When you start to write your sales copy…get to the point! 
If you drone on aimlessly your reader will very quickly lose interest. Here are a few things to avoid. Subtleness, subtlety will cost you response because again some readers will not appreciate it and will therefore lose interest. Cleverness for the sake of being clever will again lose you response. In jokes…in fact humour can be a dangerous thing altogether because everyone’s sense of humour is different. So just get to the point.

How do you know if you are getting to the point? Well here are a few opening phrases that I use a lot to help me.

1. For example…

Using this forces you to actually give an example and therefore get to the point.

2. Why? Because…

This is quite a clever one because you are putting yourself in your prospects position who will naturally be asking the question “Why?” By asking it and then answering it for them you are immediately building rapport with that person. Again by answering the question you are forcing yourself to get to the point.

3. The reason is…

Using this again forces you to be specific. You are offering evidence which is by it’s very nature specific.

4. I have something you want.

This is a really good one to use, just think about it. 
If I said to you “I have something you want” what would your reaction be? 
Of course you would want to know what it is…wouldn’t you? You are then drawn into the rest of the sales copy to find out what you’re missing out on.

Is there a risk of someone saying “No, that isn’t what I want”.  If they do say that then they are obviously not the market you are trying to reach. So this shouldn’t happen if you’ve done your homework properly. Don’t forget that by this stage you should know exactly who your target market is and what it is they want.

Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter

http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979

Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.

What style of headline is most successful?

There isn’t really one answer to that as there are several different styles that can be used with equal success. Before you even start to choose which style you are going to use write down as many benefits as you can think of. The headline should never be put in at the last minute without a great deal of time and thought. Ninety percent of your time should be spent getting the right headline because without it your sales copy will never be read anyway.

1. Announcement.
To make this style of headline work you have to be careful not to make it merely factual and boring. It has to be specific aimed at your prospective buyer, for example it would be no good if BMW launched a new car like this:-

“BMW Launch their New Car” – There’s no benefit at all, just a fact.
“Top Gear Presenter Praises BMW’s Amazing New M3…0-60 in 3.8 Seconds” – Although unlikely (we all know Jeremy Clarkson hates BMW’s) makes a much more compelling headline.

2. Guarantee.
It’s great if your product comes with an iron clad guarantee…provided it lives up to your claims. This can make for a really powerful headline, for example:-

“Lose 10lbs of Ugly Fat in 14 days or Your Money Back” – This benefit is guaranteed.

3. How to.
This style is best used when offering a solution to a problem. Although there are already thousands of books with ‘How To’ in the title it is still very successful, for example:-

“How to Improve Your Golf Swing…”

4. Specific.
This is aimed specifically at your target reader and therefore will not be of any interest at all to the general public. For example:-

“At Last an End to Your Back Pain”

5. The Testimonial.
What better than a testimonial. After all something your customers have said is a lot more believable and powerful than anything you could say yourself. For example:-

“He Couldn’t Believe It Was Me…It Wasn’t! To Be Honest I Just Called In For A Trim…I Left Feeling like a Superstar.

6. Reasons Why.
You are giving the reader a specific number of reasons why they should do something. You are also arousing their curiosity as they want to know what the reasons are, so you are drawing them into your copy. For example:-

“12 Reasons Why You Must Be At Salon & Spa Super Conference”

7. Emotional.
Use this style to really hook into people’s feelings. For example:-

“I Wept When The Battery In My Camcorder Ran Out At My Daughter’s Wedding”

I would recommend trying out a few different styles when you’re writing out your headlines. Write as many different headlines as you can.

 

Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter

http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979

Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.