Copywriting Made Simple

Let's not waste time. Everyone knows white papers are made to persuade. Ok, sure, there are a few corporate writers out there who still think their primary purpose is to inform. And they're right, in a sense. But most experienced freelance writers (i.e. those not in house) agree that if it doesn't move along the sales process, it doesn't belong in your company's communications.

In fact, these days, white papers appear earlier in the sales process than ever. For this reason, the number of truly technical white papers is in decline. Either way, both technical and business-benefit white papers now place great importance on benefits, and secondary importance on features.

These days, with so much commerce taking place online, the majority of distribution of white papers is digital. In terms of reason why copywriting, business-benefit white papers offer a great opportunity to offer proof, credibility, positioning, and reason why early in the sales process. This begs a quick note on long form copy.

The perennial question of how long your copy should be hangs around simply because it is the wrong question. Persistence in selling is almost a proverb. So the copy should go on until you have the sale. Forever. Like a conversation that ebbs and flows.

When they had warehouses of men on old typewriters, letters were necessarily shorter. Then, it was discovered that 8 pages sold better than 4, 12 better than 8, and so on until they couldn't close the envelope.

The internet, aka the world's cheapest printing press, makes mass distribution of content cheap and easy (for now, and relatively). These are just media. They change. How people interact with them changes. Their credibility changes, etc.

This is where a lot of marketers miss the boat. Everyone bows down to the almighty headline. And for good reason. In space ads it's a make-or-break proposition.

In direct mail, however, format trumps headline. Generally, a magalog with a weaker headline will beat a #10 with a great headline/teaser copy/etc. And a newsletter format, when used to sell a newsletter subscription, will outpull the magalog in that case.

And the web? Long copy salesletters still work, but they were, frankly, designed for direct mail. And it so happens that they are not pulling as well in the middle of this decade as they did in the beginning. But people still need to be walked (or dragged) through the entire sales process. Which necessitates the communication of benefits, proof, reason why, etc.

What does this have to do with white papers? Used carefully (no one needs another junky free report), they can inform, educate, and qualify your prospect. They offer another avenue of getting your message into the hands of your prospect, without asking them to change their internet usage habits of scanning and clicking to scroll through a single page.

I'll be putting together some tips on how to write your own white papers, after a quick blog entry on affiliate marketing. You'll learn how to write white papers that fit into your marketing system, that serve a specific purpose, and that don't take the 40 odd hours to write that professional writers usually need to devote to them.

I can always count on losing a few brain cells when I go to Vegas. But it may have gone too far this time.

Today I was catching up on my mail. Tear open and trash. When one got my attention. There was a little post it note stuck on some newsprint. "SHeridan (sic)/you gotta see this!/j". As it happens, I know someone named "j", and was sort of expecting to hear from her. The #10 envelope mailed from Long Island. Well, she's in Boston, but who knows? The newsprint had "Chattanooga, TN" upper right. And the Headline: "Multi-Billion Dollar Giveaway/Approved By Congress -/Money Is Available NOW!

Finally, it hit me what this thing was. It continued with these bullets... "To Start Your Own Business!/To Own Your Own Home!/To Invest In Real Estate!"

Personally, I'd want to test without the exclamation points; enough is enough. But on the whole, it's the smartest piece of [non-Boardroom] direct mail that's come through my door in a long time.

Here are a few of the features:

• The newspaper sized newsprint is folding in sixths, with the yellow post it note stuck on upside-down
• Date is upper left, for last Wednesday, top center is "Special Report: How To Get Money From The U.S. Government, and upper right, as I said, is the nearest large city... in my case, Chattanooga, TN
• Fake ink smudges in blue and red
• Excellent design for maximum readership
• Main article (this is unusual) made to look as if it were a separate newspaper, copied onto the front of this one (this effect created with design software)
• Real federal grants table proving that amount of grants offered has gone up, citing whitehouse as source
• Big blue arrow at bottom of first page stating in reverse type: "Seating Is Limited!"

There are testimonials galore. You can imagine how the governement references, the photo of the ex-bureaucrat, the table -- even the good, but-not-too-good design -- work together to build the credibility of the piece. And the idea that we all know someone named "J." who could be sending us a clipped article, well, apparently it still works to get attention. I would never have given as much attention to a self-mailer. 

