December 2017

I recently did a training webinar where someone asked,

“How much white space should be in my copy?”

i.e…

When should you hit ‘enter’ and start a new line?

Are long paragraphs EVER appropriate?

My thoughts:

There are 2 things you should *avoid* here: (1) avoid just writing in huge, chunky paragraphs… and also (2) avoid having copy where you start a new line after every sentence… and where every sentence is roughly the same length.

(1) should just be common sense. Big paragraphs are tiring. They’re scary to look at. They can scare people off. But they can serve a helpful purpose (which I’ll explain in a sec).

(2) is a little less intuitive. Why avoid starting a new line after every sentence? …because when you do this, your copy starts to look like a big, long, double-spaced paragraph. And I’ve always found this copy harder to read. So instead of doing that…

I like doing this.

Having short runs.

Of short sentences.

Breaking them all up with a new line.

Because…

This is easy to read.

And once you’ve read a couple of these…

You build momentum in your reading, and you start to think to yourself, “alright, I’ve already started this thing… so I might as well finish it. And yes, I’m now reading a much longer paragraph… but since I had momentum going into it, it feels easier. And so here I go.” And you can keep on adding stuff to these paragraphs. And pack a lot of good material & good selling… or a good story… into these ‘biggies.’ And then…

…return to small sentences.

Short.

Punchy.

Build some more momentum.

Now what I’ve been doing over the past couple lines has been a bit exaggerated – often times my “short, punchy” sentences are longer than 2-4 words. And often times my longer paragraphs are shorter than 80 words.

But you get the point.

Don’t scare people off by only writing in huge paragraphs.

But also don’t tire people out by making your copy look like it’s just a single, whoppin’ double-spaced paragraph.

One of the best ways to get someone’s attention is to tell them about something NEW.

This works well for a couple reasons:

(1) Newness makes people curious. If you tell me that you have a “new” product, I immediately start wondering, “well, what’s new about it?” Then I’ll wonder other things, like, “what led you to make a new product?” “how is this new product different from similar ones?” etc. Newness piques curiosity. It pulls bystanders in… and pushes them on to find out more about this “new” thing.

(2) People naturally associate “new” with “good.” For better or for worse… people automatically assign value to ‘newness.’ And so when you tell them about a “new” product, or service, or offer… they hear “better product,” “improved offer,” etc.

(3) People like being in the know. And so if something new is happening… especially if it’s important, or relates to them personally… they want to know about it. So they can come off to other people as being informed, or “in the know.” And they also want to know about it because they suspect it might personally benefit them.

There are more reasons why ‘newness’ grabs attention.

But setting those aside…

Here’s what you should do now:

Always be on the look out for real news you can use in your sales copy. Always be searching for novelty in your product or offer. And if you find new-ness in your product… proclaim it from the roof tops.

Because people love new stuff.

Titles describe what follows them.

Headlines make you want to read what follows them.

Titles aim at accuracy.

Headlines aim at effectiveness.

Titles are crafted with the book, or article, or email in mind.

Headlines are crafted with the reader in mind.

Titles are often boring.

Headlines are never boring.

Titles often push away.

Headlines always invite in.

Titles are self-centered.

Headlines point beyond themselves.

Titles try to name something.

Headlines instill desire for something.

Don’t write titles.

Write headlines.

There’s a wonderful book by G.K. Chesterton about a fat & magical man with a hat… who gets carried over a garden wall by the wind, into the backyard of an unsuspecting family. But instead of apologizing and immediately leaving, he sticks around. And interacts with the people in that household—who were all previously bored with life, depressed, and mostly living with “eyes glazed over.”

…and this magical man, named “Innocent Smith,” immediately starts playing games. And questioning the people in this household. And inviting them into his mini-adventures.

And eventually…

The members of that household catch a severe case of Innocent Smith’s enthusiasm. Eventually they’re won over, and start loving life—just like Innocent.

What does this story have to do with copywriting?

So, so much.

The reason why Innocent is so enthusiastic about life & the world… is because he has a view of the world where everything is wonderful. Trees, hats, cardboard boxes, attics, empty bottles, “boring” people… all of these things are almost too good for words in Innocent’s view. This is why he’s so contagiously enthusiastic.

