Be meaningfully specific!

Here is a mid-1800’s help wanted sign for the Pony Express:

Wanted
Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18.
Must be excellent riders, willing to risk death daily.
Orphans preferred. Wages are $25.00 a week.

It always generated a huge response. Why? Well quite simply it targeted the market it wanted with an almost irresistible challenge and, although downright honest about the dangers, the young blokes whom it was seeking were excited by the risks and believed they wouldn’t get killed since they felt (as the young do) 10 feet tall and bullet-proof.

The other lesson is that it spells out exactly who is wanted… often a great idea for your adverts. For example, “Wanted – Couples between 45 and 55 who both work, own or nearly own their own home and are thinking about buying an investment property.”