“What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.” – Andre Malraux
Weeks back, I promised you some secrets, as
heard behind closed doors in a four-day
copywriting seminar in Germany.
If you don’t mind, I’d finally like to make good
on that offer. Ready? Here we go… oh wait, to
refresh:
This was for a German information publisher and
I co-presented with the great Herschell Gordon
Lewis, David Yale, and Natalie Recke.
You’ll find a good mix of their secrets below,
all mixed together, plus a handful of my own.
So NOW, here we go…
** Copywriters should do more than write copy.
They/we should also get involved in product
development, picking lists, production, and
more. This way, your value goes up and your
business sense skyrockets. Plus, it could pay
more.
** Try paying off your headline promise in the
actual sales letter… but then teasing with
something much bigger. That is, if you offer a
compelling tidbit of info at the outset, go
ahead and give it away… but only when you have
something even more tempting lined up.
** What are the typical customer service
complaints with the product you’re trying to
sell? Don’t bury them — use them by addressing
each objection ahead of time, in your sales
copy.
** Don’t use “initial caps” in the subject line
of a selling email. What are “initial caps?”
Easy. They’re When You Stick a Capital Letter in
Front of Each Word. Why avoid this? Because it
looks too polished and salesy, not natural like
a regular e-mail.
** Here’s one you can safely apply almost across
the board: Specifics out-pull generalities. That
is, opt against the sweeping promise or other
copy, in favor of the unique details.
** Imperative also outsells declarative. That
is, don’t just tell them what is, tell them what
to do.
** Though, pay attention to what words you use
to urge action. When you say “Let’s do this…”
it’s friendly. If you say “you should do
this…” that sounds like authority. But if you
say “you must do this…” it might, but not
always, stir resentment and even resistance.
** One more: emotion out-pulls intellect. We buy
because a pitch makes us feel, not calculate.
But you know that — I hope — by now, yes?
** Here’s another insight that really stuck:
Remember, attention does not always translate
into action. In these days when marketers are
clamoring to get more Twitter “followers” and
Facebook “likes” for no clear reason, what
observation could be more relevant?
** Speaking of which, “Can’t Buy Me Love” said
four mop-topped philosophers musically, some
time back. How true… and trading online
coupons and similar for a social media “like”
falls in that same category. It’s a false
psychological statement.
** That said, there ARE ways to use social media
that seem smart. For instance, what about
“posts” and “tweets” that you share only with
your paid-up customers?
** How’s that work? How about “tweets” to
subscribers and past clients that build
excitement for upcoming events? Or “tweets” that
share details from a live conference, plus
upsells to the recording for those who couldn’t
attend?
** If you’ve got a subscriber-based product, how
about “tweets” sharing only the headlines of the
latest issue, to increase readership?
** All that said, the use of any direct response
tool has to figure out how much time and staff
it’s going to cost. For social media, for
instance, that means you want to run those
numbers early to figure out if it’s really worth
your while.
** Don’t fear social media, but don’t worship it
either. It’s just another communication tool,
which the masters will master and absorb.
** Selling to seniors? Don’t try to transform
them. Say, in so many words, you’re offering
what you’re offering “because you are who you
are… and you deserve this.” And by all means,
promise fast action.
** Writing your reply page? For the sake of all,
keep it simple and demand little. Your prospect
needs to be able to read it and understand what
you’re offering in 10 seconds or less, a way
that flatters his intelligence for ordering. And
you need to collect only the information you
have to have to make the sale and not one tidbit
more.
** Have a company website? Here’s a cool idea…
start featuring a customer of the month. Make it
real, pick someone your other prospects can
relate to, and let it highlight the benefit the
customer got from one of your products.
** Offer a toll-free number on your reply card?
Try testing without it. Offer a lifetime
guarantee? Try testing a “20-year Guarantee”
instead. And while you’re at it, use this phrase
wherever you can: “Free Shipping.”
There was, of course, so much more.
But that should give you plenty to chew on, yes?
John Forde
Guest Contributor
———————
Over the last 19 years, John Forde’s direct-response
copy helped generate hundreds of millions of dollars
and has won him several awards, including AWAI’s
“Copywriter of the Year.” John has also mentored dozens
of successful writers and regularly helps lead copy
training programs in Europe and the U.S. You can get
more of his insights on copywriting free from his
website: www.copywritersroundtable.com
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