Copywriting Secrets

Secret #1 What Is Copywriting?

People buy when they feel like something will make them feel better or help them get what they want. Because it uses familiar, comfortable words. Again, sales copy is like a conversation with a friend or a trusted advisor.

People love to buy. Sales copy helps them buy from you!

Secret #2 One Man’s Journey With Sales Copy

Read the classics like Scientific Advertising.

Secret #3 Without A Strong Why, People Don’t Buy

Ten reasons people buy.

1. Make money
2. Save money
3. Save time
4. Avoid effort
5. Escape mental or physical pain
6. Get more comfort
7. Achieve greater cleanliness or hygiene to attain better health
8. Gain praise
9. Feel more loved
10. Increase their popularity or social status

The key here is to tie multiple reasons to why people buy, not just one.

1. What are five ways my product or service will help them make money?
2. How can I or my product or service help them save money over the next week, month, or year?
3. How much time can I save them and what else could they do with that time?
4. What is something they don’t have to do anymore once they get my product or service?
5. What physical pain do I eliminate for them and what does that mean for their life and business?
6. How does my product or service eliminate mental pain or worry for them?
7. What are three ways I or my product can help them feel more comfortable?
8. How does my product or service make it easier for them to achieve greater cleanliness or hygiene?
9. How does my product or service help them feel more healthy or more alive?
10. What are three ways my product or service is going to help them be the envy of their friends and feel more loved by their family?
11. How will buying my product make them feel more popular and increase their social status?

Secret #4 Nobody Cares About You In Your Sales Copy

Just go back through your copy, look for any time you’ve used the words “I, me, my, we, ours,” and change the perspective. Change the verbiage.

Secret #5 The Most Valuable Skill You’ll Ever Learn

Every product has a unique personality and it is your job to find it.

First, you have to commit. Second, you have to practice. Third, you have to do it every single day

First Step: Become great at creating headlines.

Second Step: Become good at writing bullets.

Secret #6 The #1 Single Most Important Piece of Sales Copy Ever!

The secret of a great headline is one that connects emotionally with the person who represents your perfect prospect.

Here are some headline templates you can use immediately.

• How To Get ____
• How To ____ In As Little As ____
• How To ____ In As Little As ____ … even if you ____!
• How Every ____ Can ____
• 5 Quick And Easy Ways To ____
• 3 Fast Ways To Get ____ And Avoid ____
• Which Of These ____ Mistakes Will You Make?
• ____ Mistakes All ____ Need To Avoid!
• ____ Mistakes Every ____ Needs To Avoid!
• WARNING: Here’s What Every ____ Needs To Know About ____
• WARNING: Don’t Even Think About Trying To ____ Until You Read This
• Here’s The Perfect Solution If You Want ____
• Here’s The Perfect Solution If You Want ____ (even if 46 ____)
• My Proven ____ Method To ____

Secret #7 It’s NEVER “One Size Fits All”

If your prospect is aware of your product and has realized that it can satisfy this desire, your headline starts with the product.

If he is not aware 49 of your product but only has the desire itself, your headline starts with the desire.

If he is not yet aware of what he really seeks but is concerned with the general problem, your headline starts with the problem and crystallizes

So if they’re focused on problems, you start the conversation with the problem to get in sync.

The fastest way to figure this out is to think through the conversations you could have with hot, warm, and cold people about your product or service.

Don’t be lazy and fall into the trap of one-size-fits-all with your sales messages.

Secret #8 Meet F.R.E.D. (Your Ideal Customer)

I prefer the term “niche” instead of target audience because niche refers to a specific group.

People will buy from you one person at a time.

I prefer using psychographics. Psychographics refers to what’s going on inside of a person’s head. What are they thinking? What’s motivating them?

Fears, Results, Expectations, and Desires (F.R.E.D.).

People buy what they want, NOT what they need.

Don’t talk about what people need. Talk about what people want.

Sell them with what they want; and you include what they need.

PQR2 (Problems Questions Roadblocks Results) is the secret code to your audience’s brain.

Paint the picture for your avatar of the cool stuff they will learn as well as the fun they will have. Don’t discount the fun part.