The first "article" begins with the headline in blue in reverse type: "Local Conference Tells Where The Money Is And How To Get It!"

--I knew it! I knew they were hiding vast stores of cash from us!--

There is a note from the Former Deputy General Counselor for the Unites (sic) States Treasury Department. Headline for the note: "The Money Is There! You've Got To Go After It!" and his smiling face stands just to the right.Finally a little straight talk from an insider who wants to help me. Show me the free money.

I don't want to keep you too long. Let me just share, in sequence, the subheads for this first "article":

• This is real help!
• Who should attend?
• It's FREE!
• Special Bonus For All Attendees
• Don't wait!

That covers about 600 words. Tells me everything I need to know. And is enticing enough to pull me into the middle pages. And easy enough for me to give them a call on the last page. (Four pages altogether.)

There is an additional bonus occupying the bottom fourth of the page: "YOU CAN GET UP TO $1000 IN GROCERY/COUPON SAVINGS... JUST FOR ATTENDING.**

There are calls to action all over the place. Great example of how just following the rules, not getting to fancy, can result in a great piece. In fact, I may just give 'em a call. 

Incidently, ending a headline with a period has been found to lower response. But I guess that makes this headline in keeping with the subject at hand.

I'm writing to you from Nashville, minutes before a viola recital given by a colleague of mine at Vanderbilt University, where she's a professor. As I wait, my mind turns to concentration.

Not the kind you might expect. (And I must say this is all in jest).

Several months ago now, I wrote a few posts about the great copywriter Gene Schwartz. If you don't know who that is, I will only say at some point you must pick up a copy of his book Breakthrough Advertising. In it, he coins a term: 'concentration.' In this case he means attacking your competition in your copy.

It's related to the concept of positioning, as in positioning yourself against. You may do so explicitly or implicitly. Usually the latter, unless you enjoy lawsuits and risk of offending your customers. But that's not the point.

The question tonight is (and this has nothing to do with the recital), what to do when your competition takes up arms against you.

Let's face it. You never can cover all fronts. If you've been reading long term, you know we've discussed the importance of anticipating objections, revealing damaging admissions. And obviously emphasizing your benefits.

Now before I go further, a quick note about thinking abundantly. I think you should. But don't forget that it's a limited market place. There are only so many billion people. Only so many hundreds of millions are online. And only so many thousand are prospects for your blue widgets. And perhaps no more than a tiny percentage at any time. Of whom, a fraction will find your site, and a smaller fraction will buy from you. Even with the best laid marketing funnel.

So when new competition comes on the scene, learn from them. Keep tabs. Spy. Of course, you shouldn't go poking around for industrial secrets, or try to plant moles in their company. But believe me, if you're any kind of player in your market, they're looking at you.

So when some contender shows up, and finds a toe-hold in your SEO campaign--say a handful of keywords you never got around to, or didn't think would convert--it's time to move. As soon as you catch them climbing the rankings (if SEO is the battlefield), put your resources into strengthening those positions for yourself.

Abundance? Let them go after another market. Believe me, there's room for more internet marketers. No one has time to long tail optimize a page for every widget out there. Just don't let anyone horn in on your territory.

As for the copy, keywords (for now) are copy. They form the trunk of your marketing tree. The roots are the mass desire, the branches are your larger sales argument, the fruit is your product. How enticing for your prospects. Beware of separating marketing from copywriting.

We're about to start this recital. Best of luck out there.

I had a late breakfast with my dad today. Around 6:00pm. We'd each had lunch, but we'd planned on breakfast, and somehow with internet marketing stuff flying around, time got away from me. But I did find out something interesting I'd never known.

People are good at keeping secrets. Not the ones you'd like them to keep, granted, but they certainly do withhold information. For example:

My dad, apparently, was a one time partner in a direct marketing firm. Granted, it was in college, and they worked out of the other guy's basement. But there they were, reprinting antique catalogs from the early 1900s, and running space ads in magazines. They sold for $5 or $10. First, who would have thought there was an interest in decades old catalogs? And they were expensive (we're talking about the late 60s).

