Advert Writing Tips

How to write an online recruitment ad that works

Writing an effective recruitment ad takes both time and effort. But it’s time and effort well spent as a quality ad will attract quality applicants. We asked a leading recruitment advertising agency – Creative Marketing Services – for their tips on online copywriting. You can use them to write the text of your ad on search4procurement.com for a small additional fee. Email

Here are their tips to consider when writing your online Procurement recruitment ad: 

  • Keep it concise. This especially applies to online ads – there’s an assumption that people read a page on the web in the same way as they would in print. They don’t – copy should be short to allow the eye to scan through the key points. Lines and lines of text are a turn off. If you need to detail in-depth information, then this should be provided within a well-structured microsite, an application pack or via relevant contact details.
  • The advert may be for a senior position, but there’s no need to use an outdated writing style and language that’s overly formal. Talk to people on their level and use the second person – ‘you’ and ‘your’, not ‘we’ and ‘our’. Stuffy language reflects badly on your organisation and promotes a negative image of your working environment, no matter what the position is.
  • By the same token, candidates expect an advert that’s well written. Any spelling mistakes or poor grammar will immediately have a negative impact on the ad and your organisation. Don’t fall into the trap of taking less care writing an online ad than one which is destined for print.
  • Use a job title that means something and that people might search for. If they don’t recognise your role they won’t be looking for it.
  • Follow the acronym AIDA. Now this works for any ad in any media, but here’s how it applies to your online recruitment ad:

Attention:  For a recruitment ad to be successful, you need to attract candidates’ attention. This may take the form of a captivating headline or, as is important with online ads, an effective summary of the job, which often decides whether readers will click through and read the full ad.

Interest:  Now you’ve got their attention, it’s time to create some interest in the job. You should have plenty to talk about here, but remember to make sure the information is targeted to the reader. Avoid generic, bland statements which focus on corporate jargon and management speak and tell the candidate nothing about the organisation. 

Desire: Once you’ve captured the candidate’s interest, generate desire by selling the benefits of the job, not the features. The applicant wants to know what’s in it for them.

Action:  Your job is to get suitable candidates to apply for the job, so make sure the next step and call for action is both clear and inviting to the reader.