24 posts tagged “copywriting”
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.
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.
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
We left off yesterday in a section where Kennedy is hammering home the headline. Reiterating that it is the most valuable skill, and that if you possess it, which he proved you surely can, you will work less and less. Until your sole occupation is climbing in and out of your hammock. Stay on that yes train.
Below the next order link, there is a highlighted sub head. "How the Awesome Power..." I'm not going to analyze this in as much detail, but I can tell you, when I first encountered this letter, he had me hooked. I devoured this story. I don't have employees, but have dealt with them in my father's business. As a result, I'm pretty prejudiced against them. Good help really is hard to find.
Everyone knows numbers are incontrovertible, so a little simple arithmetic strengthens the story. He goes on to make some good points. But do they really prove the premise? It's a great story, but it seems rather to prove that a corporate reorganization and refined business model were the solution, ultimately ennabling more time for copywriting. Not the other way around.
Drop below the next order link.
Anyone who's seriously involved in chasing copywriting gurus will know the name Gary Halbert. In fact, he's legendary. But does he endorse this product? Not explicitly, but do you think having his name here ads to credibility? This trick is often done with celebrities as well. You have to be careful how you go about it, but it can be a response multiplier.
"With wisdom I lacked..." Don't often see the word wisdom in a sales letter. Followed by a little rule-breaking ("Screw the bankers..."). A wise rebel. There's a little bit of a hook in that. The box there draws your eye. A mathematical proof, and the eye easily finds what you're meant to read next. "Total: $270,000.00 cash," notice how he adds those extra zeros after the decimal point. Looks more substantial. The word 'total' recalls the phrase 'grand total', which I always stop to hear. "in less than ten days." Well, of course it happened fast. I've been saying 'yes, copywriting brings fast easy cash' for several pages now. Also, 'cash' is a selling word, especially the 'cold, hard' kind.
Next he shores up his promise, then launches into another emotional ride into economic insecurity.
John Carlton has a graph. The vertical axis is interest, the horizontal is magic. The more magical your solution becomes, the further out on the graph, the greater the interest, moving up on the graph. Dan Kennedy doesn't waste time. Note the cartoon of the wizard. Alchemy. Medieval. This is sheer fantasy. But see how well he ties it in.
Then the promise of a secret society. Finally I'll be special and understood. While my competitors struggle in their ignorance. A reference to a venerable success guru, Clement Stone, and why what he has to offer is now better. And if you know how many copywriters start out, the highlighted text is bound to hit home with that crowd.
Next, a confession. He goes off the deep end. It helps that it comes later in the letter, but see how he manages this without going 'huckster'. (You've seen those furniture store commercials, right?) It helps that he tells the story of one of his colleagues. For credibility, and to cut down on the use of 'I'.
Then the turn. Now the entreprenuer is the hero. Finally he – the wizard with secret knowledge – is granting us our superpowers. How I have waited for this day. See how he's given himself such authority. Life and death over the poor, helpless CEO. Delicious fantasy. This is followed by a transition which begins to set up price.
Have you noticed he's been anchoring big numbers? How he's sequencing stories? Some of which really have nothing to do with the selling situation at hand. This is why face to face sales is so important for copywriting. To get that sense of sales thinking, for what to include.
Next up, my favorite part of this letter. It's like in the Wizard of Oz, where we see technicolor for the first time. Stay tuned.
To your Copywriting Mastery,
Rosser Reeves was known for ugly advertising. He believed that the USP, a term he invented, was in the product itself, and not created by the advertising. Once he had the USP, he repeated it ad nauseum. Some might argue that his 'in your face' style wouldn't work today. People have become too adept at tuning out ads. But the ever combative Reeves would counter that, given a failing company with fruitless advertising, everything depending on it, which would you prefer? Fancy writing, or bottom line results?
Speaking of ugly advertising, today we'll look at a bit of Dan Kennedy's work. One piece of his mailed in a mini trash can, with bag of peanuts inside. The letter was from a squirrel, who thought the prospect was nuts for not taking up the offer. His copy often looks like it was hastily thrown together at the last minute. Before we get into today's study, let's make this work for you.