But the funny thing is…

Innocent’s view of the world is NOT portrayed as the “unrealistic” person in the story. On the contrary, Chesterton makes it very clear that Smith the most realistic character. And everyone else, when they had a dull perspective of the world… THEY were the unrealistic ones.

And there’s a great copywriting lesson here.

Because Chesterton is absolutely right:

The world IS wonderful.

Small things—mundane things—ARE almost too good for words, when you view them as they really are.

The reason why people live with eyes glazed over is because they DON’T see the world as it really is. They view things as far grayer, far worse than they actually are.

So your job as a copywriter is to be Innocent Smith.

Your job is to see the world as it actually is… as a wonderful place full of wonderful things.

This view of the world will make you enthusiastic.

And the more enthusiastic you become, the more your readers will start to “catch” your enthusiasm while reading your copy. So that THEY become enthusiastic about the same products, ideas & activities that you are. 

And again…

None of this happens because you’re being UNrealistic. Or “hypey.” Or disingenuous.

…but rather, it happens precisely because you are being realistic about the world. Accurate. And genuine.

Because the world is wonderful.

The only question is…

Do you have eyes to see it?

 
P.S. I highly recommend you read Chesterton’s book. It’s called “Manalive.” Here’s the book on Amazon. It’s a wonderful & worthwhile read in it’s own right. But especially if you’re in sales & marketing.

The “Stab & Twist” trick is when you make your case, and *could* ask for the same(and in some cases you *do* ask for the sale)… but instead of doing that and closing, you return to the main pain point one more time. And you stick the knife in, one more time. And twist it. And then end with a final pitch. This can turn good copy into great copy.

To illustrate…

Check out this email I wrote for affiliates of “MTTB” – a business education program that teaches other people how to do affiliate marketing(the “stab & twist” section is in red):

Subj: The Myth of the Entrepreneur

Serious question: do you believe in fairies? Or elves and ogres?

If I had to guess, I’d guess not.

What about entrepreneurs? Do they exist?

What if I told you that I don’t believe in the entrepreneur?

Well, I don’t.

In his book, “The STAR principle,” Richard Koch calls the entrepreneur a “myth.”

That’s to say, it doesn’t really exist.

Now, you might be thinking, “well hold on, I’m an entrepreneur!” Or maybe you aspire to be one…. or maybe you’ve been influenced by one. …so of course they exist!

Let me explain why I don’t believe in the entrepreneur.

Here’s what Koch says:

“The real myth of the entrepreneur is that there is always, or even usually, one key person in every new venture. Much more often, there are several people propelling a new business forward.”

Koch continues,

“Rather than talk of the ‘entrepreneur’ in a particular venture, we should speak of the ‘entrepreneurs’, or, if you like, the ‘collective entrepreneur’.”

The reason I don’t believe in the entrepreneur is because I believe in entrepreneurs. As Koch points out, it takes more than one superstar individual to start a successful business.

To think that there are some special people out there… who are so strong and smart and driven and attractive that they can single-handedly start wildly successful businesses…

That’s unrealistic thinking.

You know who else knows this is unrealistic thinking?

Matt Lloyd. Creator of MTTB. Matt’s business (which has now generated over $50,000,000) wasn’t able to truly take off until Matt brought a number of other people on board to help him out with the business.

He knows the need for more than one person in starting a business.

Which is why Matt designed MTTB so that it pairs you with the other people you need for success in starting your online business.

When you sign up for MTTB, you’re paired with:

-an experienced coach
-a team who will take your phone calls and make big-ticket sales for you(you make $1,000, $3,000 & $5,000 commissions)
-a large community of supportive peers

…thus explaining why normal people have been able to find such success with MTTB. (see: http://mattlloyd.tv/mobe-case-studies/ ) MTTB systematically surrounds you with the support you need from fellow entrepreneurs.

And you won’t be needing to give up any arms or legs to sign up for MTTB. It’s $49 to sign up.

If you don’t make one of those big commissions within 30 days, Matt will pay you 10 times your money back. So there’s no risk involved.

…but maybe you still believe in the lone entrepreneur. Maybe you think you are one—someone who is smarter, tougher, stronger than ‘all the rest’ who needed other people to start a successful business.

