| Many prospects skim through catalogs and | | | | to start your captions, whenever possible, |
| brochures, glancing at the photos and reading | | | | with a pithy intro phrase. In five words or |
| the accompanying captions only when a | | | | fewer, capture the essence of what you are |
| particular image arouses their interest. | | | | saying with a clever word play, like the one |
| That's when you have their attention. And so | | | | above. Here's another example. |
| that's when you sell them. | | | | |
| | | | My local newspaper ran a story about the |
| My advice for writing captions is to never | | | | problem that my city is facing this summer |
| describe what readers can see for themselves | | | | with some homeowners watering their lawns |
| in your photo. | | | | every day when they should be watering every |
| | | | other day to conserve water. The story was |
| If your photo shows a man in a golf shirt, | | | | illustrated with a photograph of a city bylaw |
| for example, don't place a caption beneath | | | | officer, in uniform, at the door of a |
| the photo that simply says "New Golf Shirt." | | | | homeowner who was in the very act of breaking |
| Instead, write a subhead that communicates a | | | | the bylaw. The photo caption began: |
| benefit that the reader cannot see, one that | | | | |
| the photographer could never capture. Write | | | | LAWN ORDER: Bylaw Enforcement Officer Jack |
| something like this: | | | | Phillips issues a warning to homeowner . . .. |
| | | | |
| NEVER A HOLE IN ONE: Our new Glengarry Golf | | | | That caption put a smile on my face and |
| Shirt features a Teflon fabric protector that | | | | forced me to read the story. Your captions |
| forms an invisible shield around fibers for | | | | and subheads will do the same if you make |
| superb protection against tears and | | | | them clever, interesting and laden with |
| punctures. | | | | benefits that interest your readers. |
| | | | |
| My second piece of solicited advice (you | | | | © 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. |
| subscribed to the newsletter, after all) is | | | | |