient nowadays.

3) YOUR COLORS DON'T MATCH - Some think that combining colors is easy, but it's not. Our eyes only perceive certain combinations as "harmonic." Here's a simple site that can show you which colors work best with your base hue. Remember, Dark on Light, and vice versa.

4) YOUR FONTS ARE OVER STYLED - The only purpose of the fonts in your banner is to relay a message. The simpler the better. Don't add colored shadows or reflections to an already styled font. PLUS, use only 2 types of font. More and it starts looking like a circus.

5) THE IMAGES ARE NOT PROPORTIONED - A common problem. You have great images but when you put it on your banner, it's skewed out of proportion. It looks squished, fat, whatever. Dimension is a critical part of design.

The approach to book banners is different from other product banners since what we're selling is the story. We want to raise people's interest on the topic of our books, and imprint our product in their minds. Reason why I always recommend including the Book Cover on author banners. That's our product. Or, use the background of your cover as the banner background. That works too.

For me, putting different images on the banner of your book negates the purpose of promoting the book. It confuses and deviates from your branding campaign.  Sometimes, I see book banners with a totally different image from the book cover. Why? If your cover effectively conveys what your book is about, then that's all the image you need.

So, check your banners and make sure you're putting your best foot forward. Don't advertise poor quality. Impressions last. Your credibility is affected by everything that you post. That includes your book banner ad.

Reminder: Include a clear CALL-TO-ACTION... always.

Visit us! Subscribe Now! Watch Out For It! New Release! ON SALE! Just Released! Free to Read on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime! FREE Today! Buy Now! 

Utilize the banner to the max. Also, it keeps you from having to say these tacky lines yourself and sounding desperate and aggressive. :)




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