My Three-Part Formula for Success
Today, you will learn my simple three-part formula that could make your copy almost unbeatable in any direct, head-to-head copywriting test.
That’s a huge claim, I know.
But the fact is, I’ve been using this formula for nearly two decades and have one of the best track records in the newsletter publishing industry, beating existing controls (or even my own) close to 70 percent of the time.
The times I lost – guess what? – I was beaten by other top writers who had mastered this formula too. The difference? They simply had mastered it more effectively than I did on that assignment. So there’s no question that this simple selling formula works.
Today I’m going to show you how to make it work for you.
Three Ways to Make Your Copy Sell More
If Aristotle were alive today and coaching you one-on-one, I’m convinced he would pull you to the side and whisper in your ear, “Your copy will never convince anybody, my friend, if they don’t believe you first.”
It’s a simple truth, to be sure.
But the fact is, getting your readers to believe what you say is the master key to improving your copywriting results exponentially.
Thankfully, Aristotle, who spent half his life studying and refining this persuasive technique, identified a simple three-part formula that you can apply to any selling situation – with enormous results.
Without getting too technical, he called each part of his formula by a different name: ethos, logos, and pathos. While they may (pardon the pun) sound like Greek to you, they are truly the Holy Grail of copywriting, as I see it.
Let me give you the quick schoolbook definition first, then I’ll show you how to apply this today.
Part 1. Supercharge Your Copy
With a Powerful Dose of Ethos
If you’re wondering, “What the heck is ethos?” you’re not alone.
After all, it’s a Greek word.
But trust me on this. Once you understand its mind-convincing power and apply it to your copywriting, you will see a significant jump in the response you get. No other outcome is possible.
Simply put, Aristotle defined ethos as “the speaker’s power of evincing a personal character that will make his speech credible.” In plain English, what he is trying to tell you is that if you want to sell more stuff, then you must establish your credibility FIRST!
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Yet many promotional pieces I see today totally miss this point. The copy starts selling before the copywriter establishes any credibility. This is important because if you don’t establish your credibility first, your prospect may not be open to the sales message that follows.
Let me give you a great example of establishing credibility from the health and newsletter publishing areas, two fields that I have specialized in for 20 years. (Hey, look – I’m establishing my credibility in these areas.)
In all my most successful direct mail packages in these areas, you will always see me establish credibility by introducing the newsletter editor’s expertise as a foundation for why you should believe the story he is going to tell you.
In one of my most successful promotions, The Great Retirement Betrayal (for Phillips Investment Resource), I introduced editor Pete Dickenson this way.
“My name is Pete Dickenson. And for the past 18 years, I have been the editor of the Retirement Letter. I write specifically for successful professionals over 45 who want to live better in retirement and just don’t know how.
“I promise that when you heed my advice and take advantage of my experience, you won’t be their next victim. Or regret that you could have easily avoided the costly retirement-shattering traps they never tell you about.”
You can see that this is not a long introduction. It doesn’t have to be. Nor is it filled with braggadocio. It’s just a simple credibility builder that establishes Pete as an expert.
Here’s another example from my control package for Alternative & Natural Healing.
“Dear Friend,
As a board-certified anesthesiologist, I often spend 12 hours a day in the operating room. It’s my job to safely administer powerful drugs and monitor for adverse reactions.
I can tell you firsthand that every drug you take – including pain relievers, cough medicine, insulin, blood thinners, you name it – has side effects that can cause you serious harm.
That’s why I …”
As you can see above, I quickly establish the editor/doctor’s credibility in this area. After all, how can you argue with the credibility of a “board-certified anesthesiologist”?
You can’t!
The fact is, no matter what you are selling, it is your credibility that you must sell first if you want your prospects to believe in and buy from you!
When you add Aristotle’s next advantage to your copywriting arsenal, you’ll have the second powerful punch in a potent 1-2-3 combination that will boost your response exponentially.
Part 2. Increase Your Sales
With the Passion of Pathos
It’s an old saying that faith can move mountains.
But when it comes it comes to copywriting, it is passion – your passion, that is – that can move more people to buy from you.
This passion, my friends, is what Aristotle defined as pathos, the “power of stirring the emotions of his hearers.” Pathos works this way.
When you’re excited about and believe in something very strongly, you generate a certain electricity – not only about yourself, but also in others – that can help you win people to your way of thinking.
Nobody wants to buy from people who are boring. People like to buy from people who are passionate about what they are selling.
Sadly, much copy I see today reads as if the writer is shuffling down the highway of life hunched over – instead of each word standing tall with confidence.
Here’s how I look at passion. I consider it to be the thermostat that regulates the electricity your copy generates. Turn it up and you’ll see your sales explode. Turn it down and you’ll put people to sleep.
Now if you’ve read this far and you’re thinking, “This sounds great, Doug, but we only sell widgets … ,” then you have missed my point.
I don’t care what you’re selling; if you don’t communicate your passion through your words, you are not going to sell as much. Let me share with you one of the most passionate introductions I have ever written.
“I suspect I’m a lot like you. My retirement is serious business. Every dime I invest is my future. So I don’t take it lightly. I’ve worked hard to get where I am.
“Just the thought of getting blindsided gives me the chills. I don’t need a bank failure, insurance company bankruptcy, or risky investment messing up my retirement. And I’m sure you feel the same.”
As you can tell from this example, the person speaking has passion and cares about the subject – and it shines through in his words.
If you would like to see your copywriting take off exponentially, you must work to achieve this same kind of passion in your writing.
