Creating a great looking ad?

One of the most common ways for forum-based roleplays to get the word out there is to use guest friendly ads. But making one of these ads can be difficult, so what are some tips/tricks you've used to help create great looking ads to help drive people to your site?

 

I don't get a lot of members so I don't really know. For me, I always make a small picture, usually about 400x200 and then have the important links beneath. Sometimes I have a little blurb about the site but nobody really seems to read those so I often just leave that out. I try to keep the image simple because I'm not that great at graphics, so it's usually just a cropped image with a little tint changes and sometimes the name and genre of the site, sometimes just the name.

 

A pretty picture is nice.

keep the text down. Try to make linking to the site easy, and give an apt description of what the plot is. Other than that it's more a case of appealing to the person who is looking at it. Being we are all different that's an individual thing.