You spend an hour writing a great email and no one clicks the link. Or you create an ad of some sort (banner, Adwords, blurb for your website, etc.) and no one clicks. Now what?

Here are 13 ways to make your ads and your emails generate more click throughs…

1. Ask for the click. Tell the reader to “click here to continue” or “click here to get the details.”

2. Offer something for free on the other side. If they know they’re going to get useful information for free, rather than simply hitting a sales letter, they’re more likely to click. (You can, of course, include great info right inside your sales letter.)

3. Make it easy to visualize what they’ll see. When someone goes into a restaurant for the very first time, they may experience a bit of trepidation because they don’t know what to expect. But when they’ve been there before, they’re much more comfortable because they already know what they’ll see, what the place is like and so forth.

Ads and emails act as the doorways to your restaurant, or in this case the page you want your prospects to go to. The more you can help them visualize what’s on the other side of that door and look forward to experiencing it, the more likely they are to click your link.

4. Describe what’s on the other side of the click. ‘Blind clicks’ (those ads that don’t give you a clue what’s on the other side of the click) don’t do as well as ads and emails that make it quite clear what the reader can expect on the next page.

5. Display a picture of the benefit of clicking. Are you going to show them the secret to roses the size of dinner plates? Show them a photo of exactly that.

6. If you are offering a freebie on the other side (such as an ebook for joining your list) make sure the freebie has a great title that both entices and implies real value. “Free Dating eBook” won’t cut it – “22 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Get Dates With Gorgeous Women” will.

7. If appropriate and your email is in html, try placing a ‘coupon’ within the email. Or try placing a coupon border around the ad. These dashed lines attract attention and imply savings, thereby stimulating response.

8. Talk about the value and benefits of what’s on the other side of the click.

9. Put a benefit in your ad’s headline or email’s subject line. “How to solve your low conversion problem.”

10. Ask a provocative question, such as “Are you tired of fighting with your spouse?”

11. Ask an informational type of question. People want to know the answer to questions, so ask them something, such as “How do you put the love back into your marriage?”

12. Be direct. If you’ve got a great offer for them, don’t beat around the bush, just come straight out of the gate with it. “12 miniature roses for just $32, shipping included.”

13. Give them useful information. For example, your subject line might be, “7 Ways to Eradicate Mold.” Then inside your email you give them the first 6, with the seventh one being your link to your product. If it’s an ad, then the link goes to the list of 7, with the seventh one linking to your product.