You’re welcome to try to find success alone.

But if, like me, you’ve stopped believing in the myth of the individual entrepreneur…  

Join the entrepreneurs. Get started here:

==> http://m0be.com/[pap_affcode]/9d218fbb

See that?

I made my case.

I *could* have asked for the sale.

But instead…

I stick the knife in one last time. Stab. Twist. Mm…

A reader asks:

“How to go from dry to wow?  More than just informative… but compelling?”

I answer:

Depth of understanding, empathy, and specificity.

More…

‘WOW’ copy is copy that speaks to the heart.

It feels like it was written by someone who’s been watching your life from hidden cameras for the past 6-12 months. Because somehow, they know all about you. And what you really want. And why you want it. And what you’re scared of. And what your daily routine looks like. And so they must have been spying on you, and for a while.

…and from this place of deep familiarity with *you*, they speak to your heart. They cut straight to what you care about it. And talk about it in a way that instantly & deeply engages you, and makes you want(or more like need) to keep on reading. THAT’S ‘wow’ copy.

But how do you make your copy like that?

(1) Depth of understanding. You have to acquire an *deep* understanding of who your reader is, long before you start writing. Ultimately the reason why ‘wow’ copy SEEMS like it was written by someone who’s been spying on you… is because it was written by someone who WAS INDEED spying on you! Just not through hidden cameras, but through their research. This is where ‘wow’ copy begins. In a deep, deep familiarity with your reader. So that you “know your reader better than they know themselves.”

This takes asking & answering probing questions about your reader’s psychology & motivations… which lead to ‘aha’ moments in your understanding of her.

(2) Empathy. In order to truly speak to your reader’s heart… you have to feel what they feel. You have to understand their frustration so well that YOU start to feel frustrated. And the same with their fear, worry, hope, longing, etc. Until you step “inside” their emotional experience… and start actually feeling what they’re feeling… your copy will be more dry than ‘wow.’ Listening to emotional music while writing (that matches the tone of your writing) can help you get in the right emotional state.

The most compelling, ‘wow’ copy that I’ve written… I wrote while I was in a peak emotional state myself. Which I had arrived at through my research, through familiarizing myself with the stories of people in my audience, and through my attempts at imagining what it would “feel like” to be my reader… and to have their particular problems and desires.

(3) Specificity. You have to be *specific* in your copy. And I think this is the biggest reason why dry copy seems dry: it’s generic. It never touches on the specific questions, the specific desires, the specific circumstances that are *unique* to your reader – but only spouts general platitudes, asks general questions, and speaks in general terms.

Instead of asking…

“Feeling frustrated?” (too broad)

Ask…

“Frustrated that every attempt you’ve made to start a coaching business has fallen flat on its face… because you can’t get more than 2 clients?” (better)

Instead of saying…

“It’s hard being you!” (too broad)

Say…

“It’s hard changing diapers, running to the store to buy more dishwashing soap, and driving your kid to ballet practice… all while trying to start a coaching business!” 

See what I mean?

No “WOW” copy is generic. It’s all eerily specific.

To give credit where credit is due, I didn’t come up with this question. It’s from the Conversion Rate Experts(if you’re unfamiliar with CRE, look them up).

*After* your prospects buy your product… ask them this question:

“What nearly stopped you buying from us?” 

This question will lead you right to the heart of *why* your readers currently aren’t converting. So you can then address these underlying issues in your copy, abd at various points in your conversion funnel.

It leads you right to your reader’s deepest objections.

And makes it so you don’t have to guess about what those objections are… but you can actually know what they are.

Copywriting = “Salesmanship in print”

WHY is that my favorite definition of copywriting?

It makes copywriting seem less scary and more doable(as it should seem).

And it (rightly) communicates that copywriting isn’t some complicated set of equations that you have to memorize in order to magically make your words more persuasive. But rather, it’s something that every human being is already doing all the time – selling stuff. But just in written word, instead of spoken word.

It (rightly) communicates that writing good copy is actually a very simple thing.

…because salesmanship is a very simple thing.

Selling stuff may be hard to actually do… and substantially improve in…  (just like every other worthwile skill…)

But it’s not complicated. There are a few fundamental principles you should learn. But once you learn them, it’s just a matter of practicing them. And getting better at moving the “head” knowledge into your body. 

