Sam

If you’re selling stuff online…

You need to master email copywriting. In the words of a wise, wise marketer… “email is the center of the universe” when it comes to selling stuff online. Email is the lifeblood of every half-decent online business. Email is everything.

And if you want to master email copywriting…

You need to be writing lots of emails. Because in order to maintain a healthy email list, you need to be emailing *consistently*… and frequently. But furthermore, you need to be writing lots of emails because that’s the only way you’ll learn to write them better. Many bad copywriters never become good copywriters… because they never write!

And if you want to be writing lots of emails…

You’ll need lots of “hooks.” Little attention-grabbers that you can stick in your subject lines… and at the beginnings of your emails… that stop your readers in their tracks, and create a burning desire in them to keep on reading. Stories. Quotes. Interesting facts. Movie scenes. Statistics. Inventions. Current events. Analogies (like the one in this headline… which I’ll explain in just a moment). Stuff that incites curiosity in readers. So that they open your emails… and read through to the end.

And if you want to find lots of good “hooks”…

You need to be hunting for them wherever you go. Searching high and low, far and near, inside and outside, always… with the passion & focus of a kid searching for candy-filled eggs on Easter. And then capturing them as they come to you in your little notebook that you carry around with you everywhere you go.

Indeed, for email copywriters… it’s always Easter.

The core principles of copywriting can be applied in any context.

And one way to get good at writing persuasive copy is to practice on your mom.

…which is to say, when you find yourself pitching an idea… or making a request… or sending an invitation, to your friends and family – use that as an opportunity to exercise your copywriting skills. Structure your emails to be as persuasive as possible.

A lot of people have put up this mental wall between “work stuff” and “personal stuff”… where as soon as they stop doing “work stuff,” they suddenly forget everything they knew about copywriting, and start writing bad emails. And making bad pitches. And writing bad Facebook posts.

Don’t do that!

Practice your copywriting skills every time you write.

Just because you’re not gonna make money off of it doesn’t mean it’s okay to write sloppy, un-persuasive copy. Always have your ‘copywriter’ hat on. And apply what you know about copywriting whenever you write, no matter the context.

I = B + C

…which cometh from Gary Bencivenga, hailed as the greatest living copywriter.

This formula is laughably simple.

But its power is no laughing matter.

So what does everything stand for?

Interest = Benefit + Curiosity

The way to make people open your emails, and read your sales letters, and get ‘hooked’ just by reading the headline… is to make sure that your headline both states a benefit AND arouses your reader’s curiosity. Do one without the other and your headline will fall flat. Do both well and you’ve got yourself a good headline.

If you’re steeped in the direct response classics, you’ve heard it been said that the goal of advertisement is NOT to entertain. Make entertainment your goal and you’ve got a failed ad. Why? Because if entertainment is your goal, you’ll be pulled off course from accomplishing THE goal of every good ad – which is to sell! And you’ll start making decisions that disrupt the persuasive flow of your piece, killing its conversion rate.

However.

If while seeking to persuade you can make your copy interesting… 

Fun to read…

Dare I say it – entertaining… 

(And this is especially true in email…)

…people will read your copy. They’ll enjoy it. And they’ll come back for more.

i.e. Whenever they see new material that you’ve put out, they’ll be predisposed to open it and read it.

So how do you be entertaining in a way that doesn’t detract from your precious persuasion?

Here’s one way – do what I’m doing:

Allow yourself to alliterate. Now notice… by bringing words together, that start with the same letter… suddenly my copy sounds suspiciously poetic and ‘poppy.’ Com-prendo? It makes rote reads more magical – casting a spell on the sentences inside… so they sound more slick, and send you into some superb state… where what you once wanted wastes away and all you want now is to read more wonderful words.

Okay.

That was exaggerated.

You probably never want to use alliteration that much.

But start working it into your copy – especially when you’re making important points.

People won’t consciously pick up on it…

They won’t consciously think to themselves, “oh, this author is using alliteration! And I like that!”

But they’ll subconsciously find your copy easier to read. And more interesting.

They’ll like the experience of reading your copy.

And so they’ll keep on coming back for more.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t end where I started:

The principles of persuasion should perpetually be your priority. 

Always make sure you’re nailing the ideas. The psychology.

And then use things like alliteration to ‘spice things up’ – and that’ll just make good copy better copy.

Never use the first decent headline or subject line that you come up with 

There’s always something you can do to make it better.

And headlines are everything.

I honestly don’t know why more copywriters aren’t talking about this trick. It’s a powerful way of boosting conversion in any context – and especially when you’re writing web copy. And especially especially if you’re a beginner, and you don’t have a lifetime of experience as a professional copywriter in tow.

Interestingly…

This “trick” is widely used in some contexts. For example, in the world of “Usability,” people use it all the time. And profit powerfully from it. But for whatever reason, my fellow copywriters have been slow adopters. And it’s hurting their conversion.

Time to change that.

So what’s the trick?

User-testing your copy.

“Huh?”

This is how you would “user-test” a website:

(1) Compile a list of important tasks that site visitors should be able to complete. For example, “sign up for newsletter,” “purchase product,” “learn more about company,” etc.
(2) Get a friend to come to your house.
(3) Sit your friend down
(4) Grab your laptop and give it to your friend
(5) Have your friend complete the list of tasks you’ve written up
(6) Ask your friend to say what they’re thinking as they try to complete tasks
(7) Listen to your friend’s thoughts & questions
(8) Note where your friend gets tripped up and confused or frustrated
(9) Ask your friend to answer some questions… like…

“What was your experience of this website like?”
“Would you trust a website like this? Enough to buy the product they’re selling?”
“What changes could be made to the website… to make your experience better?”

(10) Rinse and repeat 1-2 more times… and then change your website’s copy based on what you’ve learned from watching people experience your website.

It’s amazing the sorts of insights you stumble upon when user-testing things in that way. And it’s usually stuff that should be obvious… but for whatever reason isn’t. Also, you can use this same method to user-test emails… single pages… letters… headlines… etc. Not just websites. By simply having someone read what you’ve written, and tell you what the experience was like.

Just beware.

Because you’ll find parts in your copy that you thought were crystal clear… but your readers find confusing.

You’ll find parts in your copy that you thought sounded poetic & persuasive… but your readers find awkward & disjointed.

And it hurts.

To learn where exactly your copy is sucking.

But it also helps you make your stuff way more understandable… and believable… and persuasive. When you “user-test” your stuff, and make changes based on the feedback you get.

Comprendo?

Now go do.

Oh…

And if you want to learn more about the magical method of “user-testing”… and the wonderful ways it can boost your website’s conversion… I highly recommend Steve Krug’s book, “Don’t Make Me Think.” Easy read. Hilarious. Extremely worthwhile. Go check it out on Amazon.

If you’d like to learn the wonderful and wildly profitable skill of copywriting from me, in a more personal way… check out my copy-coaching program. I currently have 10 spots left.