2 ways to boost readership of your ads
There are two things you can take from this conservatory ad. And use in your own marketing to improve readership.
First, note the first letter of the first word in the first sentence. It’s what is known as a drop cap letter. Its purpose is to grab your attention. That’s once you’ve read the headline.
By using a drop cap on your first word you increase readership. In fact, you can increase readership by somewhere around 15%. That’s right 15% more people will read your ad. That’s not too shabby.
The second thing to notice about this ad is the bit at the top.
Look where it says “an advertisement feature by Thomas Sanderson.” This is the newspaper’s way of telling you the ad is… well, an ad, and not a newspaper article. Otherwise the newspaper could be seen to be endorsing the company.
What can you learn by this?
Well, if the newspaper didn’t make this disclaimer then the ad would look like editorial or an article. This is great news for you the advertiser. You’d get your ad read by more people.
So the moral of the story is this: Don’t make your ads look like ads. This way you boost readership of your ads. After all, people buy newspapers and magazines to read news. Not ads.
Until next time
Mark
Target The Reader - Damn It
Here’s an ad cut out from the Sunday Times which is selling a residential club members can use as a London base.
However this ad has some flaws with it.
The headline doesn’t target the reader. The headline doesn’t have a benefit in it. The headline doesn’t enter the conversation the reader is having in their mind.
What do I mean by the above?
Well, let’s get down to basics. What is the headline talking about? Does it mean as a Londoner “I can get away without paying council tax on my London home?”
So the ad is selling a tax avoidance thing is it? Obviously it’s not.
Why not have a headline:
“If you need a London base but don’t want to pay for hotels or buy an expensive apartment here’s the alternative.” Now that’s off the top of my head with 2 minutes thinking gone into it. (Hey, I’m a busy person -J)
This headline flags down your reader who you’re targeting. The reader doesn’t have to think to understand the headline.
Whereas the original headline of the ad is way too vague. I keep reading that headline and stumbling. I find myself thinking, “What does this mean?” It’s confusing.
And, as for that stupid change in colour in the middle of the headline… what the hell’s all that about? Some smartass dreamed that one up because it sure as hell doesn’t belong there.
What do you think?
Comments welcome
Cheers
Mark
How to Overcome Reader Scepticism
How do you overcome reader scepticism? After all, we’re all so inundated with advertising we don’t believe what advertisers say anymore. And, naturally we’re all sceptical of an advertiser’s claims in their ad.
(As an aside, the bigger the claim, the more proof you need to back up your claim.)
Well, a great way to overcome scepticism is in your headline. Address the reader’s scepticism immediately.
Take a look at this ad selling orange and lemon trees in the UK.
Naturally we’re sceptical about whether we can grow lemon and orange trees here. I mean come off it. We’ve had 3 monsoon summers. We’ve just had the coldest winter for decades. Now you’re telling me I can grow lemons and oranges?
Pull the other one. Think I was born yesterday?
But, look carefully at the choice of wording.
“…Thrive and grow like crazy here in the UK.”
Wow, that’s a great claim.
And note the use of the word “proven” in the sub-head as a proof element.
And notice the word pictures the copywriter has used underneath.
“… Survive the worst of British weather, severe frosts down to -5C …. lashing rain … sleet or snow… ferocious high winds…”
Plus there is an irresistible offer…
“ Or you pay nothing!”
This is a great money making ad. Especially with the upsell included on the order form.
Heck, I’m thinking of buying these trees myself. I can already picture the oranges and lemons growing on the south side of our house.
What do you think to this ad?
Comments welcome.
Until next time
Mark
Answers To your Marketing Questions
I asked you guys what questions you had about copywriting and marketing. And a few of you have answered.
So let’s take a look.
NE asked:
When writing a sales letter for a squeeze page what is the best way to write headlines which draw people in?
You have to know your audience.
Start by asking yourself three questions:
Who is my prospect?
