Banner copy is read in two seconds from across the road. That is not enough time for clever, not enough for poetic, not enough for clever. Every word on the banner has to earn its place.
We see thousands of banner artworks a year at our Putney studio and the difference between the ones that pull customers in and the ones that get ignored is almost always the words. Here is what works.
Use 6 to 8 words maximum on a 5ft x 3ft banner. Three lines: what you sell, the offer or hook, and the action. Cut adjectives, slogans, and your website if the phone number is more useful. Skip the QR code unless it links to something specific.
The three-line rule
Every effective banner reads as three lines, each with one job. Line one names the category or business. Line two carries the offer or hook. Line three is the call to action.
If you cannot reduce your message to three lines, you have more than one banner's worth of ideas. Pick the most important and run the other on a separate banner.
Three-line examples
NOW OPEN / FREE COFFEE FIRST 100 / SAT 14 JUNE. PIZZA HOUSE / 2 FOR 1 TUESDAYS / 020 3669 9854. LOFT CONVERSIONS / FREE QUOTE / 07XXX XXX XXX. Three lines, three jobs, no fluff.
Cut these words from every banner
Welcome. Greetings. Hello. Adjectives like amazing, fantastic, premium, professional, quality, best. Filler like to all our customers, here at our store, we are proud to. Hashtags, except on dedicated campaign banners. Slogans, unless your slogan is famous.
If a word does not move the reader toward calling, visiting or buying, it is taking up space the offer needs.
Hierarchy: type size sells the message
The most important word on the banner should be the biggest. The second most important should be half the size. The third should be a third. This is not arbitrary, it is how the eye scans a sign at speed.
Designers sometimes balance the type sizes for aesthetic harmony. On a banner that is wrong. Hierarchy needs to be brutal, not pretty.
Type size guidelines for 5ft x 3ft banners
Top line at 25cm tall. Middle at 15cm. Bottom at 8cm. Smaller than 8cm is invisible from across the road. If you cannot fit your bottom line at 8cm, cut words until you can.
Hierarchy needs to be brutal, not pretty. The biggest word should be the most important word.
Call to action: pick the right one
Different banners need different actions. Shop opening: WALK IN TODAY. Event: TICKETS AT THE DOOR. Tradesman: CALL FOR FREE QUOTE. Restaurant: BOOK NOW or NO BOOKING NEEDED. Gym: CLAIM TRIAL.
Generic CTAs (CALL TODAY, VISIT US) underperform specific ones because the reader has to do less work to act.
Banner copy checklist
| Check | Pass criteria | Fail action |
|---|---|---|
| Line count | 3 lines or fewer | Cut one message to another banner |
| Top line size | 25cm+ on 5ft banner | Resize down other lines |
| Adjectives | Zero or one | Cut all |
| CTA specificity | Action verb plus result | Rewrite generic to specific |
| 10-metre test | Headline readable on phone at zoom | Increase size, cut words |
Phone, website, or both?
Most banners only need one. A phone number works when the action is to enquire. A website works when the action is to browse. A QR code works when the action is to book or order. Pick one based on how the customer actually engages.
Tradesmen, restaurants, salons, taxis: phone number wins. Online stores, courses, software, events with paid tickets: website or QR. Both on the same banner is fine if you have the space, but the secondary one should be visibly smaller.
If a word does not move the reader toward calling, visiting or buying, it is taking up space.
Testing your copy before printing
Stand 10 metres away from your design on a phone screen at full zoom. If you cannot read the headline, the customer cannot read the banner. Resize and try again.
Show the design to someone outside your business. Ask them what the banner is selling and what you want them to do. If they cannot answer in five seconds, the copy needs another pass.
Mistakes that creep in during signoff
Banner copy gets ruined at the signoff stage more often than at the design stage. A committee adds the website. The boss insists on the slogan. The marketing manager asks for the hashtag. Each addition is small. The cumulative effect is a banner that reads as cluttered.
Set a copy budget before signoff. 6 to 8 words for a 5ft x 3ft banner, 4 to 6 for smaller, 10 to 12 for an 8ft x 4ft. Anything beyond that has to push something else off. The discipline of trade-off forces choices that improve the finished banner.
Ready to Get Your Banner Printed?
Send us your draft copy and we will tell you honestly whether it works. Free design help is included with every banner order and we will rewrite if it needs it.
Call 020 3669 9854 or WhatsApp +44 7376 464869 with your draft, or visit Shop 395 Tildesley Road, Putney Heath, and we will sketch it out at the counter.
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