apers. A
brief, well-worded advertisement in the "Business Opportunities" column
of these papers bring quick and good results, though, perhaps a better
class of inquiries may be obtained by advertising in the trade journals
of the class to which the invention relates, and while the trade
journals may not bring about as many inquiries as the dailies, those
that answer will be more apt to be interested and talk business. Either
of the above are good mediums, but in advertising patents for sale
patentees should carefully avoid those publications that are published
at uncertain intervals, and usually for the express purpose of
circulating among inventors for various purposes. They do not reach the
class of people that invest in patents. Inventors should know the class
of people that would be likely to become interested in their inventions,
and advertise in such mediums as have the largest circulation among that
class.

[Sidenote: How to Write an Advertisement.]

In the construction of an advertisement there is often too much waste by
using too much verbiage, too many unnecessary words or sentences,
sometimes too much display. Prudence in the arrangement, and care in
editing an advertisement, will save much expense. The size of an
advertisement of this class has really little to do with its pulling
qualities.

The statements should be assuming, and at the same time truthful, as any
deception in an advertisement is sure to work an injury. There should
not be more claimed in the advertisement than sounds reasonable, even
though it be stating facts; if an advertisement sounds unreasonable it
will not have the desired result. Inventors sometimes become so
enthusiastic over their inventions that they exaggerate unintentionally.
A good rule is for the inventor to read over the advertisement, and ask
himself, "If this statement was read by me, would I believe it; would it
convince me?" etc.

Putting one's self in the purchaser's place is always one of the best
factors in writing good advertisements. The inventor should put himself
in the place of the purchaser of the patent, and reason what would
induce him to investigate its merits; what would likely cause him to
take it up, and so on; he should think and write fully along these
general lines, incorporate these reasons into an advertisement; then
boil it down by cutting out the unnecessary words and sentences; prune,
remodel, and rewrite until he has a brief advertisement, cl