On a side note, there was once a little old lady from California (Pasedena?). She ordered a catalog. Then she ordered the Pretty Princess Tricycle.

Sent her $1.25 by check through the mail across the country to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Must have been a great ad.

There are two lessons here. One, never underestimate the power of strong catalog copy. Two, I had no idea my dad had this in his background. And I think if I had to, that could become a hook for a sales letter.

There's always something new out there. This blog has focused on what we might call 'classic' copywriting. And that's for a reason, as you'll see shortly. But today, and for the first time on this blog, I'd like to take a look at the future of this whole copywriting deal. See where we're headed.

Copywriters generally don't like being bound by keywords for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaigns. In fact, there are still guys in direct mail who barely know what any of that stuff is. I can attest to the pain of having to perform surgery on great copy to implant artificial keywords to feed google, lowering the persuasive power of the sales letter. Which is an argument in favor of using fast, scientific (albeit expensive) PPC campaigns.

On the other hand, no marketer worth his salt would ignore SEO completely. At least none that I know, though I'm sure it's possible. And keywords are key for both online and online SEO efforts.

The good news, for people like me at least, is that google's programmers, in their quest for world domination, are constantly improving their Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), thus rendering the old keyword stuffing techniques pretty well obsolete. Take that, black hatters.

They've gotten so good, that I predict it only a matter of time that keyword obsession is a thing of the past. And on-page SEO will truly lean in favor of the better (and better written) content.

This is good news for the marketers as well. There is already a great deal of traffic for profitable keywords. And enough good internet marketers to compete for all. So much for long tail. Of course there are still gaps and openings, but those will close soon enough, as the internet matures.

Bottom line: if you're building a business, if you're in for the long haul, quality counts. So use the tech tricks, but stay focused on your fundamentals.

To your copywriting mastery,
Sheridan Randolph

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– Sheridan

You can't know too much about your customer.

I have passing scores for the Navy SEAL fitness test.  But just passing.  So now I'm on a program to get those numbers up.  This is my last year to join, and while I've decided not to, I don't want there to be any doubt as to whether I could have.

So you'll find me working out about two hours a day.

After a few hundred push ups, sit ups, plus my pull ups program, it was time to hit the pool.  For those of you who've never swum laps, I can tell you it's important to keep the lanes clear.  Beyond the protecting the egos of the swimmers – who can get pretty riled when your 10 year old daughter wanders into their path – people can actually get hurt. 

And the lifeguards are always out to lunch.

The other day, in fact, an inattentive mother let her toddler (very cute, barely toddling) perch herself on the edge of 5 feet of water.  Apparently the lifeguard saw no problem.  I finished my lap and looked up.  Took my goggles off and stared in amazement. 

Both the toddler and the 10 year old girl made it out ok.  (The 10 year old was lucky the guy saw her.  He was sprinting.) 

But it's still a hazard.  Every time I use the outdoor pool there is a problem.

The swimmers, on the other hand...

We generally get along.  We understand competition for resources and share lanes.  For example, I am practicing the combat swimmers stroke for time (part of the SEALS test) – a modified sidestroke.  Wearing goggles, I pay attention that I stay on my side of the lane and time my kicks so I don't catch anyone in the face. 

This is key.

Then there are a few showboaters.

Some clown shows up, dives in and starts swimming laps.  With people in the lane, this shows no understanding of protocol.  As he's crashing down and back – the guy's throwing water up 5 feet or so – he occasionally pulls his head out of the water to see where he's going. 

I shrug, and back to work.  Then, it happens.

We were swimming opposite when he manages to reach over the median and spear me right in the eye.  Not cool. 

How does it go?  Something about "it's all fun and games..."?

So I discovered another function for goggles.  On the return, he said he 'thought' he'd tagged me.  Fair enough.  I thought of 'tagging' him.  I instead said "that's why we wear goggles: so we can see".  He left shortly after. 

“Do you think,” he whispered, “there’s a crisis in copywriting right now?”

I follow John Carlton's blog, and this question was put to him by Jeff Walker in the last couple of weeks.  It seems there are a number of copywriters who've learned to talk their way into big gigs.  Guys who show up and dive in, without checking in with the other swimmers.

