|
by:
Pat O'Bryan
A basic knowledge of
psychology is useful when you’re
writing sales copy. If you’re
curious about why people do what
people do, go grab Influence 101.
It’s at
http://www.influence101.com
What’s the big secret
that copywriters use to write
effective copy?
Here it is:
Everybody is in a trance. The
number of people who are
self-actualized and completely aware
is so small that you can discount
them when you’re writing sales copy.
The people who are going to read
your sales copy are caught up in
their lives.
You might want to
check out the movie, “What the bleep
do we know?” It’s the most
useful explanation of this
phenomenon I’ve ever seen.
People are living
inside their heads.
They just drove home
from a job they hate to a spouse who
doesn’t understand them, or
understands them far too well. Their
bratty kids are whining about some
silly thing. The bills are due and
they don’t have the money to pay.
Their mind is anywhere but where
they are.
Or… They’ve spent the
entire day changing diapers, mopping
floors, and
watching daytime T.V.
Their mind is on the cross-dressing
librarian they couldn’t tear
themselves away from on the box,
their feet hurt, and they’re worried
sick about some movie star’s love
life.
Or… The limo driver
was late, the board meeting was
hell, and Warren Buffet just dumped
his holdings in their publicly
traded corporation, and is advising
the world to do the same. The S.E.C.
is skeptical about last year’s
financials and the little weasel in
accounting who threatened to squeal
hasn’t been at work in three days.
Your mission, should
you accept it, is to know exactly
who you’re writing to, and walk a
few thousand miles in their shoes.
Get inside their mind. Find the
pain, and then frame your solution
to soothe their pain.
I’ve seen grown men
cry as they sat at their desk,
visualizing their readers, and their
reader’s lives.
That’s the big
secret.
Now, let’s look at
the nuts and bolts of copywriting.
We’re going to focus
on the “big seven” components of a
well-written sales page.
1. Headline
2. Bullet-points
3. Subheads
4. The Body
5. The Guarantee
6. The Close
7. The P.S.
Once you master
those, you’re ready to start writing
copy.
90% of your effort
should go into writing your
headline, because 90% of the
effectiveness of your copy depends
on it.
Write a lot of
headlines. Fifty isn’t too many.
The purpose of the
headline is to pull the reader’s
mind out of its daily trance, and
into your sales copy.
Professional
copywriters, who are an educated,
savvy bunch, read the
magazines you find at
the check-out counter at the grocery
store like text-books. “Elvis
Marries 2-Headed Space Alien In
Shotgun Ceremony!” “World Ending
Thursday, 7:13 P.M., According To
Secret Prediction!” “Oprah Loses 250
Pounds Eating Ice Cream- You Can,
Too!”
That sort of thing.
Why? Because they
stop you in your tracks and make you
want to know more. Intellectually,
you know they’re bull-poop, but
people don’t buy with their
intellect, they buy with their
emotions.
There are an infinite
number of ways to approach the
writing of headlines, but let’s
confine ourselves to five good ones
for now.
Ask a question that
can’t immediately be answered with
“yes” or “no.”
“Do You Make These
Seven Copywriting Mistakes?”
You can’t answer that
unless you know what they are. You
have to read the first sentence of
the copy to find out. You want to
know, don’t you? What are those
mistakes? Do you make them? What are
you going to do about it?
Let’s try another
one.
“How Can YOU Fire
Your Boss?”
Again, you won’t know
if you don’t read the first sentence
of the copy.
“What If You Could
Double Your Sales In Ten Days?”
You can turn simple
sentences into questions-
“You Want Financial
Security, Don’t You?”
“She Deserves The
Best, Doesn’t She?”
Here’s a special kind
of Question headline:
“What Can A 29 Year
Old Bottle-Washer From Cleveland,
Texas Teach You About The 17
Shameful Secrets Of Shampoo?”
How can you resist?
This is the easiest
headline you can write, and it’s
very effective if your product is
for a specific niche.
If you’re selling a
headache remedy, try “Headache
Sufferers!”
If you’re selling
guitar strings, try “Guitar
Players!”
If you’re selling
investments, try “Investors!”
You’ll only get the
attention of the very narrow group
that you “call out,” but if your
product is that tightly focused,
that’s all you need.
One of the
psychological tools I discuss in
Influence101 is “Social Proof.”
You can get your copy of this
audio home-study course at
http://www.influence101.com.
Humans are herd
animals. If “everybody” is doing
something, then “you” must need to
do it, too. Everybody else can’t be
wrong, can they?
History is full of
examples of ‘everybody” being wrong.
“Social Proof” is how peer group
pressure works.
The fashion industry,
the soft drink industry, the
religion industry, and the politics
industry know this one, and use it
all the time. .
