6. Make sure there's a strong connection between your headline and main visual. You want each to amplify the other in order to make a dynamic statement of benefit.
Fresh donuts need to be made early in the morning, which is why Dunkin' Donuts showed a sleepy guy named Fred crawling out of bed before sunup because it was "Time to make the donuts."
7. Choose your ad environment carefully. Your better mousetrap may not be appreciated in Gourmet magazine.
8. Study competitive ads and make sure that yours is different. Work hard to make it stand out.
9. Solicit comments. Track results. Change your approach if there seems to be a problem.
10. Be certain your product or service lives up to any claims. No matter how brilliantly conceived and executed your ad is, it's satisfied customers and clients who create your best advertising.
Gary Watson is a copywriter who has worked with a long client list, including AT&T, Kodak, McDonald's and Microsoft. He has been a freelance copywriter since 1990.