10 Smart Questions that help you understand your clients better:
Questions that customers ask themselves before buying:
People are more likely to complete a process if they know where they are in the process. If they can track their progress.
[So when you're showing a video, an article, or purchase progress, add this bar that shows how much you've progressed.]
Every human behavior is driven by one of the three core motivators:
For any behavior to appear, a trigger must be present, along with the ability of the user to take action.
Six factors that influence the ability of the user to purchase or take any other action
Social Validation
is what makes us feel good when we help people. So even when we write a comment on Reddit and receive a lot of upvotes, it makes us feel good. Accepted.
In business and advertising, it’s always better to swim with the current and not against it. So don't arrive as an interruption, attempting to divert your reader's attention from the subject they’re on. Instead, align with the subject possessing their interest already.
Features vs. benefits
"People don't buy things for what they are; they buy things for what they do."
A handwritten copy (name on an envelope, for instance) performs better than a printed one. What can be the equivalent of it these days?
America sorts its mail standing over a wastebasket. And deleting/ignoring emails is even easier. So make sure your envelope and subject line are good.
Timeless headline templates
”They didn't think I could _____, but I did.”
(e.g., They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I started to play...)
“Who else wants“
This type of headline implies that many people know something the reader doesn't.
(e.g., Who else wants a Hollywood actress' figure?)
”How ___ made me ____”
This headline introduces a first-person story. Sounds authentic.
(e.g., How a fool stunt made me a star salesman.)
“Are you ___ with __?”
Challenging and provoking.
(e.g., Are you disappointed with your email open rate?)
“How I ___”
Clear and simple.
(e.g., How I grew my side-hustle from zero)
“How to + {customer’s desire}”
(e.g., How to make friends and influence people)
An even better option is:
“How to + {desire} - {objection}”
(e.g., How to make it on YouTube without showing your face)
“Secrets of ___”
Note: It has to be someone who actually has an interesting secret/insider knowledge.
(e.g., Secrets of four champion golfers)
“X do something although they ___”
(e.g., Thousands now play tennis although they have "clumsy fingers")
“Warning ___”
(e.g., Warning, two out of three copywriters will lose their jobs to AI)
“Give me ____, and I'll ____”
(e.g., Give me one hour a day for a month, and I'll have you speaking French like Pierre.)
“*number* ways to ____”
(e.g., 15 ways to find new clients )
• Grabber. A plastic membership card, a penny, or any other object you put into a mail envelope to grab the reader's attention and make them open it.
• The bulk breakdown. If you’re giving several things in one offer, break it down and specify every piece of value. Not writing every single feature/benefit is like giving them for free.
• A flag is a short sentence, usually at the begging of a headline, that indicates who it is for.
Examples:
Copywriters: finding clients doesn’t have to be hard – audience flag
Migraine? This meditation technique can help – problem flag
• You may be writing about a problem they know they have or they don’t know they have it matters very little. You have to clearly describe the problem anyway.
Make them think: “oh; that’s just what I felt, but I didn’t know how to express it.”
• ”The next time you…” is an excellent piece of copy because it connects a specific object or situation to your ad.
Example: Next time you sit down and try to read your financial report, think of this.
• Fortune-telling grabs people's attention.
“Who will win the super bowl? What will the market do next?”
Classic copywriting formulas
AIDA
attention, interest, desire, action
h/t emarketinghacks.com
PAS: problem, agitation, solution
Introduce the problem
Connect it to certain situations in their lives, so they feel afraid, angry, ashamed, or any other negative emotion. The reader should think, “boy, this has got to stop:Show how your product solves it.
Winners vs. Losers
Example: “Last spring, two neighbors reseeded their lawns. Now it’s June (background). One has a beautiful, lush, thick, green lawn. As perfect as the best course in the country. A lawn to be proud of (winner). His neighbor, though, has a different lawn. With little brown patches and uneven texture. Crabgrass and weeds fighting for territory (loser). The difference? The first used our fertilizer while the second didn’t (solution).
Bandwagon vs. Rare Kind Marketing
The Band Wagon works on FOMO.
Our phone calls may be busy
Our website may crash
100,000 are reading this newsletter
The Rare Kind
works on challenging the readers’ ego and pride. In this method, you reverse roles, and the client tries to sell himself to you, not the opposite.
Only a few people will know how to appreciate its quality
This offer is not for everyone
You can buy it only if you… pass an interview, have experience, bring a reference letter, etc.
Always Demonstrate ROI
Demonstrate how much they’ll invest and how much they’ll get out of this. Demonstrate how much money they’ll save and how much is the ROI percentage.
Example: “You’d save $500 but pay only $100; that’s a 500% ROI. And even if I’m only half right, {sound reasonable and authentic} it’s still $250 you save!”
[I wrote more about ROI in copywriting here.]
🆕 No one wants to feel like they’re behind. So make them aware of when you’re selling new technology.
(what excuses do you make when they ask for your fax number and you don’t one?)
Types of Guarantee (risk reductions)
People want to avoid risk. Help them feel safe when buying from you by promising:
First drafts
Make it long and ugly. Don’t stop to edit; just make sure that everything you need (every idea) is there.
Explain the process of working with you
Explain exactly what will happen from beginning to end so that the client knows what to expect. There are many ways to say this, for example:
“Here’s how it works”
“It goes like this”
“Three steps of working with me”
Teaser copy and cliffhangers.
“See the next page”
“But that’s not all”
“You wouldn’t believe what happened next”
Sensual Writing
Make sure to speak to all five senses. We usually write visually, so while editing, see if you can turn one of the visual descriptions into an odor, sound, touch, etc.
Bonus products
Most products don’t have a limited supply, making it harder to create scarcity. One solution is adding a free gift that will end fast. This way, people would want to buy faster.
P.S. Always write a P.S
Just like headlines and image captions, people often read them more.
Sales letter checklist
☐ Did you answer all 10 Smart Questions about your prospect (in Step 1)?
☐ Are you writing to your reader about what is most important to them (not you)?
☐ Did you build a list of every separate Feature of your product or offer?
☐ Did you make a list of reasons not to respond?
☐ Did you give careful thought to getting your letter delivered and/or through the gatekeepers to its intended recipient?
☐ Did you craft the best possible headline for your letter?
☐ Did you make careful choices about your presentation of the price?
☐ Were you able to incorporate intimidation into your call to action copy?
☐ Were you able to appeal to the ego of your buyer?
☐ Did you develop and present a strong guarantee?
☐ Overall, did you tell an interesting story?
☐ Did you write to the right length?
☐ Did you use the Double Readership Path?
☐ Did you bust up paragraphs, keep one idea per paragraph, and make the letter easily readable?
☐ Were you interesting and entertaining?
☐ Did you use the five senses in words or pictures?
☐ Did you choose words carefully, consider options of one word versus another, and create high-impact phrases?
☐ Did you make your copy personal and conversational (not institutional)?
☐ Did you go back through your copy and think of the possible questions or objections it might leave unanswered? Leave no unanswered questions!
☐ Did you choose and use devices to create urgency and spark immediate action?
☐ Did you write at least one P.S. at the end of the letter for a strategic purpose?