Go from a large niche down to sub-niches then to micro-niches.

Next, identify and write down Fred’s top two problems.

Then, what are 67 Fred’s top two questions? Then, what are his two big roadblocks?

Finally, what are the top two results that Fred desires?

Examples:

• Discover The New Way To Find Great Deals Fast.
• How To Find Great Deals Fast, So You Can Avoid Buying A Poison House That Destroys Your Business!
• Find great deals in half the time. Two shortcuts for real estate investing.
• Here’s an example of what works to find great deals.
• Here’s your house flipping checklist.

Secret #9 The Ultimate Bullet Formula

You do not write copy, you assemble it.

Bullets: Build curiosity so you can create pressure inside people to get them to 71 buy faster.

The interesting thing is that when most people create bullets, they only include features.

People buy the benefits.

Summarize what people will see in a video. Give people a preview of your blog post. List the benefits.

What they want is not the hole in the wall; they want their wife to stop bitching at them because they haven’t hung that picture yet.

What we need to drill down to is the meaning of each benefit.

Basic Bullet Formula Formula: It ____ so you can ____

Benefit = what it does Meaning = what it means to the buyer / reader / prospect Formula: It ____ so you can ___ which means ___.

Secret #10 What REALLY Sells People (It’s NOT What You Think)

Meaning is the next level of connecting with people on a gut level.

How do you find the meaning? Easy! Every time you see a claim, feature, or benefit, ask yourself some questions: “Why is that important?”

Make them feel cool by owning that drill. Make them feel smart by having that drill.

As soon as you make a statement about what something is or what it does, you use those two magic words “which means…”

Love for _ (family, self, country, community, etc.) Hate Fear of _ (failure, making mistakes, death, loss, etc.) Vanity Pride Longing for _ (fulfillment, peace, completion, etc.) 80 Greed Freedom

Secret #11 Why Good Enough Makes You (and keeps you) Poor!

You never test more than one variable at a time.

Secret #12 Don’t Reinvent The Wheel—Great Copy Leaves Clues

Amazon is my number one source for research.

Look at the comments that people make and their feedback (or lack of feedback) on every product. I read the five-star reviews to see what gets people excited.

Read the one-star reviews to see what has people pissed

If you don’t use the words they use, if you don’t resonate with them, they will not buy from you.

Writing copy is a game of momentum. You need to get your copywriting engine warmed up before you write. Kickstart that process by reading other people’s text and the feedback from customers on the related things they buy.

Secret #15 3 Sales Formulas That Never Fail

1. Formula #1: Problem/Agitate/Solve.
2. Formula #2: If you want 3X benefit, then do this.
3. Formula #3: The Before/After/Bridge.

Secret #16 It’s All Ice Cream, But What Flavor Should I Choose?

Any time I go into the marketplace, a video sales letter is the fastest way for me to do this.

Start with the headline.

Insert your video.

Add a Buy button,

Add 4-6 awesome, curiosity-inducing bullets under the buy button.

Give the guarantee. Summarize what they’ll get. Insert another Buy button. Closing copy.

The Postscript (P.S.). Restate the main benefits stated in the video sales letter.

That’s the pattern I use for anything under a couple of hundred bucks.

You use the long copy to sell a higher priced item and if people need more information to make a purchase decision.

Secret #17 How To Write An Amazing Sales Letter—FAST

Your headline in a video sales letter or a spoken script are those first couple of sentences. So the first part grabbed their attention, then you identified yourself, and finally you let them know what to expect.

Define the Problem

Here’s the problem you face **___**.

Agitate

“They don’t buy if it don’t hurt!” Jim Edwards This step is where you pour on the pain. You make it worse by using

“which means you _.”

Which means you’ll never share your message with the world and when you die, your message dies with you.

Present The Solution

“Luckily for you, there’s now a solution. Let me introduce you to _.”

Use Bullets To Arouse Curiosity

Credibility Statement About You

Proof

“But don’t just take my word for it. Take a look at this.”

