Posted by:
John Forde
March 2, 2010
Issue #875
The better you get at writing good copy, the more clients will want access to your time. In the beginning, you’ll want to give it to them.
But as time goes by, you won’t be able to.
You’ll try to cherry-pick projects, taking on only those that won’t bog you down disproportionately to what you’ll get in return.
But what happens when you have no other choice than to just … write … faster?
You can try these tips …
- Really DO Cherry-Pick Projects
It’s great to be eager.
But you’ll find there really are some copywriting jobs that just aren’t worth it. Which ones? Be wary, for instance, of poorly baked products with no clear audience or no clear benefit for the audience they’re meant to target.
Likewise, look out for projects without a passionate champion on the client side. If there’s nobody who can sell you on what you’re supposed to be selling, there’s a good chance you’ll have a hard time selling it to prospects, too.
And finally, look out for projects that don’t have at least 85% of the pieces in place before you get started. Unless, that is, you’re also being paid to help develop the product … a different and more involved job than just writing the sales letter.
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Posted by:
John Forde
September 15, 2009
Issue #759
Once in awhile, you can’t beat a good case study. And what better case study for a copywriter or direct marketer to learn from than the profile of a legendary direct-mail publisher: Rodale.
Rodale, if you haven’t heard of it, is located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Emmaus is a small American town that’s less than eight miles square. Just under 5,000 families call it home. One of those families is that of J.I. Rodale, a former New York tax accountant who started Rodale Manufacturing in 1923.
Yes, manufacturing. Not publishing.
But then, during the Great Depression, Rodale moved to an empty warehouse in Emmaus.
And it was in the corner of that building that J.I. took a chance and followed his passion … straight to a printing press in the corner of the electrical warehouse.
His first few efforts were flops.
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Posted by:
John Forde
February 24, 2009
Issue #618
“A memory is what’s left when something happens and does not completely un-happen.”
– Edward de Bono
How do you craft a sales message your customer just can’t forget?
It sounds like a marketer’s dream.
Take the soda company, Coca Cola.
Maybe you’re old enough to remember the famous commercial. You know the one. Picture a sun-dappled hilltop, hundreds of free-wheelin’ folk coming together, voices rising in a chorus …
“I’d like to teach the world to sing …”
The people join hands. They’re smiling. The happy pills are kicking in.
“In perfect harmony …”
It was such a popular commercial, in fact, when Coke tried to test other campaigns, viewers wrote in begging them to put the “teach the world” commercial back on the air.
Oh, they remembered it alright.
Trouble was it didn’t sell much Coca Cola.
So there’s your first lesson.
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Posted by:
John Forde
November 18, 2008
Issue #548
"Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger."
– Franklin P. Jones
Let’s face it, it’s always easier to spot someone else’s mistakes. It’s very difficult, however, to spot your own. That’s why it’s key to get other people to critique your copy before you hand in the final draft.
And the earlier in the drafting process, the better.
Added bonus: Vanity aside, there’s no better way to legitimately get other people to "do your work" for you. What they spot, you change. And you get the credit for in the end. It’s that simple.
In fact one of the biggest differences between new writers and seasoned ones isn’t just their level of experience on the page, but how good they are at seeking out feedback during the drafting process.
Unfortunately, coaxing your betters, your equals, even your lessers to give you the kind of in-depth, focused feedback you require can be a chore.
Why?
Reviewers who are friends might pull punches. Or be blinded by their affections. The product manager you’re pitching to might be overwhelmed by a schedule … or care less about the product than you imagine.
The reader might think your talent so large, you’ve somehow grown out of the need for review (don’t believe it). Or, he might think your talent so small, he doesn’t expect you could possibly rise to the challenge (of course, you’ll rise to it anyway).
The enthusiasm for a top-notch review might be there, but the knowledge of how to provide one might be lacking. Or the schedule for the review might just be too loose to give the reviewer incentive to get started.
The point is there are many reasons why an objective and thorough, idea-nurturing, distraction-filtering, style-refining, comprehensively focused copy review is a rare, rare thing.
Which is why we’re going to take a second to look at these seven ways (among many) to get your reviewers to give you better, faster, and more useful copy reviews …
1) Quantify Your Demands:
Let the person or people you’re asking to review your copy know what it is you want from them. For instance, you could try asking them for a quantifying number …
"This is a pretty important promo piece, so I want you to give this a thorough review. On an intensity scale of 1 to 10, give it at least a ‘level 8′ looking over."
Likewise, ask them to quantify the results: "Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how well does this package meet the goals you’re looking for?"
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Posted by:
John Forde
October 21, 2008
Issue #528
"While we are postponing, life speeds by."
- Seneca
Maybe you’ve heard of "just-in-time" manufacturing. This is where companies streamline the production process so they can fill orders almost the moment they’re made. The more nimble these producers are, the more valuable they are in their market.
Well there’s also a way for you to add "just-in-time" copywriting to your stable of skills.
And the secrets that make it possible are pretty simple. In fact, most of them are shortcuts that have already been figured out and perfected for you by other writers.
Here are some of the ways you can make it work …
1) FOLLOW THE FORMULA(s):
This might be the most obvious of the secrets.
Surely you’ve seen a formulaic movie you’ve loved, read a formulaic book you couldn’t put down, or heard a verse-chorus-verse pop song that worked just fine.
In sales copy, there are formulas too. Identify them and use them as framework for your next sales letter. The one you might already know best is AIDA, short for "Attention-Interest-Desire-Action."
That’s a basic start-to-finish template for what your promos need to make happen.
Another is the Four Ps, or Promise-Picture-Proof-Push. That is, launch out of the gate with a big Promise headline, get quickly into a vivid Picture of what you’re saying or selling to draw in the reader, load him up with lots of Proof (testimonials, studies, track record, and the like) so he can rationalize the emotions you’ve awoken in him, and then Push him to act, in a way that connects your big ideas and promises to the product you have on offer.
By themselves, the formulas are just theory. But you can put them into practice by actually keeping a blank ‘framework’ document on your computer that lists each element of your favorite formula, in outline form and with some more detailed prompts underneath.
When you’re ready to start your next promo, simply fill in the blanks to organize your research and best copy ideas. You’ll find your second pass through, where you’re actually doing the copywriting and crafting, going much faster because you’ll have organized all the work beforehand.
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