Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
April 2, 2009
Issue #37
Skinny latté:
$3.40 …
Biscotti:
$1.00 …
Billions of Dollars
of Marketing Research
for FREE:
PRICELESS!
How to turn a leisurely visit
to your local bookstore
into the most profitable
three hours of your entire year
Dear Business-Builder,
Good morning, Sunshine! And how was your weekend?
What’s that you say? You’re well-rested … brimming with energy and optimism … and eager to begin making this your best week ever?
Cool beans.
But please – for mercy’s sake – go put some clothes on. We’re going to the bookstore: One of the few places we copywriters and marketing folk probably should NOT work in our underwear!
I know – you assumed this issue would be just another one where I was going to preach about dominant emotion or benefits or some such stuff like that.
But frankly, I don’t feel like it today. Unlike some people I could name, I did not have the luxury of swilling beer and watching Survivor reruns all weekend.
In fact, I spent two full days sweating over every word on seven headline test panels. And I’m so close to this damn copywriting tree, all I can smell is bark.
I need to take a giant step back and get a good, long look at the salesmanship forest.
(more…)
Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
March 17, 2009
Issue #631
Dear Marketing Top Gun,
In this Bullet I share the secret of how to sell anything. It’s a simple secret, and it works universally, no matter what business you’re in
But before getting into it, I want to make …
An Important Announcement
About These Bullets
I have always advised my clients to build their products, newsletters, books, and e-zines squarely on their strongest proof elements, namely their most persuasive and impressive credentials – including their strongest case histories, endorsements, testimonials, "reasons why" they offer better results and solutions, success stories, proven outcomes, expert status, areas of specialization, reputation within their industries, and especially a spirit of candor and integrity that never fails to delight clients and confound competitors.
When you make your credibility an essential, highly visible part of your marketing, persuasion can flow like silk because your most commonly encountered enemy – skepticism – is largely swept aside.
(more…)
Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
December 4, 2008
Issue #33
OK – so you've written the best headline and lead copy ever.
Now how do you get from here to the sale without royally screwing things up?
In this issue:
- The 3 unforgivable sins writers commit in body copy …
- And 7 "Golden Rules" to help you avoid them
Dear Business-Builder,
Good, nitty-gritty stuff in this issue …
We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about grabbing your prospects’ attention with powerful headline and opening copy in past issues of THE TOTAL PACKAGE – and for good reason: In today’s hyper-competitive world, making that initial "attention" sale is absolutely imperative.
If you fail to get your prospects’ attention, you’ll fail to deliver your benefits and offer. And if you don’t deliver your offer and ask for the sale, it’s pretty much a slam dunk that you won’t get the sale.
And so, we copywriters work our fingers to the bone, beating the bushes for the theme that’s likely to resonate best with our prospects … crafting headlines that stand the best chance of grabbing them by the eyeballs … and slaving over opening copy that is most likely to convert that hard-won attention to readership.
We know that if we do these things well, we’re probably about 70 percent of the way to a promotion that will blow the doors off the competition.
But, alas, in long copy promotions – especially in the 24-page magalogs and tabloids that are my stock and trade – the headline and lead represent only about four percent of the total volume of sales copy required.
There’s a ton more stuff that needs doing after you’ve seized your prospect’s attention. Important stuff – like juicing up your product’s benefits … proving your case … presenting your offer … relieving risk … selling the heck out of your premiums … asking for the sale … closing the sale … and more.
The trick is doing all that without allowing your prospects’ mind to wander even for a second. Or worse: Making a mistake that turns him off entirely – and gets your sales message instantly tossed into the nearest virtual or literal trash can.
In a very real sense, your body copy is a minefield that must be navigated with the greatest of care: Every word, sentence and paragraph of body copy represents the chance to either intensify your prospect’s focus … or to completely lose him.
(more…)
Posted by:
Carline Anglade-Cole
July 29, 2008
Issue #469
I love bullets!
They’re fun - and easy to write once you get the hang of ‘em!
In this issue, I’m going to show you some of my secrets for writing powerful, strong and kick-butt bullets! Once you learn my tricks, feel free to start using them immediately. You’ll see how your copy just POPS, flows and takes off!
An easy way to create momentum in your copy:
Faster than a speeding (you know the rest) …
In case you’re not sure what I’m blabbering about, here’s how I define a bullet:
"A mini headline followed by strong supporting sentence aimed to tease and entice your prospect."
Bullets help you create momentum in your copy. And since most people scan instead of read - bullets can help you quickly drive home the points you want your prospect to remember.
I love working for clients like Boardroom, Rodale and Frank Cawood & Associates. These guys really appreciate the value of bullets. In fact, for their style of copy - bullets are KING! Here’s how I tackle writing a sales letter for them:
When I read their book, I turn every interesting fact or "fascination" I discover into a bullet. By the time I’m finished with the book, I’ve usually written well over 100 bullets.
Then I break up the bullets in groups of 10 to 15 … add a few paragraphs of copy … drop in another 10 to 15 bullets … do that for several more times … add a few subheads … and voila - my letter practically writes itself!
Here are five ways to give your bullets a powerful punch. And take a look at the examples for each. They’re actual bullets I wrote for a Boardroom Bottom Line Health promo:
(more…)
Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
May 19, 2008
Issue #420
Dear Business-Builder,
They say that the most powerful human desire is NOT for wealth or health or food or even sex. It’s the insatiable desire to change another person’s copy.
“They” may have something there. I don’t know about you; but for me, tearing the living you-know-what out of another writer’s work is just about the most fun I can have with my clothes on.
On the other hand, feeling naked and alone while a hungry pack of copywriters eviscerates your beloved prose may well be the closest thing to hell this side of New Jersey. Or even tax court.
So, last Friday, a client sent three of his in-house copywriters up here to spend a day with my four scribes and yours truly.
Eight copywriters; one room. We had big fun.
Not only that, we learned a lot, too.
It wasn’t like it was a big surprise. I knew they were coming and had asked each of them to write an eight-page sales letter promoting a financial newsletter offered by my client and their boss. And I asked my writers to do the same.
I should also mention that I gave each writer the theme for the headline and opening copy; but the rest was up to them. Oh — and I only gave them one week to do the work … not nearly enough, considering each of them has a full schedule with their regular assignments.
And one more thing: Each writer is at a very different stage of development — from raw noob to seasoned pro.
And lucky for me, each has an open mind and is eager to improve. That’s crucial because for a copywriter, arrogance — the vainglorious assumption that you know all there is about creating winning promotions — is the kiss of death.
Wait — that reminds me of an old joke. Actually, it’s supposed to be a true story of a radio exchange that took place in October 1995 off the coast of Newfoundland between the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and Canadian authorities:
Americans: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.”
Canadians: “Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the south to avoid collision.”
Americans: “This is the captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert your course!”
Canadians: “No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.”
Americans: “This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second-largest aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels.
“I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.”
Canadians: “This is a lighthouse. Your call."
See what arrogance gets you? You wind up on the rocks; that’s where scotch belongs. For a copywriter, not so much.
(more…)