Sum Up The Offer And Give Price

Whatever it is, tell them exactly what they’re going to get, when they’re going to get it, how they’re going to get it, and how much it costs. Let’s

You want people to feel like they’re getting a great deal, and this is the place to do it.

Bonuses And Pot Sweeteners

“Jim, if you really want to make your offer amazing, take your competitor’s USP (unique selling proposition) and turn it into a free bonus with your offer.”

Guarantee

Call Them To Action

Postscript (P.S.)

Restate the benefits and tell them again to act now.

P.S. This gem will sell for $49. This introductory price of $29 is a “Buy it now before it’s gone” offer, so act fast! P.P.S. Let’s be blunt: If you pass on this offer, in a week from today will you have an e-book written or not? Probably not! You’ll still wish and want it, but you won’t write it or make money from it. Face it. Most of what you need is instruction and encouragement. Get this book now and have your e-book as fast as one week from Secret #18 How To Write Killer Email Teasers—FAST

Most people make the mistake of selling the offer in the email teaser. Don’t!

A great email teaser breaks down like this:

• Great subject line
• Salutation
• Shocking statement (Did you know that…)

Secret #19 The Hardest Draft You’ll Ever Write

There is a secret every professional artist knows that the amateurs don’t: being original is overrated. The most creative minds in the world are not especially creative; they’re just better at rearrangement.

Think and write in chunks.

Secret #20 Make ‘Em More Thirsty

Five types of stories:

1. actual stories
2. case studies
3. Examples
4. The Three M’s of Content,

• dispelling a myth.
• misconception.
• mistakes

5. Future pacing. These types of stories explain what life will be like when they take specific actions. You explain how your product, service, software—whatever—will help them. Example:

“I want you to imagine having your own unique book with your name on it as the author.”

Ways you can sell when creating content

1. give something valuable for free that naturally leads to an additional purchase. You teach somebody something or provide something that automatically creates the need for what you’re selling.
2. Tell them what to do and why they should do. Then sell them the how and what.
3. Teach all the steps leading to what you want them to purchase.
4. Make them thirsty by teaching them the manual way of doing something. Then sell them the tools.

Secret #21 Love Me; Hate Me. There’s No Money In The Middle

The fastest way to establish that persona is to take a stand, to have a position or an opinion, and you need to be secure about it.

Secret #22 “Oh Damn—I Got To Have That!”

Headline is your most important component. The promise of any product or service, often contained in that headline, is the key to selling.

Formula for creating a profitable promise:

1. the hurdle
2. the prize
3. the timing
4. the eliminator.

Hurdle: how to create, how to use, or how to access. What do they want to do? What is the action or the verb they desire? The actions are the hurdles.

Timing: when will I get it? When will it show up?

Eliminator: let them off the hook, as in “it’s not their fault”. Remember that you never say it’s their fault. You have to remove what’s holding the person back in order to get the sale. And when you remove what’s holding them back, your offer will be incredible because this formula forces you to think creatively.

“How to write and publish your own outrageously profitable e-book in as little as seven days.” That has three of the parts, but no eliminator. The reader says, “Oh, that’s awesome. But I’m not a writer, so this won’t work for me.”

“…even if you can’t write, can’t type, and failed high school English class.” That’s your eliminator.

“How to make a thousand dollars as a _ or with _or doing _.” And you can forgive past mistakes. “Even if you’ve tried before and failed.”

Now, in what niche groups of people does this formula work? It works with everyone who needs a problem solved or has an intense desire.

Secret #23 Put Lipstick On The Pig

Is your headline about you or your audience?

Is there a big, bold benefit or promise?

Is the offer clear? Does the buyer understand what they will get? Is it crystal clear?

Is there a clear reason to buy now?

Use what’s called future pacing. “Hey, if you don’t buy this, here’s what’s going to happen: You won’t be able to do this or have that.

Do you have an emotion to grab people right at the beginning of your copy?

Nine times out of ten, from my experience, people buy out of dissatisfaction with their current.

Each major point or idea in your sales copy should have an accompanying graphic.

Secret #24 Should I Join The Dark Side?

Use the negative going on inside of their head to get in sync with them.