If you have a group of people in a room, you'll be able to see this work in real time. Make two fliers. One polished, on nice paper, etc. The second on some awful fluorescent stuff. On the second, crowd everything in, with hand written notes. Perhaps make it look like an article somebody copied, cutting off the first column, as if you couldn't get it quite right at the copy machine.
Stack these side by side, and see how many you have left.
Onward.
To see the letter we'll analyze, click here.
Notice the headline is in fact below the fold. In fact, everything above the blue order text is standard for his product pages. Including, I would guess, his 5.0 out of 5 'average' user rating. This goes against prevailing wisdom, not to mention tests, but Dan Kennedy is such a strong brand, and this is unlikely the first contact, that it may make less difference in this application than it would for an unknown. Since it's a rather expensive purchase, it makes sense to have an order bar above the fold. Likely prospects return to reread before buying. Your analytics will tell you if this is the case for your product as well.
[It's also number three in google for keywords "copywriting mastery", beating this blog handily by five slots.]
Moving on, to the letter itself, we have the pre-head. It's an announcing type, but leaves off the tired word 'announcing'. And it seems to be another of Dan's retirements. Which fits well into his 'more money, less work' brand. Then a pic of the product, which supports the order link above, and keeps the headline below the fold. Generally, eye tracking tests have found that people read the pre-head after the headline. In this case, that seems unlikely.
And at last, the headline itself. From the looks of it, DK is going to be selling money at a discount. We'll discover that later. A classic how to, plus benefit. Notice "THE". As in THE Bible. Strengthens an otherwise blah construct. Try it. "The Most Valuable And Profitable Skill". Not as effective. This is the big promise, that you will learn this skill. The benefits, derived from lower level benefits like writing faster, etc., fit well with his brand.
A headline like this, on the weak side and less specific, will work to draw in people who perhaps don't really know what 'copywriting' is, or who don't consider it valuable. Who wouldn't want to earn more while doing less? How instantly gratifying.
Then an ugly cartoon invoking the pen is mightier than the sword. This kind of 'proof' brilliantly supports the claim the letter makes, and we're starting to clue in to what's for sale here. How much statistical and expert proof would it take to equal the credibility of this old saw, ingrained since our youth?
Doesn't that cartoon make it easy to scan down to the next sentence? I may have to swipe that tactic. So then we have a statement that fires up greed glands and jealousy. He then dissociates himself. He's not so great, his product is. Next: 'And if I can do it, anyone can do it'. This sets us up nicely for
The X-Factor. Wow. Secret knowledge. I can't believe he's 'revealing' this. I'm about to 'discover'... See how he does some work to build rapport. It's his story, but who couldn't relate to believing that they think differently (i.e. are 'special'). He's also develping personality in copy.
Notice the first highlighted text. Nothing to disagree with there. So begins the 'Yes Train'. Mark how he keeps you nodding your head. Apples to oranges, circular logic, etc.
There's much more to see, but this post is going long. We'll pick it up. In the meantime, feel free to look ahead. There's quite a surprise turn up ahead.
To your Copywriting Mastery,
Anyone remember the first time we met the 'GoDaddy Girl'? She made quite a splash back in '05. Created a lot of buzz, garnered a fair amount of praise.
But was it effective?
As much fun as it is for me to sit down and rattle off old tales of copywriting lore, we should never forget the point. The reason we're here. The reason we practice copywriting.
To make money!
Here's a little secret about those ads. After the first one ran, everybody seemed to know about GoDaddy. Now, I have to take Dan Kennedy's word for it, but subsequent surveys revealed that despite the commercial's notoriety, it had failed to communicate what GoDaddy did.
The GoDaddy Girl was... a Video Vampire!
Here's another copywriting Blast from the Past: Rosser Reeves. This is the man who coined the phrase 'Unique Selling Proposition', or USP. (Also the author of "melts in your mouth, not in your hands", but that's a story for another time.)
The GoDaddy Girl, instead of anchoring the GoDaddy product, only drew attention to herself. This phenomenon was documented by Rosser Reeves, who noted this occurrence in early television commercials. So he contemptuously coined the term 'Video Vampire', and would surely have applied it to these GoDaddy commercials of today. Similarly, consider the Energizer Bunny. Again, Dan Kennedy reports that less than half (I believe it was 47%) correctly associated the Bunny with Energizer. So much for 'Branding'.