We can use this
principle to craft effective
headlines.
One that has been
over-used lately, but is a good
example is:
“Who Else Wants To
Make $20,000 A Week?”
Another way to use it
is:
“Don’t Get Left
Behind!”
Or: “20,000 Blind
Albino Aviators Can’t Be Wrong!”
Intellectually, you
know that they can. Writing sales
copy has nothing to do with the
intellect. People buy with their
emotions and justify it with their
intellect.
Create a picture that
draws your reader in.
Like: “Imagine How
Much Freedom You’ll Have When You
Master
Copywriting!”
“Picture This- Your
First Million Dollars!”
The trick here is to
paint a vague picture that is
enticing, and let the reader fill in
the details.
In the headline:
“Picture Yourself In The Car Of Your
Dreams!” The reader will do exactly
that- providing the make, model,
year and color for you.
The more detail you
provide, the tighter your focus- and
the smaller your potential target.
Anything with
quotation marks around it will stand
out.
“The Best Cigar I
Ever Smoked,” Britney Spears.
“All My Men Wear
Levi’s,” Elton John
“They Laughed When I
Sat Down At The Piano, But When I
Began To Play…” This may be the most
famous headline in history, by the
way. It ran, successfully, for
decades.
As you start thinking
like a copywriter, you’ll start
noticing advertisements from a
different perspective. Pay special
attention to the headlines that get
used over and over. Major
advertisers are constantly testing
headlines- if you notice an ad that
runs for several months with the
same headline, write that headline
down!
It’s working.
Another interesting
thing to note about successful
copywriters: they steal. Every
copywriter worth his salt has
something called a “swipe file.”
This is where they put copies of ads
that they like. When it’s time for
them to write a headline, the first
thing they do is go to their swipe
file and try to find one they can
modify to fit their assignment.
Advertising may not
be the oldest profession- although,
it’s closely related. It has,
however, been around a long, long,
long time. Occasionally, some genius
will come up with a headline that
hasn’t been used before, but it’s
very rare. Trust me, start snagging
great ads and start your own swipe
file.
Caveat- don’t steal
word-for-word. Use your swipe file
for inspiration. As you read the ad,
see if you can analyze it to
discover why it worked, and use that
knowledge to create one that will
work the same way.
Another interesting
thing about copywriters- they sue.
For example, there have been
instances where a copywriter has
been so impressed by Ted Nicholas’
copy that he used it verbatim. He
regretted it almost instantly.
There are at least
three kinds of readers-
1. Those who will
read every word you write.
2. Those who skim,
focusing on headlines, bullet
points, and major points.
3. Those who read the
headline and then skip to the offer.
They all read the
P.S., by the way.
As you design your
copy, you need to keep all three
readers in mind. You need to tell
your story with your headline,
sub-headlines, bullet points, and
P.S., for the benefit of the
skimmers- and you need to do it in a
way that allows your copy to flow
smoothly.
Bullet points are
used to call attention to benefits.
Do you know the
difference between a feature and a
benefit? It’s a little tricky, but
it’s a distinction you need to
learn.
“Fine German
engineering allows this car to
cruise at 120 m.p.h.” is a feature.
“You can be playing
golf while the others are still
driving,” is a benefit.
Here’s another
example:
“This vacuum cleaner
has suction pressure in excess of
9,000 p.s.i.” is a feature.
“This vacuum cleaner
will get your carpet so clean your
neighbors will turn green with
envy.” Is a benefit.
Actually, “your
neighbors will turn green with envy”
is a benefit of the benefit “will
get your carpets so clean.”
Are you starting to
see the difference? The feature is
the description. The benefit is what
it does for you.
Let’s look at another
one.
“This pizza contains
broccoli, spinach, and spirulina,”
discusses features.
“Healthy pizza for
building strong, sexy bodies,”
discusses benefits.
Now let’s look for a
benefit of the benefit:
“Healthy pizza that
will make you so strong that girls
will be asking you
out.” The benefit of
the benefit “so strong” is “girls
will be asking you out.”
One of the most
famous copywriting stories comes
from David Ogilvey. He had to write
a sales page for a luxury car.
Writing good sales copy requires
intense research. He interviewed
engineers and sales staff. He
examined the car.
Finally, he read the
technical reports. Over a hundred
pages into a dry, boring technical
report he came across the sentence,
“At 60 miles per hour, the loudest
sound you’ll hear is the ticking of
the clock.”
He used that as his
headline. Notice, he didn’t say a
word about the engineering
excellence of the car, or the seals
around the windows. Those are
features. He found the hidden
benefit.