What is their need or want?
Show how your solution provides them with the answers.
So really think deeply about your prospect. Who are they? What is their most pressing problem?
Also, you need to test different headlines. Different headlines pull different responses.
The best headline test is one which tests different assumptions about your prospect. You can test on price, ease of use, etc
Also, you need to consider the stage of awareness among your prospects. Gene Schwartz describes this in detail in his great book Breakthrough Advertising.
What’s the stage of awareness?
Think of the weight loss market.
Years ago you’d run an ad Lose Weight. And it would pull.
Over time though, your response would go down. People would be tired of seeing the same ad. Yet, the desire to lose weight is still rampant in your audience.
So you need a new mechanism.
So… then you need to run an ad\”Lose xlbs in 30 days”.
Of course this ad would tire as well.
And then you go onto the next stage of awareness. If everybody is making the same promise then you need a new promise.
OK, onward…
FJ asked - how I write bullets. Bullets or fascinations as they’re also called are those short one two sentences you’ll read in a sales letter.
When I’m writing for an info product, whether it’s a book or DVD I always write the bullets first. This gets me ‘into’ the heart of the product.
For instance, if it’s a book I go through the book, page by page writing bullets from each page. I look for snippets of information which I can arouse their curiosity with. So they read the bullet and wonder what the heck the answer is. When I’ve finished I should have several hundred bullets. Then I cut out the weakest ones.
So how do you turn a piece of plain information into something far more riveting?
Let’s take a look at an example:
Take a boxing promotion I’ve written in the past. A section of copy says
“Now look in the mirror, Draw your chin slowly down to your collarbone, again being certain that the right ear is not too much exposed and that the part of the head where the horns of the goat would naturally be, is presented toward the mirror.
So I wrote a bullet:
How copying a goat protects your chin from brutal punishment. And you should do this move whenever you launch an attack.
And from the same promotion there was a piece about how using your heel to punch harder. This became….
How to use your heel to deliver lightening quick blows FAR more powerful than your opponents hardest punches. (Sounds unbelievable doesn’t it? But you’ll discover it works every)
Some bullets are easier to write than others. The easy ones spring off the page at you. Others, you have to think more deeply about.
Final bit of advice; You’ll know your bullets are good when you read them and they arouse your curiosity.
JC asked: If you can record a sales pitch and transcribe it into a letter.
It’s true. You can record your salesperson giving a presentation and turn this into a sales letter. Simply go back and polish the letter after you’ve written it out.
Now, as for the right angle.
Research Deeper. You need to interview the person who the letter is from. Dig deep. Find that nugget of human interest. Something which will grab the reader. And make them want to read on.
Why did the person make the product?
How did he discover it?
And so on.
If you dig deep enough you’ll find the answer. Even if you have to go back and interview the person again. It can be hard I know. I’ve come off the phone after speaking with a client. Gone away and thought about it. Only to come up with more questions to go back to the client with.
Try it and see.
Use This Popular Magazine To Steal First Paragraph Ideas
Use This Popular Magazine To Steal First Paragraph Ideas
So let’s continue talking where we left off - the importance of the first paragraph.
We discussed the “If” and “Then” formula.
So what other techniques can you use to hold your reader’s attention when writing your first paragraph?
John Caples in his book Tested Advertising Methods has a few interesting techniques. What he did was this. He went through a number of a certain magazine issues and discovered some very successful first paragraph formulas repeated time and time again.
So these techniques were obviously proven to grab the reader’s attention. And keep them reading. Which is exactly what you need to do all in your sales ads.
What was the name of this magazine?
Reader’s Digest.
I’ll share with you the formulas Caples discovered.
#1. Come out with a startling statement. Or a sentence which interrupts your reader’s thought process.
For example…
She stormed out of the bar shouting and cursing.
The profit potential for you is astonishing.
These get you thinking who. What. Where. And you want to read on.
#2 The shocker.
