Here are the "10 commandments" our copywriters follow... for trade ads, brochures and sales collateral as well of course classified ads placed on ChiTownAds.com.

1. Some copywriters rely on tricky headlines -- puns, literary allusions, and other obscurities. This is a sin!

2. Every headline should appeal to the reader's self-interest. It should promise that reader a benefit.

3. Go straight to the point! Be specific and factual.

4. Headlines that quote somebody, within quotation marks, score dramatically high.

5. Too much effort is spent on advertising that is funny or stresses special effects. Not enough time is devoted to crafting ads that sell a product.

6. Don't turn up your nose at clich's like, "How to," "Last chance," "Now!," "Amazing," "Announcing," and others. They're shopworn -- but they work.

7. The headline is the most important element in most ads. It is the telegram that decides whether to read the copy.

8. Include your selling promise in your headline.

9. Research has shown, over and over again, that photographs sell more than drawings. They attract more readers. They sell more merchandise. Photographs represent reality. Drawings don't.

10. Almost all advertising awards are given out for "entertainment." We're not in business to line our shelves with trophies, but to line our waiting room with returning clients.

To place an ad on ChiTownAds.com, go to: http://chitownads.com/member_login.php