Bullet points are
only slightly less important than
headlines. Almost all of your
readers will read them. If you need
ten bullet points, write a hundred,
and then choose the best ten.
Sub-Headlines are
like bullet points, but they stand
alone, and introduce a new section
of copy.
Everything we’ve
discussed about headlines and bullet
points applies to sub-headlines.
Use them to grab your
reader by the shirt-collar and make
him or her read the following copy.
Here are some
examples of sub-headlines:
“But Wait- There’s
More.” Personal note: whenever I
hang out with copywriters, I’m
silently watching the second hand on
my watch. It’s only a matter of time
before one of them quotes this
sub-headline, and then the others
laugh uncontrollably.
“New For 2006!”
Would be a way to introduce
benefits and features that have been
changed for the new product year.
“How can a 165 year
old technology revolutionize your
sales path?” is a sub-head that was
used for our very successful “Think
and Grow Rich Automatically” sales
page.
“Living a Lifestyle
Beyond the Dreams of Avarice” helped
us sell a pile of
“The Myth of Passive
Income.” (www.mythofpassiveincome.com)
Get the idea? A
sub-headline is just like any other
headline, except it leads into a
specific section of copy. When
you’re writing your list of
potential headlines, be sure and
note the ones that would make good
sub-heads.
This is the meat and
potatoes of sales copy.
This is where you
identify your customer’s pain, and
provide him with the magic secret
that will make the pain go away.
You may be wondering,
“how long should the copy be?” The
answer is, as long as it needs to
be. There is a rule of thumb that
states that the more expensive the
item you’re trying to sell, the
longer the copy needs to be.
Don’t be afraid of
long copy. Remember your three kinds
of readers. A person who is
contemplating a purchase, especially
the purchase of an expensive item,
wants to know all there is to know
about the item.
The very first step
is to visualize who you’re writing
to. What trance are they in as they
begin to read?
What did they do all
day? Was it fun? What do they want
to do? Are they
hungry? Are they
thirsty? Are they broke? Are they
looking for the perfect
diamond ring?
You’ve used your
headline to stop them in their
tracks.
You’ve listed a few
bullet points to make them curious.
You’ve got their
attention with your sub-head.
Now you’ve got to
lead them to the bottom of the page
and help them press the “buy now”
button.
Try to meet them
where they are and take them with
you. Imagine their objections and
address them in your copy.
Avoid using big words
when smaller words will do, and
adjust your vocabulary to fit your
reader. If you’re advertising
reverse amortization mortgages in
the secondary market, you’re going
to use a completely different
vocabulary than you will when you’re
selling diapers.
One way to pull them
into your copy is to tell them a
story.
I’ve used this one
several times.
“I used to be a broke
blues guitar player, living on
$30-$50 a night, a few nights a
week. I lived in a mobile home,
until it got repossessed. I know
more ways to cook pinto beans than
anybody else in North America,
because pinto beans is about all we
could afford to buy at the grocery
store. “
Hopefully, by this
point in the story, I’ve got my
reader nodding his head. He’s been
broke before. He’s identifying with
my story, and putting himself in my
place.
He’s ready for some
good news:
“Then, one day I met
Dr. Joe Vitale at a restaurant in
Wimberley, Texas, and he handed me
that book. What book? “Spiritual
Marketing”.
The secrets contained
in that book gave me the knowledge
and power to re-frame my life, and
create a lifestyle that gives me
freedom, happiness, and pleasure. “
If I’ve done my job,
my reader is asking “Where can I get
that book?”
Your story doesn’t
have to be about you. It does have
to draw the reader into your sales
copy. Use your story as an
opportunity to stress the benefits
of the product in a personal way.
Another strategy for
writing compelling sales copy is to
round up your best sub-headlines and
put them in a logical order. Then
use your copy to expand and explain
the benefits mentioned in the
sub-head.
Let’s look at some
other strategies for leading our
customer to the “buy now” button.
One technique I rely
on a lot is the “problem-solution”
copy.
You might start out
by asking a question:
“Do You Have
Dandruff?” for example.
Then describe the
heartbreak of dandruff. Maybe tell a
story about a man who lost his wife,
his job, and his self-respect
because of dandruff.
That’s the problem.
Then, just before our
poor dandruff sufferer hangs himself
from a shower-rod, you present the
solution.
“Rub this duck oil on
your head twice a day, and you won’t
have to worry
about losing your
wife, your job, or your
self-respect.”
I’m exaggerating just
a little- they gym where I work out
has a t.v., and today I went during
the day, when the soap operas were
on. Daytime t.v. is pretty
educational, if you’re a student of
advertising.
I’m not exaggerating
very much. For certain audiences,
that approach works like a charm.
With appropriate
modification, it will work for any
audience.