“Are you dealing with problem customers?” You lead with a negative like this.

So once they know you’re paying attention to them because you acknowledged their problem, then you demonstrate the solution to the problem.

“Now some of our competitors will tell you _, but that’s just not true. Here are the facts you need to know.”

Never go negative by attacking someone or a company by name.

Secret #25 “Stealth” Closes—The Secret To Selling Without Selling

Often, you start a Stealth Close with these three words: “By the way.”

Now, what does the Video Secrets workshop have to do with the newspaper column? Absolutely nothing. But I whack them out of the blue after I’ve given them value.

Where do you use a Stealth Close to get the best results? They work exceptionally well in email teasers.

Hook them in with the promise (and delivery) of value. Give them tips.

“Didja know there are three ways to create and publish a book without writing? Absolutely. Here they are.”

By the way, did you know that you can _ with _? Yep, it’s true. Go here for more information.

Secret #27 The Magic Desk

Become a student of markets not products

Tune to other people needs by understanding “What’s In It For Me.”

If you can identify a person’s emotional greed, which they are afraid to admit, then you can offer them more of what they want.

Write down specific questions to ask yourself ahead of time.

“My intention for conducting this session is to get in touch with my prospect’s major problems and fears when it comes to writing their book.”

Secret #28 The One And Only Purpose of An Online Ad

Anything else, such as branding or the other BS people spout, is entirely untrue. The only purpose of an online ad is to get the right people to stop and click.

The second truth about ads Curiosity is key. It is the number one way you get the right people to

If you don’t know where to start when writing an ad, ask a question.

AIDA is BS.

1. Use emotion to grab their attention. Talk about payoffs or penalties. Talk about outcomes or obstacles. Talk about the things they want or don’t want.
2. Create curiosity. Show them a picture or text designed to make them ask, “What is this? How can they do that?”
3. CTA

From my experience, it can take ten to fifty ad tests to find one that works well enough to be profitable.

Change your copywriting mindset to one where you want to “fail fast” with the losers and don’t give up until you find the winners.

Secret #29 You Can’t Catch Fish Without A Hook

“One-legged golfer outdrives Tiger Woods.” The USP could be, “Our three-minute video fixes 90 percent of long drive problems.”

Hooks are often “hidden” stories or angles.

A hook is often a one-sentence story about you, about someone else,

Some formulas:

• Unlikely character plus timing plus results. “Former janitor goes from bankrupt to paid-off house in eighteen months with profits from his e-book business.”
• Result plus timing minus pain. “Lose all the weight you want in the next thirty days without diet or

Secret #30 Create Your Own Swipe File

“The Grand Theft Auto Vice City secrets you’re not supposed to know.”

Secret #31 Polish Your Sales Copy

Rev.com transcribes your video.

Everything Else You Need To Know About Sales Copywriting

1. What makes the copy so good they can’t refuse to buy?

The short answer is your copy makes them believe they’re going to get the result they want from what you’re selling.

When you are talking about cold traffic, a negative headline or fear-based headline, a headline that enters the conversation that’s already going on inside of their head revolving around their problem or pain, will typically convert better. Why? Because it grabs and holds their attention.

When we’re talking about warm traffic, these are people who are looking for a solution. They know there has to be a solution out there somewhere.

With hot traffic, you not only phrase it around the solution, but also you phrase it around yourself and your product.

You need to use the words your audience uses.

Use copy connectors, which are transitions between blocks of copy. What do I mean?

“At this point, you might wonder, who am I to make these claims about being able to help you with writing your book?”

“But don’t just take my word for it, take a look at this.” Or you might say “But I’m not the only one . .

“Now, at this point, you might wonder how much this will cost?”

“But before you make a decision, let me sweeten the pot even more,”

At the end, you might use a connector like, “Oh, one more thing,” to introduce everything at the end with a P.S., “Now it’s time to choose.”

For digital product, I would talk about how they will solve their problem or satisfy their desire by using the digital product.

For consultancy, talk about how they will fulfill their desire by hiring the consultant.

The easiest takeaway to use is: “Now, this isn’t for everybody. This is only for people who are _.”