A Frenchman is rarely seen drunk, but France has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world.
Now that’s what you call a shocking statement.
3. News.
Come out with a piece of news for your reader.
People love news.
4. Start with a story.
If you analyze Reader’s Digest over half the articles start with a story. Besides everybody loves reading a good story. We’ve been familiar with them since childhood. And they help to avoid your reader’s advertising radar.
So if you get stuck when writing your first paragraph try some of these formulas. They worked for Caples. And they could work for you.
Until next time
Mark
Brilliant Headline Murderer
OK, so you stopped your ideal prospect in their tracks with your ad’s headline. You’ve got their full attention. You’ve aroused their curiosity or promised them a benefit. Or done both.
Now your prospect wants more information. They’re all ears for what you’ve got to say.
However you can switch them off quicker than a light… IF… you start talking about the wrong thing.
Hence, the importance of your first paragraph.
You see, all you’re trying to do is get them to read the first sentence. Then the second sentence. Then the third sentence….and… so on…
You don’t want to undo all your good work by murdering the effect of your headline. And lose him by talking about something in your first paragraph which doesn’t grab their attention and stop them from reading.
Makes sense doesn’t it?
That’s why the great Gary Halbert formula for his first paragraph has worked so well. Gary often started with…
“If you’ve ever (your biggest benefit you’re offering goes here)…then this is the most exciting message you’ll ever read”
…in his sales letters.
What’s wrong with this?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing. If this worked for a genius like Gary it could work for you. After all, Gary did write the most mailed letter ever - his coat of arms letter.
The only possible fault with this is it’s been too good. Everyone has copied it. So your prospects may be tired of reading this type of opening.
So what other ways can you start your ad?
Good question.
Let’s take a look.
Now, Joe Sugarman favours a very short first sentence to drag you into his sales copy.
For example. Let’s take a look at some Sugarman first sentences. (By the way if you’re not familiar with Joe he’s the very successful US mail order guy. He once sold an aeroplane for $240,000… by… mail. However Joe is best know for his BluBlocker sunglasses.
Here are some of Joe’s first sentences.
Losing weight is not easy.
It’s really a shame.
You’re stuck.
George is a pet truck.
Judge for yourself.
It’s easy.
It had to happen.
See how all these arouse your curiosity. How you want and need to read the second sentence to find out what all the heck this is about. Where the ad is going.
I’m going to continue this post on first paragraphs in a part 2. Why? Because this is such a critical section of your ad.
Until part 2 then.
Mark
Facelift For Ex-Traffic Cop Ad
Facelift For Ex-Traffic Cop Ad
Back along I wrote about an ad selling a driver’s handbook showing you how you can keep your driving licence. You can see the ad here.
Anyway I see the advertiser is now running a similar ad selling the same book.
Now they’re either testing a different approach – new headline and lead as is routine. Or, response from the original ad has dropped or become fatigued. It’ll be interesting to see they continue running with this newer ad.
Note the use of drama and intrigue in the new ad. The promise of being entertained if you start reading. The beginning of a juicy story. And then you’re sucked straight into the ad.
Good one!
Until next time.
Mark
How to Maximize Desire in Your Prospects For What You’re Selling
How to Maximize Desire in Your Prospects For What You’re Selling
One of the best books you’ll ever read on copywriting is Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwarz. Apart from being a brilliant marketing book this book has several unusual claims:
It was the most stolen book from US libraries. And, used copies used to sell for as much as $900 on eBay. That is until a few years ago before Boardroom re-published it. I think I paid $99 for my new copy.
This book is definitely not a beginner’s book. It can be quite a heavy read. And you’ll probably need to read it several times to absorb all the gems it contains.
However I’m going to bring you some of Schwarz’s marketing gems to you.
So without anymore ado let’s take a look at my favourite chapter of Breakthrough Advertising – chapter 7 which is on Intensification. In other words, how to intensify desire in your prospect for what you’re selling.
