Where did the 30-day trial period come from? Seriously – if you know, please comment below and tell me. If you’ve written copy for online products or services, no doubt you know the 30-day trial well. Or maybe, if you’ve written for a product or service that’s being sold on Clickbank or some other joint venture website, […]
At last count, it was estimated around 300 billion emails are sent on a daily basis. “Sometimes we have to spend a little time with the numbers.” 300. Billion. A day. That’s a damn lot of emails. So, with so much other email copy competing with yours, it hardly seems worth spending much time on it, right? […]
I’d like to talk about salutations, my good friend. Or should I say Fellow Copywriter? Perhaps Intrepid Freelancer would be better? Of course, this is my point: There are far more options when it comes to addressing a reader than the classic ‘Dear Reader’. Sure, it’s a small thing. But still, it’s there on a letter for a reason […]
With the help of the always excellent @rhinett, I’ve updated and expanded my popular copywriting infographic… It now covers an entire direct response sales letter. As you can see below, I’ve included the main sections you’ll find on a typical letter and offered some advice on how to handle each. Of course, this is by no means the structure every long […]
For reasons that are quite frankly beyond me, I was recently reading a sales letter in the bath – Vince Stanzione’s Making Money from Financial Spread Trading, to be precise. I realise it’s not an image you want in your head… But there you have it. I’m sorry. The good news: There were three very clever […]
As a copywriter, you likely spend a ton of your time trying to come up with new and original subject lines to grab attention. It’s hard work, right? So let me ask you… Should you even bother? Especially when there’s a way you can hijack existing subject lines – that are otherwise considered boring – and use […]
You know that feeling when you read something you agree with and you start nodding? Even though you’re just reading words on a page, the author has written something that strikes such a chord, you can’t help but crack a wry smile, nod along and think: yeah, I thought that too. Do you ever get that? […]
To write truly successful sales letters, you need to understand inherently what makes people buy things. It’s not easy. It takes time. You need to watch people. You need to listen to people. You need to interact with people. Put the time in and eventually you’ll start to think differently. You’ll be able to look […]
There’s a small, six-letter word that’s used far too much in copywriting… And I don’t like it. Do I hate it? Possibly. To me, it’s a sign that – as a copywriter – you’re being lazy, that you’ve run out of steam and can’t be bothered to think properly about what you’re writing. Actually, to […]
James Altucher and Glenn Fisher. (Original design by @rhinett) I read a book called Choose Yourself. It made me think, which I guess is the best thing a book can do. The author is a chap called James Altucher. As well as being a successful author, he’s also a well-known blogger, a super-intelligent entrepreneur and a well-respected investor […]