and designed to attract the people they wish to meet, it may have the opposite effect. They may feel let down by the number of responses they receive or they may receive replies from people who do not suit them. This can be very discouraging. Here are a few tips to get you going to writing successful Ads that works!



There are a number of things to consider when you decide to place a Companions Wanted Ad - the Cost, the number of people who will see your ad, the length of your ad, the kind of people you are trying to attract, the actual content of the Ad, ways to protect your privacy, the kinds of results you can realistically expect from your Ad.

The Cost

The cost of your ad can vary dramatically depending on where you live. If you live in a large city with a number of publications, the costs can vary quite a bit from paper to paper. If you live in a rural area or a small town with a limited number of publications, the cost could be quite different.

Most publications usually base the cost of their advertising on their readership. You can reasonably expect that a publication with only a few hundred or thousand readers will have a much lower cost for advertising. Whereas, a publication with a high readership will have a larger cost for advertising.

As with most things, it is best if you shop around when you are considering placing an ad. Phone or write various publications in your area and enquire about the cost of placing an ad. Also ask about their number of readers so you can make an informed choice. What may sound like a bargain may in fact not be, if your ad is reaching only a couple of hundred readers. Remember, the more people who see your ad increases the number of responses you are likely to get! The more responses you get, the more likely you are to meet that special someone you have been looking for.

If you think of the cost of your ad in terms of the number of responses you get, you can easily see why spending a little more initially may work to your advantage. Consider the following example: You place a medium sized ad in a publication with only a few hundred readers. Your ad cost you $20. You think you have done well but you only get 2 responses. Each response has cost you $10

OR

You place your medium sized ad in a publication that has a few thousand readers. Your ad cost you %60. You get 20 responses. Now each response has cost you only $3. You have increased your chances of meeting that special someone at a minimal cost!

The number of People Who Will See Your Ad

As discussed previously, you want the maximum number of people to see your ad. If you want to meet that special person, you have to play the numbers game. The more people who see your ad will increase the number of responses you receive and the more likely you are to meet that special person for you.

If you live in a large city you may have to choose between a large number of publications. You would probably get the best results by placing your ad in the publication with the highest readership (usually one of your daily newspapers) even though the cost may be higher.

If cost is not a problem for you, place your ads in more that one publication. You may want to consider placing an ad in your daily newspaper and another ad in a smaller publication that has a selected readership. You could choose to place your second ad in publication that has a selected readership. You could choose to place your ad in a publication that caters to your particular part of the city increasing your chances of meeting someone who lives near you. Or you could place your second ad in a publication that caters to particular group of people, as long as those readers are the type of people you would want to meet.

If you live in a small town or in a rural area, you may want to place an ad in the local publication. But remember these publications may have a much lower readership than a large city newspaper. Unless you only want to meet people who live in the same area as you do, you would probably be wise to also place an ad in the publication with the largest readership in the nearest large city to you. If cost is a strong consideration and you can only afford to place one ad, then you are probably better off placing your ad in the large city's publication. Most large city publications send copies out of town to surrounding areas and so you will reach people in the city as well as people in rural areas anyway.

There are some publications, such as the National Singles Network, that specialize in only Companions Wanted ads. they send copies of their ads all across the country. This may be an alternative to consider for a second ad if you are willing to re-locate.