They splash a lot, but they don't get results.  On top of that, they charge three times over what they should.

And when it counts, instead of helping you out, they spear you in the eye. 

Much of what goes on on the internet is small potatoes compared to what the big direct mailers have been doing, and continue to do.  Jeff Walker's launch formula – which is brilliant – approximates techniques used in direct mail for years.  Decades.  And the money is big. 

All of that is great.  But then a new (and wonderful) medium shows up, and it's possible for would be writers, perhaps English majors who've never studied a direct response mailing in their lives, to dive in and claim to know how to swim.  But their swimming blind, without goggles. 

And that's why we're here.  As your business grows, you will find you need a marketing genius on your team.  Could be you, could be a hired gun.  But marketing drives business growth.  And copywriting, with it's attendant strategies of 'launching' and sales psychology, will be a key part of that.  And that includes copywriting for video, which will continue to grow on the web, as we become less inclined – and able – to read.

So if you're swimming in business responsibilities, moving toward some definite goal, and some yahoo copywriter tries to dive into your lane, steer clear.  Use your tools, from this blog and elsewhere, to recognize the hack, and stay on track for your best year yet.

To your Copywriting Mastery,

Sheridan Randolph

P.S.  It turns out I owe more in taxes than I thought.  (Filed for extension.  Just had 'em done.)  If you were thinking of outsourcing your copy, now would be a really good time to start that conversation with me.  Especially since I'll be raising prices in a couple of months.  Just send a private message.

*Tim left a great link in his comment.  (Thanks, Tim!)  I'll give that again below.

Early on in this blog I suggested several places to look to get into the vernacular of your market.  Magazine covers (newsstand, not subscription), trade journals – even reviews on Amazon.com. 

But why? 

The language used in these places carries latent credibility.  Some may advise you shy away from industry jargon.  But a little can go a long way. 

Want to show you're an insider?  Lace your copy with a little jargon. 

Short on testimonials?  Lift phrases from industry publications.

Desire to build great trust?  Stay consistent with appropriate phrases and...

Metaphors.

I was going to write about this yesterday, but in reading over Bencivenga's Bullets, I saw that he covered this in Bullet #25.  Took the wind out of my sail. 

Since there's no way I can expound this point with his virtuosity and sense of fun, I'll leave this to the master.  Join in with all the top copywriters, online and off, in reading Bencivenga's Bullets.  Just click here.  Simple as that. 

It's #25, but feel free to look around.  Also, in a few months he'll be publishing the next on time management.  He is reviewing all courses and books ever created on the subject to bring you the best.  (No exaggeration; that's just how he works.)

To your Copywriting Mastery,

Sheridan Randolph

P.S.  Stay tuned for an inside look at the state of copywriting on the web, and what it means for your business.

Well, guys, I'm tired.  Been a long day.  And for the first time, I don't know what to write. 

Usually these things just come to me.  I'm so into what I'm doing, living and breathing the stuff, the blog just becomes an extension of it all.  Except that I'm focused on you.  On your comments.  On what I think might help you in business and in life. 

But in fact, it's not a shortage of material that's holding me back.  There's actually so much I would like to tell you, I can't figure where to start.  So I'll begin with...

Bullets. 

You can always go back to them.  Even if you don't organize your research onto 3x5s, or even think of them as bullets, they will insure you will always know what to write.

But how?

Consider the promise I made some time back: "How to Beat Writer's Block... Forever".  The old Gene Schwartz cure.  I stand by that, and guarantee it will work.  (Unless you don't want it to.)  You may find you start writing, but that leads you to want to do...

...more research.

You will need about seven times the research (I have found) than you will use in your letter.  Remember when I suggested writing hundreds of bullets?  If you don't know what to say – if your writer's block cure tells you you need more material – get to work.

Back to bullets.  Once this research is done, if you're still not sure where to start, try just writing something.  Clearing your throat, so to speak.  Basically what I've done in this post.  

So, thoroughly prepare, along with writing every day (with purpose)... we may be on to something.

Next up: hijacking credibility.

Sheridan