Affiliate Club Room
"Copywriting Tutorial 5"
"Now You've Aroused Them
Show 'em Your Great Body"
Words.
What are they? They're magic!
Politicians use
them to wield power. Poets reduce us to tears with them. One
word can cut like a knife and another lift us to cloud nine.
And they enable ordinary guys like you and I to motivate
readers into spending their hard earned cash. Magic indeed! I
think I'm getting carried away.
Hold on to your
seat as I repeat my dictionary's definition of 'word';
Word; "One of the units of speech or writing that
native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest
isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists
would analyze these further into morphemes." Hang on while
I look up morphemes....
Whenever I read
the writings of 'highly literate and educated' scholars it
makes me feel so pleased I became a copywriter. At least my
readers can understand what I am saying! But here's another
description taken from a second dictionary;
Word;
"Written or spoken representation of an idea or
image".
Now I can
understand that! And it took less than a third of the words
that the other took to describe the word 'word'. (What am I
talking about!) Let's get to the point because we can learn an
important lesson from this.
"Never
over-estimate the
'intelligence' of your readers"
That first
description came from an expensive three feet thick dictionary
which presumably is bought by the more affluent 'educated'
section of the public (mine was a Xmas present.) The second was
written for a cheap dictionary which probably far outsells the
first. So the publishers know that to be successful, the
cheap dictionary has to be understood by the 'masses'.
And so it has to
be with your Copywriting. Your message has to be understood by
everyone - not a select few. Even when your message is aimed at
'technical' people you will find that too much 'Jargon' will
turn off a fair proportion of your intended audience. Even
if they understand the jargon they will find it too boring to
read.
"You
don't have to learn
German to buy a Mercedes"
Think about it.
Do structural engineers eagerly look forward to a cozy night by
a log fire, with a technical manual on the breaking threshold
of high tensile steel! I have lost count of the number of
software ads that totally confuse me with technical jargon. Yet
even though I am reasonably 'computer literate' I simply do not
understand. Their ads are completely wasted on thousands of
potential buyers.
Example "......program
for getting files from FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, GOPHER and DICT
servers, with URL syntax support." Now you may
understand it. I don't. And I guarantee that TENS OF THOUSANDS
of others don't either. Yet that piece of software may be of
immense benefit to me.Why do they do it? Because
they don't know any better. So next time you see an ad like
that, direct the writer to this site.
"People
who know the 'BIG' words
know the 'little' words too"
Copywriters are
often accused of taking liberties with the language. And it's
true. We start sentences with 'And' or 'But'. We often reduce
paragraphs to a mere couple of lines. And we highlight
important blocks of text in a way that makes creative writers
curl their toes in horror. But the purpose of Copywriting is
not to impress the reader with our literary talents. It is to
SELL. And as every successful salesman will tell you,
before you can make a sale you first have to make a friend.
No-one buys from
a salesman they don't trust. We can't 'warm' to someone who
bombards us with a stream of obvious sales blurb. And we
certainly don't feel comfortable with a person who thinks he is
'superior'. Yet if you're not careful your copy can create the
same impression. So keep it reasonably friendly if you
wish, and skillfully present your 'sales pitch' with the use of
carefully crafted phrases. If you treat your reader with
respect, and speak in words of one syllable, you have a
fighting chance of gaining his confidence.
Copywriting
should "communicate and sell a message, with the least
number of words". That's why you have to take liberties
with the language. Incidentally, do you think the academic who
wrote that first description of 'word' would give your ad a
second glance if it were written in the same cumbersome style?
And if he did read it, would he understand it?
"So
how do you start writing your copy?"
Actually, now
that you have written the headline you have already started. So
the first sentence of your body copy should flow from the
headline. You have made a statement. And your reader expects
you to supply her with more information NOW. Not three
paragraphs down the page. Because you can guarantee she won't
go looking.
"FREE
To Every Harassed Mom,
3 Hours A Week All To Yourself"
"Because
When You Own
A Speedy Iron You Will
Hardly Ever Use It!"
Independent
tests by Clothes Ironing Weekly reveal that ironing clothes
with the revolutionary Speedy Iron saves busy
homemakers at least 3 hours every week over traditional
steam iron methods...
Again, it's not
intended as a finished job. But this opening paragraph
illustrates one of many ways you could use to open your ad.
Notice how the ad flows seamlessly from the headline, through
the subheading, and into the main message. And notice also the
use of certain words that will trigger different emotions in
the mind of our busy mom;
Why not carry
out your own exercise and see how easy it is when you follow
these few basic guidelines. This is by no means the only way to
write copy. Heaven forbid! There are scores of different ways
to write an ad. And this is just one of them. But we have to
start somewhere.
Now that your
prospect is hooked don't keep her dangling. Pile on the
benefits. Reveal feature after feature. Push your USP. She
wants to know more. Fill her imagination with 3 hours a week in
a hammock! And don't you dare relax for one second with
stories of research and development costs and the best
scientists in the industry - she's not interested. She
wants to know what's in it for her if she buys this wonderful
appliance. So each time you mention a benefit imagine her
saying "So What!" And if her answer isn't
"that's great!" then re-write it.
"Now
set her up for the Close"
OK your prospect
is really excited about this fantastic product of yours. She's
all fired up by it's range of features and benefits. The 50
year guarantee is unbeatable. Your credibility is firmly
established and she can afford it. So she rushes to the phone
and places her order right? Well after you've woken up from
that wonderful dream, you have to face up to the reality. You
have to ask for the order first! And to get the order you
must tell her exactly what to do.
Don't assume she will scour
the ad for ordering details...
She won't.
Don't 'suggest' she should
telephone you some time...
She won't.
If she has to tour the
shopping mall to find one ...
She won't.
Tell her exactly how to
order it and tell her to do it NOW.
Take her by the
hand and make it as easy as is humanly possible for her to own
this wondrous product and begin enjoying the great benefits
straight away! She has to be told which store to buy it
from, how to fill in the order form, and which
free telephone number to ring.
"Don't
let her think about it!"
Every salesman
hears these 6 words every working day of his life. "I
want to think about it." Ever said it yourself? Of
course you have. It's our defence mechanism against making an
instant decision. However much we tell ourselves we would
really like that new car, a little safety valve in the deep
recesses of our subconscious opens, and a tiny voice says
"Hold on, what's the rush? Don't decide now, you may find
a cheaper one down the road." The salesman of course has
the skill and experience to overcome this, and carries on with
his presentation.
But you're not
face to face with your reader. So you have to overcome the
objection in other ways. It's a fact of life that your
prospects need a little 'push' now and again before they make a
buying decision. They need reassurance. They need to justify in
their minds that they are making a logical decision and not
simply being carried away with emotion. And it's your job as a
copywriter to plant that 'push button' into the prospect's
mind.
There are many
ways you can achieve this. So let's look at one of them. I'm
sure you will recognize this example;
".....the
revolutionary Speedy Iron is covered by our 365 day
'No Quibble' Money Back Guarantee and can be yours for
the remarkably low price of only $29.95
.
But here's some even better news. Order within the next 7
days and we will slash the already low price down to an
amazing $19.50. That's a HUGE SAVING to you of
over $10.00.
But we must receive your order by 23rd Sept. to
qualify for this incredible offer. So FREEPHONE 800
1234567 NOW and start planning your free mornings right
away. Don't you deserve it?
Just in case you
didn't spot it, the guarantee is the reassurance, the push
button is the time limit of 7 days. And the $10 saving is
the incentive.
Why don't we
look at writing specifically for the web? So what's so
different about the Web? Find
out >>>>
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