Selecting the right words is critical to the success of the sales copy. Salespeople and Network Marketing members aptly call it “pressing the hot buttons”.
You will want to do the same for your own sales letter because it will be doing all the selling for you!
Recent research conducted at Yale University found 12 words that are the most personal and persuasive words in our language! Be sure to use as many of them as possible!
Here are six of them.
1. You
Notice something? It is “you” and not “I”. You see, the salesletter is about solving your prospect’s problem, not yours. You simply provide the solution. And when you write in terms of“you”, not only does it become more personal, you shift thefocus of importance and limelight onto your prospect rather than blatantly talk away or praising yourself.
2. Discovery
Sometimes, your prospect may perceive a problem he is facing as “cannot be solved” - he/she wishes, “I hope there is a solution” or subconsciously thinking, “It would be nice if someone had already discovered it”. Thus “discover” or“discovery” is a powerful hot button to press and use in your sales letter. For example, if you are facing a situation with your spouse and fear that if the divorce is granted, you would have to part with 50% of your asset, you would probably wish there were a way to stop your divorce. What if I told you that I have discovered a way? Sure, you would jump on that!
3.Safety
Most people are not risk-takers by nature, thus safety and security are appealing to them. When you especially recommend a tangible product or service, you can automatically put a seal of assurance by letting your prospect know that it is safe to use or 100% tested.
4. Money
Money, money, money – this is yet another hot button to press on! Let’s face it, we are all interested in money, whether we admit it or not. Words such as “make money”,“save money” and “multiply the amount of money you already have” are hot buttons you can easily press..
5. Proven
You want to convince your prospect that your product or service is already proven and tested before being brought to the online public. It would really scare most people if they found out that they were the first to test at their own risk of time and money. If you lose the sale, you know why!
6. Results
No matter how high your claims about your product or service in your sales pitch, your prospect would only find you spewing hot air without the results. So, you showcase your testimonials. Even better, you showcase your own results which you have personally found with your own product or service. Examples of results are:
“I have lost 22kg in three weeks!”
“I have made $1,031.00 withDEF program!” and
“With JKL Software, I have saved 3.5 hours every day in writing and submitting my articles to directories!"
More words in next post! Plus more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy at Bizwrite!
Writing salesletters is one of the most important things you will have to do as a copywriter. But a sales letter HAS TO SELL! How?
Have you ever read a book or article and immediately felt a powerful connection with the author? As if the author was writing directly to YOU?
Have you ever read a salesletter that made you feel like that?
For me, very seldom. But when I DO come across such a letter, I find myself pulling out my credit card. Almost as if I had no choice!
Here's the simple secret to wielding that kind of power.
Before you try to SELL to your readers, meet them where they are!
What do I mean by this?
Show them that you can see the world through their eyes. That you understand their feelings, that you're aware of their problems, fears, hopes and desires!
You can't fake this. You can only only show them all these things if you GENUINELY enter into their problems.
Think about your own relationships. NOTHING creates a bond between two people faster than sharing something in common, especially a common pain or frustration.
Now - when you can show your customers that you see the world from where they are standing, that you can feel what they feel, the frustrations and struggles that they are going through, then you can easily lead them to the solution. And the solution is what you are selling!
Why do you think personal stories and testimonials work so well to sell products? Because the customers RELATE to the people in the stories. If you have personally gone through the same problems and challenges and can use your own personal story, that's even better. (That's why those 'rags to riches' stories shift moneymaking products so well.)
So take your mind OFF your product and concentrate on your customer. Only that way will your prospects be interested in what you have to say!
But do that and you'll create instant rapport! Your salesletter will take on a MAGNETIC quality. It will COMPEL your customers to buy from you, and leave your competition in the dust!
Lots of earlier posts such as 11-14 June are really relevant to sales letter writing so do go back and take a look. And of course
don't forget to visit us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy.
Headlines range from "hit-you-in-the face" to more understated ones that don't appear like a headline at all.
Your headline gets noticed when it appeals to the reader's interests. You must use your headline to point out a difficulty the reader has or something you know the reader feels powerfully about.
This is the last post on headlines and is intended to sum up the last few posts.
Seven Sure-Fire Headlines
1. Ask a Question. "Are you worried about becoming fat and flabby?" A question headline forces the reader to answer in her mind. You mechanically get the prospect involved in your message.