You’ve got to show your prospect all the ways their desires can be achieved by using your product. Show them in great detail what their life is going to be like once they’re using your product.
The sharper you can draw this picture… and… the more ways you can present this, the greater the number of people will demand what you’re selling. So here’s what you need to do.
Think of all the different ways using your product helps your prospect. And them simply tell them in vivid detail. Show word pictures. Full of emotion.
Of course this is limited by the space you’ve got. Especially, if you’re writing a space ad.
However here’s the thing.
Your prospect will take from your ad only one basic thing. One dominant image from your ad. But, with every additional new and different way you can present this then image becomes sharper in your prospect’s mind. And builds more emotional weight.
Bear this in mind though. You can’t keep repeating what you’re saying. Nor can you run the risk of boring your reader.
However you can reinforce what you’re saying. So you need to write around your product. Come at your reader from different angles.
Once you’ve presented your basic claims in a certain way then you must vary your viewpoint in your second description. Or risk rejection.
So here is a short list on how to intensify desire in your prospect.
1. First present the product or the satisfaction it gives with a thorough detailed description.
2. Put your claims into action.
3. Bring in your reader. Show them what will happen once they own the product with a vivid description.
4. Show them how to test your claims.
5. Stretch out how your benefits not just immediately but over the coming weeks and months.
6. Bring in an audience.
7. Show experts approving.
8. Compare, contrast show superiority.
9. Picture the black side as well. How you’re liberating your prospect from their previous life.
10. Show how easy it is to get these benefits.
11. Use metaphor, analogy, imagination
12. Summarize.
13. Dramatize your guarantee.
Next time you sit down to write an ad bear some of these pointers in mind. It’ll increase the response from your ads.
Until next time
Mark
Granny’s Old fashioned Recipe Ad
Granny’s Old fashioned Recipe Ad
Here’s an interesting direct response ad I cut out recently. I think this ad will do very well.
After all who couldn’t relate to the story it tells?
The word pictures the ad conjures up in your mind as you read it. Granny cooking in the kitchen. Wholesome nutritious meals. Good food. And now you can have the same recipes.
Plus there are the usual guarantee, price discount and free bonus.
Yep, I think this ad is a winner.
What do you think?
Until next time
Mark
Avoiding Pushy Sales Person Syndrome
Avoiding Pushy Sales Person Syndrome
One of the first rules of selling is this; As people we like to buy. We do not like to be sold to.
This is only natural.
We much prefer to feel we are in charge of the buying process. That we choose to buy of our own accord. That we’re in charge. In control ourselves.
Let’s face it.
Nobody likes a pushy sales person. And when we confront a pushy one, we just dig our heels in. And don’t buy from them.
Wouldn’t it be much better if in our sales copy we made the other person feel that what we want them to do is their idea in the first place?
If we could plant in their mind so as to get them thinking that it was their idea all along.
Of course it would.
This is very much like showing rather than telling. Demonstrating with a short story, or an interesting fact. Rather than telling your reader outright.
Say you’re selling the safest car around. And you discover safety is the paramount feature your buyers are looking for when buying a car.
For arguments sake you come out with…
“The metal we use undergoes a special four stage strengthening process which makes it less likely to crumple at the slightest impact. There are quadruple bars in each door to safeguard you and your passengers against side impact. Etc, etc.”
And you go on pointing out more and more safety features. Without you saying this is the safest car around. Your prospect is drawing that conclusion in their own mind themselves.
Making their own mind up about your product or service. Instead of you actually selling to them.
So your reader sells themselves on what you’re offering. Which is precisely what you want.
See how much more powerful this technique becomes? Because the reader is making their own mind up. You’ll close far more sales by doing this.
Don’t tell. Don’t be a pushy sales person.
Rather. Show. Demonstrate. Let your prospect draw their own conclusions. And you’ll become a master persuader in print.
Until next time
Mark
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