The point, that is. the point where we make you some money, is this: the product should be front and center in your ad. Which means, as we savvy copywriters know, that your sales letter strategically conveys your big promise, your underlying message. Tactically, you may want to make the prospect the hero, the star of your ad. But if she can't remember what she's supposed to buy... forget it. Your ad, no matter how popular, how many awards it's won, is a failure.
Before I sign off, I should add that I don't mean to throw rocks at GoDaddy's marketing, which is done in house. Their brand, as near as I can guess, is something along the lines of 'racy'. So in that sense, the GoDaddy girl, along with Danica Patrick, the Indy racer, is good for the brand. But unless you have a multi-million dollar advertising budget, stick with advertising you can measure.
Concentrate on that one great promise your product can offer. That powerful claim that satiates a mass desire. Your tactics, branding efforts, everything in your tool belt, all should aim to one point. To make the sale.
To your Copywriting Mastery,
P.S. Would it be helpful to look at another sales letter? A little analysis to sharpen your swipe skills?
Today's post, following on the heels of yesterday's, traces its origin to the Gilded Age of capitalism. Robber Barons and railroads. Americans were moving into the cities, finding work in factories. In 1902, a telegraph cable crossed the Pacific Ocean, effectively encircling the globe.
And there was patent medicine.
Snake oil, long known to be supremely effective to "cure what ails ya", was sold by a variety of characters. In those days the monopoly of such a boon to society as medicine was considered unethical. [Incidently, the oil of Chinese watersnake, in a sample from San Francisco Chinatown in 1989, is 20% EPA omega 3. Courtesy of Wikipedia, so please check your references. American snakes have a very different profile of fats. And the Snake Oil medicines usually had none at all!]
It is with these characters, these mountebanks and hawkers of medicine, that we look for inspiration. Stay with me here. Early copywriting grew directly out of this industry. Claude Hopkins himself did some of his early work for Dr. Shoop's patent medicine. So, in fact, their techniques live on. And you've been studying them.
Ever been talking with someone, only to have him ask you the very question you just answered? As if you're playing some kind of Jeopardy. If so, you have some idea how difficult it is to get someone's attention. And to keep it long enough to influence them to a sale. This is where that old snake oil salesman stuff comes in handy.
We've been talking about camouflage. Flying below the radar. But there are times when nothing will do but to hit your prospect square between the eyes with a claim so astonishing that they can't help but want to know more. Now.
Knowing when to use what technique comes from measuring, studying the work of others, and a dose of intuition. On top of that, most top copywriters actually have a losing record. Think of it in terms of baseball. Batting .350 ain't bad.
Here's where we tie it all in.
It is extremely difficult to make the sale on first contact. At least in most industries. So hedge your bets. Use a sequence to multiply your results. An advertorial type ad, or a plain white envelope delivered hand addressed with a first class stamp; these have the best chance of being at least scanned. But if your prospect knows your company, who you are, consider the outside of that envelope real estate, and put an ad on it. 'Teaser copy'. And if you know your list is reasonably up to date, for business to consumer sales, send it third class. Sometimes it's better for your prospect to know there's a great offer from the company they trust coming in. Online, this principle means making a sales page a sales page. Strong, compelling, even obvious sales copy.
And that brings us to our last point today.
Just because a few charlatans developed and exploited classic sales techniques – not to mention the spammers and scammers of today – doesn't mean they are evil. Using powerful 'white hat' sales strategies will help you build a loyal clientele that will support the life you dream of.
To your Copywriting Mastery,
It so happened once, not too long ago, that I needed new tires for my car. So I headed down to Goodyear, owned by a longtime friend of the family. This guy does a pretty good job of keeping his customers entertained while we wait to get our cars back.
'Customers', here in east Tennessee, refers to 'good old boys'. So I went in to the waiting area, set up like a den of sorts. Cheap wood paneling. *Genuine* leather sofas and chairs. Television. And something to interest me.
Along one wall there is a bookshelf with stacks of old magazines. Real red-neck stuff. Cars, guns, fishing. Sports illustrated for the pretentious.
