Entries Tagged 'Copywriting' ↓
September 17th, 2007 — Copywriting
This article was originally published a couple years ago in a previous blog of mine. It was titled “Confessions of an Info-Junkie”.
Based on many e-zines I subscribe to, it still contains pertiinent advice.
—
I love the Internet! Information about any topic that piques my curiosity is just a few clicks away. E-zines on almost any topic are available to all.
Yes, I have to admit it — I Am An Info Junkie. It has become an addiction. I subscribe to dozens of e-zines and my browser’s bookmark list is huge.
Today, I fired thirteen e-zine publishers.
It was hard. I didn’t want to let go of those threads to information sources, but they all made the same mistake.
Maybe you were one of the thirteen.
Maybe it wasn’t just a mistake. It is more like a cardinal sin or just plain ignorance.
Your e-zine/newsletter didn’t contain any news.
There was not a sentence of content in it. You and the other twelve publishers have not provided a lick of content for weeks or even months. I have been hoping that “maybe the next issue will be the one…”
That next issue that contained the content I was hungry for never came. Yes, your e-zine was always there right on time. Yes, I even received your bonus editions.
You flooded my RSS reader and my email box with ads.
I realize that we are all in the business of trying to make a buck or two and I can accept a couple of ads if I get my info fix. Ads support your ability to provide content and we info junkies of the world can tolerate that.
Your cardinal sin was to send ads to me without any accompanying content.
That, my friend, is spam. That is why I clicked on the “unsubscribe me” link and fired you.
Anyone who has been in the Internet Marketing business for more than five minutes has memorized this mantra:
THE MONEY IS IN THE LIST
(I could go off on a tangent about e-book authors who hired copywriters to provide wonderful sales copy for horrible e-books that I have bought, but that is a rant for a different day.)
Back to this rant.
If you want the privilege of feeding ads to my RSS reader or dropping them in my email box, please have the decency to feed my addiction – I get real cranky if you make me go into withdrawal.
Wrap your ad in some decent content!
Consider this – if you have no list, you’ll have no money.
Do you wonder why your e-zine has such a low response?
Is it even being read?
Here’s another info junkie confession –
A lot of us are lazy! (I know … that is an earth- shattering fact you never thought of … LOL)
It is much easier to click on “delete” than it is to search the fine print for the unsubscribe instructions. Lots of us have those cool email clients like Thunderbird that let us click a “Junk” icon and never be bothered by your spammy ads again.
It is sad.
A world full of info junkies that like to buy good stuff from the ‘net and a world full of Internet marketers that want to sell stuff – it looks like a match made in heaven.
You blew it. You and twelve of your colleagues.
You lost your focus. You forgot that the info junkies of the world provide your Internet income. We are your customers. Without us, where would you be?
Just give us our fix. Put some content in your e-zines and we’ll stay on your list buying more than we can rationally afford forever.
April 18th, 2007 — Copywriting
Read this to learn 5 secrets to good writing. Apply these secrets to every word you choose, every sentence you write, every paragraph you create … and you can be sure that your e-mail will communicate your ideas with efficiency and clarity.
Secret #1: Avoid lazy verbs.
Some verbs are over worked, tired, and lazy. The verb “to be” is one of these. Choose verbs that add interest to create become stronger, more descriptive sentences. Eliminate “to be,” and your writing becomes more vibrant, more interesting, and more persuasive. Notice how much better sentence (b) is than sentence (a):
(a) The stranger was in the doorway.
(b) The stranger STOOD in the doorway.
Another lazy verb, “to have” doesn’t do much for your writing. Your sentences are more economical and active without it. Again, notice how much better sentence (b) is than sentence (a):
(a) This change to our marketing plan could have a significant impact on our sales this year.
(b) This change to our marketing plan could SIGNIFICANTLY impact our sales this year.
Secret #2. Don’t be a show off.
You write to express your ideas, not to impress the reader with your vocabulary. Don’t confuse him with your language. Choose words that make your message easy to read. Write the way you talk… unless you are a pompous wind bag when you are talking, too.
As Winston Churchill said, “Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words when short are best of all.”
SHORT words say it best.
Use “use” rather than “utilize”
Use “about” rather than “concerning”
Use “so” rather than “accordingly”
SPECIFIC words add sparkle.
Use “329-pound” rather than “large”
Use “57 Chevy” rather than “car”
Use “I” rather than “one”
COMMON words are better.
Use “help” rather than “facilitate”
Use “best” rather than “optimal”
Use “start” rather than “inception”
Secret #3. Keep it short.
Short sentences keep your copy moving forward. When your sentences are too long, your reader gets bogged down in the language and confused by what you’re trying to say. You may have a lot to say. Fine. Say it in more than one sentence.
Your job is to make it easy for a reader. You do that by trimming words.
Anatole France quipped, “The best sentence? The shortest.”
Secret #4. Express one idea in one sentence.
Run on sentences confuse your reader. Your reader will understand your ideas more clearly when you express them one at a time.
This is one time to be careful about writing the way you talk. Some folks let their ideas tumble out and swirl together without any organization. Don’t be one of them.
Secret #5. Say what you mean.
Mark twain advised, “Anybody can have ideas–the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph.”
Think about the message you want to communicate. If it is complicated or long, make an outline. This will help you get your thought together so you can express them in the most effective order.
Bonus secret:
Before you hit that “send” button re-read your e-mail. Look for ways to clarify your thoughts and ideas. The real secret of good writing is re-writing. Never be afraid to revise your words.
Robert Heinlein gets the final word: “The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.”
January 31st, 2007 — Copywriting
I recently listened in an a teleseminar where the “guru” was telling us listeners that we should “always” write our headline first. That statement has some logic. The headline is one of the most critical elements of a sales letter or ad. After all, If the headline doesn’t pull you into the ad or letter, you will never consider the offer and will never buy.
Being somewhat contrary and opinionated, I believe the offer should be the first concern of a good copywriter.
Why is that, you may ask.
Good question.
Until you are clear on EXACTLY what you are offering to the reader and EXACTLY what you want in return, how do you know what the headline should be? If you know where you’re going, the trip is a lot easier.
Once you have your offer down pat — including the premiums and the guarantee — you can ask yourself, “Why would anyone want to buy that?” Now you can move into your reader’s mind and start to figure out why they want it and what motivates them.
Remember, never sell needs. No body wants to feel needy, but everybody wants more of everything. A need is logical and your reader may tell her significant other that she bought your widget because it fills a deep need in their life. The truth is she WANTED it. She had a deep emotional craving for it. Tap into that want and you will find your gold.
Once you understand the emotional wants of your reader, you are ready to write your headline and the rest of the letter. Once you have a clear understanding of both sides of the transaction — what you are offering and why the reader wants it — the rest of the letter just flows into place.
September 9th, 2006 — Copywriting
I am sure you know how to use Google to research topics you are writing about, but do you know ALL the features Google offers and ALL the tricks to get the most out of your search efforts? There is an interesting tutorial on the UC Berkeley web site called “Googling to the Max” It even tells you about using Google Scholar to find the latest in academic research on your topic.
A good as Google is, there are some other search engines that help you search the “invisible web”. Yahoo! and Ask.com are two of Google’s competitors that provide additional features. Here are six others that many folks are not aware of:
These add additional search features such as Boolean searching or truncation that may help you find that extra tidbit of fact that will make your copy shine.
For more information about the “invisible web”, see the Deep Web article on Wikipedia.