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LinkedInWhy smart copywriters write about people
There’s a saying: Dumb people talk about people. Smart people talk about ideas.
It’s a saying usually recited by those who think they’re smart and enjoy rattling on about obscure trivia. However, these people aren’t as bright as they think they are.
The saying is wrong. In fact, I’m going to show you why talking, or rather, writing about people is very smart indeed and how this can help you dramatically improve your copywriting .
And I’ll prove it by taking you on a tour of my local grocery store, the experimental lab of evolutionary biologists, and my own direct mail swipe file.
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Is your direct mail copy headed for the trash?
Direct mail is always a plum assignment for any copywriter. It’s the supreme test of your skills, but not for the reason you think.
Sure, you get to write envelope teaser copy, a letter, order form, brochure, and maybe a lift letter and other inserts. Lots of copy. Lots of space to strut your stuff.
But the real challenge is just keeping your work from landing in the trash can.
Despite all the time and effort you put in to crafting and polishing your copy to perfection, people don’t sit down and lovingly take in every word of your masterpiece. In fact, the way people “read” your direct mail copy is downright brutal.
Beware. If you’re squeamish, don’t read this. It’s not pretty.
Credible copywriting: Who ya’ gonna trust?
If you asked me what was wrong with most copywriting, I’d say two things:
1. Much of it is trite and lifeless. Like a bowl of limp noodles.
2. Too much of it is outlandish B.S. Over-the-top hard sell.
Both extremes can kill your copy, but the second is a bigger problem. Lifeless copy might still sell if the product and offer are appealing. But outlandish, unbelievable copy creates distrust and leads people to think, “Yeah, right.”
I’m talking about credibility. This is an essential but often ignored part of good copywriting. If people don’t believe you, they won’t respond to your copy.
3 “must-have” elements of direct response copywriting
A couple days ago, I got an interesting email from Neil Mattingley, a fellow copywriter and blogger from down under.
Hi, Dean.
My question is a tough one.
Assuming you have all the key element of a sales letter and you had to eliminate them one-by-one until you got to the bare minimum for a space ad, in what order would you do it?
I guess I want to have a clear understanding of what is essential in a space ad versus what is not.
And is there a relationship between a sales letter and space ad, or are they two separate beasts.
Neil Mattingley
Perth, Australia
That is a tough one. Neil is asking a highly sophisticated question about technique priority. How do you rank the importance of the various copywriting techniques and which techniques are absolutely required to get response?
I’m starting to sweat under my guru robes a bit. But let’s think about this for a moment.
7 well-traveled roads to copywriting success
Copywriting is a lot like taking a road trip. Along the way, you have to make choices about which direction you will go.
Turn this way, and you end up one place. Turn that way, and you end up in another.
There are an infinite number of paths you might take, but it’s nice to know a few standard, well-worn paths that improve your odds of getting to where you want to go.
Here are 7 ways to structure your ad copy that provide a “road map” for your copy. Each is proven and gives you great creative flexibility.
The Straight Offer — This is especially good for a familiar product, a strong offer, and business-to-business marketing. With this approach, you simply state your offer, benefits, and premiums up front without any creative frills. You see this approach used with many magazines: Renew your People subscription today and get 53 weekly issues for just $2.19 per issue. Save 42%!
Blab and blather your way to great copywriting ideas
Blah! Blah! Blah!
That’s how you get great copywriting ideas.
Stay with me on this. It sounds silly, but this could be one of the single most powerful copywriting techniques you’ll ever use.
I discovered this some years ago while having trouble coming up with copy ideas for an important direct mail package. Others may do it, but I’ve never read about it anywhere.
What is it? It’s basically a way to brainstorm ideas by yourself by talking to an imaginary person.
P.S. Don’t forget to include a sales letter postscript
Did you ever wonder why professional copywriters add a P.S. to their sales letters?
For the answer to that question, let’s take a quick look at what a P.S. is, then I’ll give you some simple but effective ways to use a P.S. in your own sales letters.
So what exactly is a P.S.? Here’s what Wikipedia says:
The term comes from the Latin post scriptum, an expression meaning “written after” … (which may be interpreted in the sense of “that which comes after the writing”).
A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter …
Basically, a post script is a letter-writing technique that says, “Oh, I forgot to tell you something,” or “By the way, here’s one more thing you should know.”
Rules schmules: 11 rebellious ways to electrify your copy
My writing teachers tried so hard to get me to obey all the rules of grammar and style. But I was rebellious.
I’d always ask where those rules came from, and they’d say that great writers shaped the language and everyone else followed their lead to create “standard” English.
Okay, I’d say. I’m a great writer and I’m shaping the language too!
That was a bit arrogant of me. But while my teachers had a point (I really did need to learn the rules), I also had a point (I can’t let the rules stifle powerful communication).
Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word … [is] the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
So with humble apologies to my well-meaning instructors, I hereby reveal a few rule-breaking tricks of the copywriting trade. Used wisely, they can help transform your sales copy from a dull glow into a brilliant flash.
9 copywriting “number tricks” to manipulate readers
I had two choices for writing the number in my headline. I could have written “Nine” or “9.” And at the beginning of the previous sentence I could have written “two” or “2.”
Why did I make the choices I did? When you finish this article, you will know.
There are rules for writing numbers. The AP Stylebook suggests you should “spell out a numeral at the beginning of a sentence.” It also suggests you should “spell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above.”
These and other standard rules are fine for ordinary writing. But copywriting is about manipulating readers in order to persuade, motivate, and sell. So you should ignore the “rules” and use a few tricks to accomplish your objective.
Doc Bottoms’ guide to copywriting with personality
Too many copywriters who learn the craft of selling fall into a rigid 37-reasons-to-buy approach that packs plenty of information but lacks a personal connection to consumers.
Sometimes, you need to loosen up, be creative, and inject a little personality. This Doc Bottoms TV ad is a perfect example. It’s funny, crass, borderline offensive … and terrific. And yes, it’s a real product.
For the record, I think humor is an advertising gamble. But this is a case where humor allows for a level of honesty that a more serious approach may not deliver.
Notice that the script follows the classic DRTV formula: present a problem, offer a solution, demonstrate the product, make an offer. So this isn’t a self-indulgent string of jokes. Plus, direct response TV ads in particular have successfully used humor for years.