For me, this is a gold mine. I could pick up any magazine, sniff out the back issues, and start comparing ads. We did this several weeks ago together. If I find an ad placed in multiple issues, I know I've found a winner. If it's not especially well written, I can consider getting into that market and running a competing ad. One category stood out.
The best ads, by far, were for – this is where I exploit the headline – Male Enhancement. (You were waiting for that, weren't you.) Two of the three were personality driven, in the style and format of the host magazine. The third was more conventional, of the type you might see for those 'commemorative clocks' that run occasionally in USA Weekend.
In this case, the strongest ad appeared first, followed by a knock-off. Let's talk copywriting strategy for a moment. When you consider your positioning, you notice that there are other positions you must reject. The luxury line cannot also be the low cost leader. If you want to dominate your industry, especially if you're in a newly developing field, etc., go ahead and take both positions. But do it... with different companies. It's another way to test your market, and to raise the cost of entry for would-be competitors. Plus, you'll have a blast competing with yourself.
So what made the ads so great? Aside from adopting the advertorial strategy we discussed yesterday, these ads were told through a personality. Going from memory, I believe one ad used the doctor as the personality – he used doctor's credibility with his own, um, empirical evidence. The other used a doctor's endorsement, but the featured personality was everyday Joe-blow.
You'll have to take my word for it, the pathos of these stories was something else! Some master wordsmith was behind each, carefully keeping the language pg, while relating the humiliation. Laying on the pain, while staying within the format of the magazine. Hilarious... for some.
I have used 'advertorials' to create awareness, for publicity and the like. These ads sold. Hard.
Anyone who's been around copywriting knows that some of these guys pull in hundreds of thousands per week in revenue. While dodging various government agencies, moving offices, etc. But it's a testament to the power of copywriting. Tapping into real human pain (talk about 'mass desire'), and offering a solution. And proof, "There's a customer born every minute".
To your Copywriting Mastery,
Sheridan
P.S. Having a personality sets you up for the narrative copywriting we discussed a few posts back.
P.P.S. Consider how this old strategy of knocking off your own copywriting/product/company could work for you, online.
My last post was packed with info, but there really wasn't anything new. We've at least mentioned every part of the analysis. And, notice that this great sales letter layered all these tactics. Technically it is very dense, but the sales message remains unencumbered. As you write, just keep these things in mind, and your sales messages and stories will begin to incorporate these techniques naturally. And, if you begin to outsource, you'll be able to judge the quality, and have more control over your promotions. Either way, you win.
Your prospects, as we know, are bombarded with sales messages. The number varies, but last I heard, the number of advertising impressions a person gets today is upwards of 600.
So how do we break through? How do we get our foot in the door? Or better, be invited in as a guest?
I'm assuming you're starting with a great product. A product that is not only great, but meets a desire. A desire felt by a statistically large enough group of people to support the business behind getting the product to market. Let's face it, we're here to make money. In fact, let's celebrate. Running a profitable business moves the economy forward, and society with it.
But make no mistake, the point of copywriting is to compel your prospect to take action. And, ultimately, to trade his or her money for your product or service. It is a game. It is fun. But it's serious.
So to answer our questions, in the face so many hundreds of ad impressions, I offer you this strategy:
Camouflage your sales pitch.
Now that we have the concept, how might we profitably employ it in our copywriting?
A lot of copy is written in obvious 'advertising' style. Emotionally charged, hyperbolic language. Keep that in your tool kit, but you might have noticed what a turn off it is to even think about that kind of used-car-salesman copywriting. So what might be a camouflaging alternative?
If you're in print, you copy the format of the publication. In this way you borrow the credibility of the publication for your ad. As an example, a cosmetic surgeon in my town bought his own 'section' in a local paper. It was, of course, a lead generator for his business. This sales medium matched very closely the format of the newspaper, and carried the full credibility of the publication.
Look for this type of sales letter, often dubbed 'advertorial' in magazines and papers. You will see "advertisment" printed somewhere on the page, as it was in the above example. Not to worry, copywriting tests have shown that it makes no statistical difference in response. I use this method myself, and will vouche for its effectiveness.
In your copywriting, consider also tone and style. If you're doing joint ventures online, the sales pitch should match what the readers are accustomed to, whether you're emailing his list or yours.