2. Begin your headline with "How to." "How to lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks." People love information that illustrates how to do something valuable.
3. Provide a testimonial. The advice of a satisfied customer can act as a catalyst in pursuing others to buy from you.
4. Issue a command. Some traditional headlines order readers to "Aim High" and "Move Ahead” and so on. Turn your most significant benefit into a strong headline.
5. Significant news makes a good headline. This especially works well for huge changes in your organization or the introduction of savvy new products.
6. Headline a last date for a special offer. Most of us are always too busy and tend to put off taking action. "Save Money Now" and "Get Bonus If You Buy Now” offer augment response.
7. FREE offers often draw the greatest response. There is a myth that wealthy or professional customers are turned off by free offers. This is not accurate at all. Just customize your free offer so as to match the style of your customers or industry.
REMEMBER:
Prospects are always hard-pressed for time. They are barraged with hundreds of ads, sales letters, postcards, and commercials every day. They tend to tune out any advertising message that looks like it will take quite long to figure out. Headlines help them decide. So focus on them.
Sales letters and web copy are the most likely areas where you will need to use headlines. Those two places are where we are going next.
Meanwhile, don't forget to visit us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy
We are looking at more steps to power copy, or to writing compelling copy. In this post we are looking at other kinds of killer headline besides the benefit headline (which is still the no.1 attention grabber).
But another very effective type of headline is the GUARANTEE HEADLINE.
That is, a headline that contains a guarantee right there in the headline, instead of OR as well as further down in the copy.. It can be an effective way of gaining trust and credibility with your target market.
These headlines are particularly useful when you are offering a guarantee that is unheard of in your industry.
• Are You Tired Of Throwing Away Your Hard Earned Time And Money On A New
Garden That Is Impossible To Keep Under Control? Here’s A New Way To Solve
All Your Garden Problems… 100% Guaranteed!
• Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours – Or Double Your Money Back!
• Announcing A New Technologically Advanced Lap Top Computer That You Can Never Drop, Never Smash, And Never Lose… 100% Guaranteed!
• Double Your Appointments In 30 Days Or I’ll Pay You $500 Cash!
• The “Art Of Negotiating” Guarantees To Make You A Better Negotiator!
• Yep, I’ll Teach You How To Make More Money Than You’ve Ever Dreamt
Possible – Or I’ll Give You Your Fee Back Plus A Ten Dollar “Penalty” Right Out
Of My Pocket!
• The Missing Link – Never-Released Original SEAL Training Guaranteed To
Skyrocket Your Fighting Skills!
• Quick Turn Real Estate Expert Reveals Secrets To Making $117,000 In Cold Hard
Cash… In 12 Months Or Less Using A 100% Guaranteed Program!
Come and see us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy
Up to now we've been concentrating on the Benefit headline. This is certainly the type that's guaranteed to grab your reader's attention.
But there are other types of headline that can be very effective and now we will look at some of these. First, the Testimonial Headline.
The TESTIMONIAL HEADLINE uses a powerful customer testimonial right inside the headline, instead of, or as well as, further down the copy.
This adds credibility to what you are claiming. Testimonials from someone well known and respected by the target market are the most powerful. Testimonials from unknown persons are not quite as powerful, but still very effective.
• The Results Were Phenomenal! We Took In Over $1,895,000.00 (Yes, Almost Two Million Dollars!!!) On This Single Promotion!
Eileen & T.J. Rohleder, M.O.R.E. Inc., Goesell, Kansas
• I Was Hesitant To Get My Building Supplies From Johnson Brothers – After All, All Tool Dealers Have The Same Pitch. But I’ve Come To Find Johnson Brothers To Be All They Say And More. I’ve Saved $32,516 With Them This Year Alone. That Says Everything!
Scott Williams, Williams Construction, Sydney NSW
• I Was Held Hostage For 4 Days By The Sharpest Minds In Direct Mail. And When It Was Over I Didn’t Want To Leave. I Had learnt The Ultimate Skill… How To Make Real Money Anytime, Anywhere. All My Fears About Not Knowing What To Do Were Gone. By Day Four, I Had The Formula Down; I knew How To Do It Right, And Even Before I Got Home From The Seminar, I Had Started A Major Direct Mail Project Which May End Up Earning Me $20,000 This Month!
Dan Reynolds, Harrison, Arkansas
Come and see us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy!