Likewise with copywriting.

It’s a very simple thing.

It may be hard to actually do. And to improve in, if you’re not good at it.  But it’s not complicated. There are a very few principles that you need to learn… and once you learn them, then it’s just a matter of practicing. Writing crap. Trying again. Getting better. Trying again. Getting better.

In other words…

Don’t beat yourself if you’re not a rockstar copywriter right now.

And don’t make the mistake of thinking that “if only” you knew some hidden trick or technique, your “inner copywriting rockstar” would be instantly unleashed. That’s just not how it works. It takes time. And you probably already know 50-75% of the most important things to know about copywriting – without even realizing it. But I bet you’re only applying 10%-20% of what you know in your head… in your copy.

Just work on getting a little better. And a little bit better.

And before you know it, you’ll rock.

…then read these 14 reasons why you should master copywriting. And feel the new motivation to master the craft coursing through your veins.

If you master copywriting…

• You’ll be able to sell a LOT more stuff online… and make a LOT more money
• You’ll be able to create automated sales funnels that act like salespeople for your product who never eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom, and yet operate at peak performance 24/7/365
• You’ll no longer have to pay an expert to write your copy every time you want a landing page or sales page or email that produces sales
• If you decide you do want to hire an expert, you’ll be able to evaluate whether their work is actually good or not before blowing a bunch of money on it
• New ways of acquiring traffic for your business suddenly become feasible… like paid advertising… because if you stink at writing copy, it’s hard to make paid advertising profitable. But if you’re good, it’s very possible. And new traffic brings new scale, which brings new possibilities.
• You’ll get a good, business-related excuse to watch movies… because – if you have a copywriter’s eye – watching movies is one of the best ways to get interesting & profitable ideas for making your copy more compelling
• Creating new campaigns becomes fun… and not something to dread
• Your audience starts wanting to hear from you more and more with time… and so they get happy when they see you launching a new product or campaign, instead of being annoyed
• You become a better storyteller
• You get better at connecting with people emotionally, in-person
• You become an extremely valuable asset in just about any business, startup, nonprofit, or political campaign… or ANY context that requires words to be said or written
• Your personal emails to friends and family become much more interesting & persuasive
• Your social media posts become more interesting & persuasive
  
• You’ll pick up lots of other valuable skills along the way… like being able to identify & address bottlenecks in a sales funnel. Which can be a game-changer in the life of a business. 

Convinced now?

That’s it’s worth it to master the craft?

Start writing!

Write something every day. A blog post, or an email.

All the tips and tricks won’t help you a ‘lick if you never WRITE 🙂

If you’re having a tough time with…

• GRABBING your reader’s attention right at line 1
• TRANSITIONING into your pitch, or
• Getting your reader to actually BELIEVE those things about your product… which are (a) wonderful, (b) true, and (c) hard to believe…

…then you need to start using “If ___… then ___” more.

Why?

Because if you use these two words in your copy – ‘if’ and ‘then’ –

…then it’s really easy to make believable claims.

Because, for some reason…

If you connect 2 different thoughts… or claims… or actions… with these two words…

…then your brain automatically thinks there’s a logical connection between those things. And says to itself “THIS SENTENCE IS LOGICAL.” When in reality, not all “if…then” sentences ARE true or logical.

To illustrate…

Suppose I want to make a big promise:

I can help you identify & overcome your DEEPEST fear as an entrepreneur

Cool.

The person who wrote that headline may or may not actually be able to deliver on his promise. I’ve seen lots of similar ones. And he’s given me no proof.

But now watch this…

If I frame the exact same claim as an “If/then,” then it automatically becomes more believable:

If you have 60 minutes… then I can help you identify & overcome your DEEPEST fear as an entrepreneur

Cool, right?

Maybe it’s not 100% without-a-doubt believable… but it’s certainly MORE believable than the bare promise. And if you read that headline, as the owner of a coaching business… then at the very least, you WOULD keep on reading.

This is the power of “If…then” at work.

And there are MANY more ways in which you can employ “if/then” effectively.

If you want more examples, then read back through this post. I’ve used “If/then” a lot.