Laws change, and once profitable advertising media may be outlawed with nary a warning. Learn to apply your sales skills to all media, and your business will be on a more solid foundation. You know they're working on a way to tax the internet, right?
To your Copywriting Mastery,
In my next post we will look at a method of camouflaging your sales letter. But today, I thought we might take a broader look at what makes Ken McCarthy's sales letter effective.
First, consider its placement in his overall marketing strategy. Months of promotional "Pre-System" emails have qualified his prospects, shared a great deal of law-of-reciprocity-invoking free info (in a manner akin to the camouflaging method we'll see in the next post), and indoctrinated those who've stuck around. His Pre-System strategy includes a website with faculty interviews in audio, and other resources to induce you to spend time on his site (the more time they spend, the more likely they are to buy).
He also sent out a 50 page agenda for the seminar. This introduced all 25 sessions by topically allowing the prospect to judge which he might choose to attend. And to imagine being there in advance. Filled with info to persuade beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was a sure bet. After all it is "The System".
One quick word about the name re: copywriting. When you write 'the' in front of a noun this way, there is a particular response. 'The' Bible. 'The' King. 'The' Atom Bomb. 'The' System. See how it sounds? Use it with care.
Every piece of his strategy supports his brand, his USP, his positioning. By the time his prospects get to his letter, they don't need to see every detail about the seminar. They've gotten in bits and pieces over several weeks, in several forms. That is the great advantage of online marketing. See how you can use this to amplify the results of your own marketing. Of course, this blog is about copywriting...
We've examined the headline. This is what your prospect will see first, due to size. Now let's check out the prehead. Your prospect's eyes will likely head there next, especially with no subhead. Without the color red for 'Warning', the photo would pull us into the letter. The prehead is a command. It actually could be a headline, but do you think it's more effective here, as a prehead? See the dynamic between this command and the emotion-laden, benefit driven headline.
Internet readers scan, so note the subheads are clearly marked in red to facilitate their scanning. The 'power words' are either underlined or bolded. Note the one sentence paragraphs. Why would he set that info aside?
The first subhead, beginning with [reason] 'Why', develops the mythology, recalling a historical legend. Then puts its prospect into the myth while simultaneously making him the hero (a great tactic).
Under the next subhead, note 'money-making, fortune-building revolution', and ensuing use of metaphor. He's already working in scarcity, even while telling you how easy it will be. Then he strategically builds credibility, inserting his USP: his unparalled experience has yielded the only proven system. Which means he can promise you a 'raging cash machine'.
Now that the prospect imagines himself to be the hero, with a credible product, show him what can happen. Bullets of his successful students' stories.
Notice how many times 'the System' appears in bold. It leads naturally to the question that makes up the next subhead: "What is the System...". Then the creation myth. Like you would tell your buddy over a pint at the bar. Do you think this would be a good point to allow people to opt in?
Time to offer proof. No better way than video testimonials.
His headline finds the pain of would be internet marketers. No cashflow, even after a lot of time invested. Now he rubs the pain with an expanded bullet list of 4 deep dark secrets. [By the way, the bold text in secret #4 is the title of a book by copywriting great Gary Halbert. Keep working on your swipe file.] These bullet headlines are crafted for shock value, and self-proving. "He must really know what he's talking about." "I've never heard it like that before."
He's told us what he's going to tell us (see "What is the system..." subhead). Now he's telling us what he's telling us, with expanded bullets 1-12. See how elements are mixed here. Designed for you to scan, not necessarily to read.
Next, he tells us what he's told us. We now have been stirred emotionally, presented with the only credible solution, and given plenty of reasons why to tell the spouse, et al. Any resistance left?
"My pledge to you" is an elaborate guarantee. This is followed by tactics to lower resistance. He names your fear and undermines it. More scarcity, and a sort of recap of the opening of the letter. It feels familiar now and trustworthy.
The second P.S. more explicitly states the guarantee. The first retells what your offering, the big promise, consistently with the total sales message. The third clarifies that this seminar is for you, dear reader.
To Your Copywriting Mastery,
P.S. I know we've gone long today, so if you've made it this far, thanks!
P.P.S. Please do click through and check out the next page. Note the upsell! Also the pressure from the clock, and the simplicity. You know what you're ordering, and can order how you like – phone or internet – and still not get lost in the details.