To sum up the last few posts, here are 16 tips for writing effective headlines!
1.Deliver your main message immediately. You only have 1 to 3 seconds to lure serious prospects with your headline.
2. Use benefit-oriented headings at the top of every ad or marketing communication. Never use this most valuable space to announce your company name. Even the most basic, benefit-oriented headline will command more attention than a name, unless the name itself conveys a strong, unique benefit.
3. Grab your target prospect by the jugular. Don’t beat around the bush. Reach out daringly, provocatively and directly in a way that’s impossible to overlook.
4. Make your headline tempting, teasing, and tantalizing. Touch a nerve in your prospect. Generate a headline that’s difficult to resist.
5. Think benefits. Benefits are helpful or useful advantages that are clearly spelled out for the prospect. A good headline strategy to use is to deliver the biggest, most unique and desirable benefit possible. The strongest benefit you can isolate is prime headline material.
6. Keep it clear and concise. Refine… rewrite… reduce… and otherwise modify until you have your headline down to a brief statement with an unmistakable message. Craft a handful of words that resonate with your prospect. Most people today prefer information in quick, easy to digest, bite-size pieces.
7. Compose your headline with an understanding of the sheer volume of competing messages that are all vying for the same prospect’s attention. You want people to perk-up… to pay attention to your message… so you need to develop a headline that advertising-weary eyes will find appealing. Entice prospects into the rest of your message with a riveting opener.
8. Consider it an “ad for an ad”, a line or two you run at the top of a display ad or marketing piece to lure attention. In effect, your targeted headline says this, “Here’s something important, unique and of value to you, dear prospect. Pay attention here or you’ll miss out”.
9. Stick to a single, coherent idea or concept. Focus on one powerful thought that is easily understood and absorbed in an instant. Think of your headline as a “grabber” that must be compelling enough to interrupt the busy person and get him or her to notice your message. Your headline does the job when an otherwise indifferent reader is pulled into the body of your message. One strong idea is all you can expect busy people to grasp in a quick glance.
10. Summarize your main selling message as a headline. Readers should get the gist of what your entire message is about by reading headlines and sub-headings only. By offering your strongest selling point up-front, you help attract prospects who are genuinely interested and you’ll help turn away the “tire-kickers”.
11. Capture attention quickly. The single, most important task of any headline is to get noticed. One way to get noticed is to stand out from the crowd. Think of your ad as a telegraphic communication, conceived for the purpose of attracting qualified attention from the maximum number of prospects. Your headline needs to hit hard and hit fast.
13. Beware of making statements that others could easily claim as their own. Generic benefits that others offer are too common to be effective. Add an original twist with a specific promise or result.
14. Convert facts into meaningful prospect benefits. Avoid headlines that are mere factual statements about a product or service. The facts are only features and features by themselves, don’t sell. True prospects are attracted by what those facts mean. It’s the sizzling benefits and mouthwatering descriptions that pull larger audiences.
15. Be upbeat and positive. Paint a bright future. Offer workable solutions that provide hope and inspiration. Avoid gloomy, negative headlines. Raise the spirits of your audience with an upbeat approach.
16. Simplify your message so it’s easy to grasp. Don’t force people to stop and think about what it is you’re trying to say, or you’ll quickly lose the audience!
Come and see us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy!
Your copywriting is about MARKETING! Never forget this. So there's no point in crafting clever-clever headlines if they don't get read!
A leading professor at the Institute for Direct Marketing at Munich once conducted a famous live experiment as part of the Institute's research into headlines. He found there are some words that encourage people to read the headline, called REINFORCERS, and words that put people off reading it, called FILTERS.
The most powerful reinforcer is the word YOU. This lets readers know there's something in it for them!
Conversely, the strongest filter word is the word "I". This gives readers the message that the headline is about someone else, not them.
It has been proved that headlines containing as many reinforcer words as possible attract much higher readership than those containing filter words. So try to use as many reinforcer words as possible in your headlines. and as few filter words.
Apart from the word YOU, the other really effective reinforcer word is the word FREE. When readers catch a glimpse of the word FREE, greed takes over and they can't resist reading on to see what's in it for them.
There are more proven reinforcer words, the most powerful including:
Yours
Now
Who
Secrets
How
Fast
Money
Save
Why
New
Easy
Announcing
At last
There's plenty more to say about headlines! But meanwhile don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy!