I urge you to make sure your sales copy passes this simple passion test. Is my copy exciting to read? Or does it fall flat?
Part 3. The Wealth-Building Secret
Behind Reason-Why Copy
If you’ve been studying copywriting for some time, then you’ve certainly read about reason-why copywriting and why it is so effective.
What you probably didn’t know, however, is that this highly persuasive copywriting technique was first defined by Aristotle, 300 years before Christ was born!
While Aristotle called this persuasive technique logos, you’ll call it the best copy writing discovery of your life.
Simply put, logos means “the power of proving a truth, or an apparent truth, by means of persuasive arguments.” In other words, it’s the reason why people should buy from you.
How to Win the Debate in Your Prospects’ Minds
As you know, my background isn’t in advertising. It’s in speech communication. That’s why I see copywriting as simply a speech to persuade on paper.
Just like an oral speech, whose aim is to win the hearts and minds of the listeners, your written words are working to achieve the same goal.
The fact is, whether your audience is listening to your words or reading them, their minds are continuously debating what you have to say.
With virtually every sentence, your readers are debating in their own minds …
- Whether or not to believe you
- Whether or not to trust you
- Whether or not to buy from you
- Whether or not to continue reading
The only way you can win that internal debate is, as Aristotle puts it, “by means of persuasive arguments.”
This is what makes reason-why copy (logos) so important. It is ultimately the tool that will help you to win the debate in your prospects’ minds.
In one area of copywriting I specialize in, investment newsletters, winning that debate can be quite exhausting.
That’s because you not only have to persuade readers that the editor’s methodology for investing is better than the one they’re following now, but must also take it one step further: that putting their money in an envelope and subscribing to your investment letter will solve their financial problems.
As I learned long ago, if you haven’t won the debate for the methodology first, you’ll never win the debate for them to actually buy what you’re selling.
The key here is to realize that winning your readers over means winning not one grand debate but a number of mini-debates. That’s why – like a great attorney – you must continue to prove the facts of your case as you present it.
While your reason-why argument is where your selling power comes from, it is your facts and sources that will win the debate in your readers’ minds. This is true whether you’re selling an investment newsletter, a vitamin supplement, or a used car.
Currently, I’m writing a promotion on value investing. Simply put, value investing can be summed up in four words: buy low/sell high. Momentum investing is something quite different – think: buy high/sell higher.
No matter which approach readers subscribe to, my job is to prove beyond a doubt that the value approach is the one that will make you rich.
How to do it: no differently than preparing for a debate. By comparing and contrasting a number of investing methodologies and proving the case for value investing with facts and sources. Does this make sense to you?
If you can honestly say, “Yes,” then I have won the debate in your mind why reason-why copy can be so effective.
All good wishes,
Doug D’Anna
Guest Contributor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE™
P.S. If you know of someone who could benefit from these copywriting ideas, please pass them along. Better yet, encourage them to sign up for my A-list so I can send them my ideas directly. Here’s the link to sign up.
http://www.dougdanna.com/joinmyalist.html
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8 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Kevin R. — November 1, 2007 @ 8:02 am
Enjoyed the article, Dan. But, I have a question. When introducing ethos, do you feel that by rule credibility needs to be established in one quick paragraph (like your examples)? Or is it safe to introduce yourself with a \”Hi, I\’m Joe Blow, and I was once in your shoes…\” quickly relate to the prospects situation, then establish through relating the authors story how they became an expert?
Comment by Kevin R. — November 1, 2007 @ 8:05 am
Sorry Doug… I called you Dan before. I\’ll have that straight now that I\’m on your list!
Comment by Doug D'Anna — November 1, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
Kevin, I think your credibily is something you continually build into your copy with your tone of voice, your back ground, and the knowledge that you share with your readers. Getting on even terms with your reader is great no matter how you do it. Just do it. I hope this helps.
Comment by Brij Singh — November 1, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Doug,
Great article!
I am writing sales letters for a high price service to extremely impatient CEOs. I have to establish initial credibility quickly to keep them reading. How much value does asking a penetrating question up front, one that shows insight into the CEO\’s core issues, have for creating quick credibility? As opposed to directly listing some impressive credentials or something similar?
Would appreciate any insights, Brij.
Comment by Emette Massey — November 1, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Doug,
It blows my mind how much marketing knowledge you A-Level Copywriters possess! But what\’s really awesome is how much you share with others.
Thanks!
On day (soon I hope) it will all come together in my copy.
Warmly,
Emette E. Massey
Comment by Doug D'Anna — November 2, 2007 @ 4:55 am
Brij,
To kick off your sales letter, I don\’t think you should focus on whether you should ask a question or present your credibility first.
You should begin by identifying what, exactly, your customer wants and connect the dots from there.
If you\’ve been receiving my e-zine, then you know that I liken copywriting to song writing.
As you know, all the hit songs \”strike a chord\” with their listeners.
That is where you should be looking first–to strike a chord with your reader.
Ultimately, you want your reader to known inside that you know what you\’re talking about.
This should come through in your copy no matter where you present your credentials.
Regards,
DD
Comment by Doug D'Anna — November 2, 2007 @ 4:57 am
Emette,
Thanks for your kind words.
Keep working hard and I\’m convinced I\’ll see your name at the top of The A-List!
DD
Comment by Brij — November 2, 2007 @ 10:37 am
Doug,
Thank you for the care you took in replying. Your words help clarify a tough issue for me.
Brij
Brij