The sales copy can
contain testimonials, or you can use
them to break up the copy into
sections.
Testimonials are
essential. Instead of just one
person (you), who has a financial
interest in the sale, telling them
how great the product is, you can
gather a crowd to tell them.
The two best kinds of
testimonials are from experts and
people just like your customer.
There is a trick to
getting a testimonial, even from an
expert, by the way.
It’s a secret, but
I’ll tell you.
“You ask.”
Don’t tell anybody.
Use testimonials to
build the case for your product.
Use your guarantee to
shift the risk from the purchaser to
you.
You want your
customer to feel totally confident
when they buy your product. If they
feel like they’re going to be stuck
with it if they don’t like it, they
won’t buy it. This is especially
true on the internet, where they
can’t touch, or even see the actual
product.
Here’s a rule of
thumb I learned from a very famous
copywriter who was speaking at a
seminar- “The longer the guarantee,
the lower the return rate.”
Think about it. If
you know you’ve got three days to
decide if you like something, you’re
going to be in a pretty big hurry to
find something you don’t like. If
you know you’ve got a year, or a
lifetime, you don’t feel any
urgency. In fact, you may forget
about it completely.
I believe in strong
guarantees.
I watched Joe Vitale
offer a “double your money back”
guarantee on a product that sold for
almost a thousand dollars. That’s a
very gutsy guarantee. It worked. He
sold almost half a million dollars
worth of product in just a few days-
and one of the reasons was that
outrageous guarantee.
Clickbank, and most
merchant account companies, keep a
reserve to pay for refunds. They use
an algorithm based on your refund
history, the price of the product,
and the phase of the moon- I guess.
I really don’t know how they do it,
but I do know that they keep part of
the sales revenue for a long time to
make sure there’s money there to pay
for refunds.
It’s worth it.
This is where you ask
for the sale.
There’s no point
being shy now. Either you’ve built a
strong emotional case for your
product or you haven’t.
Ask them to click the
“buy now” button.
The trend right now
in online sales is to hit them high,
and then offer a lower price.
Like this:
What would you pay
for that kind of freedom? What’s
your financial independence worth to
you?
You’re probably
thinking, “At least a million
dollars.”
And you’re right- but
because you’re one of my treasured
subscribers, I’m offering it for
only $497…. But Wait, There’s More!
If you buy today, or
anytime before next Tuesday, you can
have our guide to financial freedom
for only $17- But hurry, this is a
limited time offer.
Again, I exaggerated
for effect- but all the pieces are
there. Establish a high value for
your product and then give a
believable reason why it’s cheaper
in your offer. Create a sense of
urgency- and stick to it. If you say
that the price is going up on
Tuesday, make darn sure you raise
the price on Tuesday.
The close is where
you mention the bonuses.
Whenever another
author asks me if I’ve got anything
laying around they can use for a
bonus, I always answer “yes,” even
if I have to write it specifically
for their project. Most marketers
and authors are the same way.
Why?
Because we embed
links to our web pages and our
products in those bonuses. They are
an excellent tool for driving
traffic to our websites. The more
traffic, the more sales for us.
You will have no
trouble gathering up as many bonuses
as you need.
Let’s say you round
up ten e-books as bonuses, and can
realistically valuate them at $30
each. That’s $300 in bonuses that
you can give away that didn’t cost
you a cent.
Those bonuses will
make your “close” a whole lot easier
to write.
Like this:
Buy “Grow Tomatoes
Automatically” for only $17, and get
these bonuses, valued at $300,
absolutely free!
Remember, people buy
with their emotions and justify the
purchase with their intellect. What
sort of emotional response do you
think you’re going to get, when you
offer to trade $317 worth of product
for $17 in currency?
Bonuses make sales.
After you’ve asked
for the sale, you sign the sales
copy and go home, right?
Wrong.
One of the most
important lines on your sales page
is your P.S. Put it right under your
signature.
Everybody reads the
P.S.
This is where you
restate the most important aspect of
your sales letter.
Like this:
P.S. There is no risk
on your part- our products are
guaranteed for your lifetime, and
the lifetime of anybody who looks
like you. Buy now!
Or:
P.S. Don’t wait-
offer ends tomorrow!
Use the P.S. to
convince the reader who has passed
right by the “buy now’
button to retrace his
steps and buy.
Some copywriters will
add a P.P.S. and a P.P.P.S.
I don’t know if there
is an upper limit to the number of
these things that can be used
effectively. I try to limit myself
to two.
****************************************
Pat O'Bryan is the CEO of Practical
Metaphysics, Inc
He can be reached at
pat@patobryan.com,
www.patobryan.com
This article may be reprinted in its
entirety, including contact
information, freely. |