The problem so many people have is that they find it difficult to distinguish between BENEFITS and FEATURES.
If you're selling a car, no matter how large, sleek and shiny the car may be, THIS IS NOT A BENEFIT. It's a FEATURE. The benefit may be comfort, or how much your friends and neighbours will be impressed or envious! Even if it has a powerful engine or a 5-litre capacity, these are FEATURES, not benefits. The benefits may be easy and relaxed driving, how quickly you can get from A to B, or again, how much others will be impressed!
As has been said several times before, before writing ANYTHING, you must KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER. Only by knowing your customer will you be able to judge which benefits will grab their attention. These are what you put in your headlines.
Benefit headlines are most effective when the benefit referred to is SPECIFIC and MEASURABLE.
• Make More Money Faster With This New Cash Generating Computer Marketing System!
• Want To Spend More Time Making Money In Your Business Than Doing The Books? This New Accounting Package Will Save You At Least 2 Hours A Month… 100% Guaranteed!
• Dry Up Your Hay fever In 15 Minutes
• Yes, You Too Can Learn To Create Beautiful Crafts With Ease!
• $11,600 A Month With Tiny Classified Ads! You Can Do It Too, Once You
Discover These Insider Secrets!
• Experience The Kind Of Profound Pleasurable Sex Most Men Only Dream About!
• Sexy Hair In Minutes!
• They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano, But When I Played…
• Let Me Show You How I Made Over $109,305.20 In Only Seven months Using My Top Secret Free Advertising System
There's plenty more to say about headlines. Meanwhile don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy!
The last post on headlines stressed that the most likely headline to GRAB attention is: The major benefit your customer gets from the product. For more on Benefits, check the June 12, 2010 post.
Remember your customer only cares about how your product can make their life easier or better... or how you can solve a crucial, nagging problem they have... or how you can
help them achieve a goal they desperately desire.
So why fool around with anything else? Use your headline to drive your advertising stake directly through the heart of your customer's most critical needs. It's simple and it works like wildfire.
The following headline is from a sales letter for the Lifecycle:
Now you can cut your exercise time in half – risk-free for 30 days!
Plus receive a $199 home gym absolutely FREE –
No obligation!
Let's take a look at what kind of promises the advertiser is using in this headline and subhead. First, they concentrate on the major benefit "cut your exercise time in half."
Then they kick in another benefit, a "risk-free 30-day trial."
The subhead makes another powerful promise:
A bonus of a $199 home gym absolutely FREE.
They worked FREE into their promise too – a powerful motivator.
Now, let's take a look at one more example.
How To Sell Much More Of Your Software And Eliminate Your Two Worst Headaches!
....Now an ace copywriter (who is also a former software engineer) can kick your sales
into high gear – and make your life a whole lot easier at the same time
This example demonstrates how focusing on the key benefit and offering the solution to a critical problem makes a powerful combination. Also, notice how the subhead speaks directly to making the reader's life easier.
More on benefits in headlines in the next post, but don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy.
Imagine you are stranded on a rocky shoreline - the tide is coming in fast and your only hope is to attract the attention of a low-flying aircraft or a search helicopter. You have to construct an attention-grabbing message in huge letters on the sand. What would you write?
Something that would make it absolutely clear what you needed! Something like "Help! Save Me!" might do the trick.
Would you write a joke, a pun or a clever play on words? I don't think so! You have just seconds to catch the attention of a potential rescuer. Anything that failed to get your message across in the clearest possible way, would be a dreadful waste of that amazing opportunity.
Yet would you believe that this is a mistake made by more than 90 per cent of advertisers, when writing their all-important headline? Just see for yourself - look through the ads in your newspaper or magazine, or visit a few web sites at random. The headline may be clever, but it gives no clue as to what the ad is actually about or what it promises.
Just like your stranded victim, you have 5-10 seconds AT MOST to give your visitor a compelling reason why they should continue reading the rest of your copy. If you fail to do this, YOU'VE LOST THEM!
And what is the promise that is most like to keep them reading? The anwer is: THE MAJOR BENEFIT YOUR CUSTOMER WILL GET FROM YOUR PRODUCT.
The subject of benefits is a very important one and will be dealt with in the next post. But meanwhile here is a collection of successful headlines to get you started!
http://www.bizwrite.co.uk/headlineideas.html
And don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy.
