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Be curious
“The best copywriters in the world are those who are curious about life, read a great deal, have many hobbies, like to travel, have a variety of interests, often master many skills, get bored and then look for other skills to master.”
“The thirst for knowledge, a tremendous curiosity about life, a wealth of experiences and not being afraid to work are the top credentials for being a good copywriter.”
Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera, once said “A mistake is a future benefit, the full value of which is yet to be realised.”
“One of the most important keys in copywriting and conceptualising is the ability to relate totally divergent concepts to create a new concept.”
Become an expert
“Becoming an expert means learning enough about a product to obtain enough specific knowledge so you can communicate the real nature of what you are trying to sell.”
“Every product has a nature to it that you must understand to be successful when creating a marketing concept behind that product.”
Having specific knowledge on whom you are selling to will make a dramatic difference in your ability to communicate your thoughts in your copy.
Your first sentence needs to be short and sweet and almost incomplete. “The purpose of the first sentence is to get you to read the second sentence.”
“Your copy has to put the prospect into a relaxed buying environment.”
The buying environment
“As a writer of direct marketing, you have control over the environment. The environment you choose is created in both the graphic elements and the copy, but especially the copy—by the way you phrase your words, the choice of words and the level of integrity you convey.”
Resonate with the reader
“You’ve got to get the prospective reader to start saying yes. You’ve got to make statements that are both honest and believable. Get the customer to nod in the affirmative and agree with you. Get your reader to say ‘Yes.’”
Plant “seeds of curiosity”
At the end of a paragraph, Sugarman will often put a very short sentence that offers some reason for the reader to read the next paragraph. E.G:
But there’s more
So read on
But I didn’t stop there
Let me explain
Now here comes the good part
These seeds of curiosity cause you to subconsciously continue reading even though you might be at a point in the copy where the copy slows down.
Use emotion
“Often, a phrase or sentence or even a premise does not have to be correct logically. As long as it conveys the message emotionally, it not only does the job, but does it more effectively than the logical message.
John Caples, the legendary direct marketer, changed the word “repair” to the word “fix” and saw a 20% increase in response.
Every word has an emotion associated with it and tells a story
Every good ad is an emotional outpouring of words, feelings, and impressions
You sell on emotion, but you justify a purchase with logic
Selling the concept, not the product
“If your advertising just sells the product, be careful. You need a concept. If you’ve come up with a unique concept, fantastic. You’ll do much better.”
“Sometimes simply changing the price of a product can dramatically alter its concept.”
“The first job of an ad agency is to look at your product in every imaginable way: frontwards, backward, sideways, upside down, inside out. Because somewhere, right there in the product itself, lies the drama that will sell it to people who want it.”
The incubation process
“The incubation process is the power of your subconscious mind to use all your knowledge and experiences to solve a specific problem, and its efficiency is dictated by time, creative orientation, environment, and ego.”
“Take a break from your work and do something pleasurable while your brain incubates.”
How much copy should you write?
“Copy is never too long if the reader takes the action you request.”
Sugarman explains that there are two factors that increase the need for a lot of copy:
Price point: The higher the price point, the more copy required to justify the price or create the need. This is a general rule unless the price point is perceived to be a tremendous value or the lower price point appears to lack credibility
Unusual item: The more unusual the product, the more you need to relate that product to the user and the more you’ve got to focus on creating the buying environment and explaining the product’s new features
Use long copy to create an environment that will place your prospect in the proper buying mood or to give you the time necessary to tell the full story of your product.
The art of personal communication
“Every advertisement should be a personal message from the advertiser to the prospect.”
The copy sequence
The flowchart for copy sequence goes in one direction—down.
The point of each of these blocks of copy is that they are logically placed as if to anticipate the next question a prospect is going to ask—all in an environment that you have created and all flowing logically to the last part of the ad when you ask for the order.”
The editing process
Principles of editing:
Look for any “that” words
Edit for rhythm
Consider combining sentences
Eliminate unnecessary words
Rearrange thoughts so they flow better
Powerful copy elements explained
Typeface
First Sentence
Second Sentence
Paragraph Headings
Product Explanation
New Features
Technical Explanation
Anticipate Objections
Resolve Objections
Gender
Clarity
Clichés
Rhythm
Service
Physical Facts
Trial Period
Price Comparison
Testimonials
Price
Offer Summary
Avoid Saying Too Much
Ease of Ordering
Ask for the Order
“You should sell a simple product that is clearly understood by the consumer in a more complicated way and a more complicated product in a very simple way.”
Always check your copy to make sure you have explained all of the features. Ask yourself, “Did I explain the product sufficiently to my prospect?”
“Providing a technical explanation that the reader may not understand shows that we really did our research and if we say it’s good, it must be good. It builds confidence in the buyer that he or she is indeed dealing with an expert.”
“If you feel that your prospect might raise some objection when you are describing a product, then raise the objection yourself.”
“Just as you have to recognize objections, it is your opportunity and duty to resolve the objections, too. You must be honest and provide alternative solutions or dispel the objections completely.”
“Make sure there are no sexual or sexist comments that would offend any group, and know your target audience so that you can communicate in their terms.”
It is important that you recognize the differences between men and women in terms of what is important to them.
Avoid obvious clichés like: “Here’s the product the world has been waiting for,” or “It’s too good to be true.”
“How do you know if you are writing a cliché? If it sounds like you’re writing typical advertising copy some agency may have written 20 years ago, that’s one clue.”
One rhythm technique is the use of what Sugarman calls a triad. Very often when he lists examples or attributes of something, he uses just three of them. For example, “I went shopping for a hammer, a screwdriver and a pair of pliers.”
“If you are selling an expensive product or one that is not easily returned for service, you must address the question of service and convey the ease of that service to the consumer.”
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