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An effective way to do this in print is to use a byline. Use your name or the name of somebody in your organization such as the president—like the news organizations do in a magazine or newspaper article. This allows you to use words like I and me and we and you. Let’s look at the example of the
ad I first ran for BluBlocker sunglasses that launched a multimillion-dollar company.
Headline: Vision Breakthrough
Subheadline: When I put on the pair of glasses what I saw I could not believe. Nor will you.
You want to create a very personal image so that people will emotionally respond to you, feel close and feel very comfortable parting with their hard-earned money and buying your product or service.
Every communication should be a personal one, from the writer to the recipient, regardless of the medium used.
Since we copywriters do not have the benefit of having the prospect in front of us to ask the questions,
we must craft our ads in such a manner that they literally lead our prospect (by the flow of the copy) to ask the question we want to answer. Sounds hard, doesn’t it? It really isn’t.
The ads had to flow on paper and then, once they were on paper, the editing process was of paramount importance. One of the tips I gave during this process was to create a block diagram of a logical way the copy should flow and the questions that might logically be asked.
The ideas presented in your copy should flow in a logical fashion, anticipating your prospect’s questions and answering them as if the questions were asked face-to-face.
First, state the problem. It might be as simple as “I want to sell this pinball game.” Then,
once you have stated the problem, restate it in a different way: “I would like to introduce my prospect to the unique aspects of this pinball game.” Then restate it again: “I want to make the pinball machine easy to buy and seem like fun.”
It’s that last restatement that makes the pinball game seem to come alive and is closer to the copy approach I’ve actually used. During problem restatements (and you could list dozens of them), all the knowledge that you’ve gained about the product seems to come together to give a new perspective.
In the editing process, you refine your copy to express exactly what you want to express with the fewest words. Now this
With less copy, your ad will look less imposing to the prospect and he or she will be more likely to read it. The second advantage is that you are making the slippery slide even more slippery by making it shorter.
serif type produced greater comprehension than sans serif type and by a 5 to 1 margin.
The most important role a typeface has is to allow the greatest comprehension possible, and the second role, less important by far, is to convey the image of a company.
Put aside any facts, benefits or product features. Your only goal is to get the momentum going and create that buying environment.
The primary purpose of paragraph headings is to get the reader to read the copy by making the copy look less intimidating.
arouse curiosity. Maybe my “Scrambled Eggs” paragraph heading did just that—created curiosity and caused somebody to start reading the copy
my experience with paragraph headings tells me that curiosity does play a minor role but the main purpose of these headings is to make the copy less intimidating.
A rule of thumb here is to explain a complicated product in a very simple way and explain a simple product in a very complex way.
We all like to buy something from an expert—somebody we like, respect and trust. Buying is indeed a process of trust. The buyer’s thought process might be, “I trust that you really know your subject and fully understand the product category and have described your product to me properly and will give me something of value that I want in return for my hard-earned money.”
Trust is always enhanced when the seller has become an expert at what he or she is selling. Let’s say the seller says, “I have studied
A technical explanation will build confidence in the prospect.
In many of my ads, catalogs, direct mailings and infomercials I convey thorough knowledge not only of what I am selling but of the entire universe of products available. I convey the thought process I went through in picking the product I chose and why it is better than anything similar at a particular price point.
Anticipate Objections:
Clarity: Your copy should be clear, simple, short and to the point. Avoid big words that confuse those who don’t know them and which often establish the writer as a pompous snob—
The only exception to this rule is when
you give a technical explanation,
“Here’s the product the world has been waiting for,” or “It’s too good to be true.” If you feel inclined to use a cliché, don’t. Clichés seem to be used when you have nothing really significant or good to say and must fill up space. How do you know if you are writing
a cliché? If it sounds like you’re writing typical advertising copy some agency may have written 20 years ago, that’s one clue.
Rhythm: Just as a song has a rhythm, so does
In short, a mixture
of what is called a “triad.” Very often when I list examples or attributes of something, I use just three of them.
items, you must offer a trial period for any product that the consumer cannot touch or feel at the time of purchase.
Make sure your trial period is at least one month, or even better, two months. Tests have proven that the longer the trial period, the less chance the product will be returned and the more confidence the consumer will have in dealing with you and purchasing the item.
Let’s say you receive a product that has a one-week trial period. You’ve got one week to make up your mind. You feel the pressure, so you examine the product and try to make the decision as quickly as possible. If you are unsure when the week is almost up, what do you do? You say, “I’m not sure, so I’m not going to take the chance,” and you return it.
Price Comparison: Whenever possible, offering a price comparison to another product establishes value in the mind of the purchaser. This points out one of the really important considerations that motivate consumers to buy—namely that they are getting real value.
But there’s a word of caution. Your comparison must be totally accurate and be 100 percent fair or you could
be sued by the company whose product you are comparing.
Testimonials: A testimonial is a good way to add credibility if it is from a very credible person or organization. This approach can be used not only in the copy but in the headline or photo. See if your ad copy could use a celebrity for a testimonial, but make sure the testimonial makes sense for the product.
You can also use what I call a “reverse testimonial.” That is where you don’t use a spokesperson but you refer to your competitor’s. For example, when I was selling the Olympus micro recorder, I stated the following:
Headline: Endorsement Battle Subheadline: A famous golf star endorses the Lanier. Our unit is endorsed by our president. You’ll save $100 as a result. Copy: Judge for yourself. That new Olympus micro recorder shown above sells for $150. Its closest competition is a $250 recorder called the Lanier endorsed by a famous golf star.
If you’re selling a product or service at a very good price, then set the price in larger type. After all, you want people to see that benefit very clearly. If the product is expensive and it’s not the price that will sell it, you want to underplay it. Don’t hide it; just underplay it.
Offer Summary: It’s a really good idea to summarize what you are offering the consumer somewhere near the end of your ad. “So here’s my offer. Order two pots with Teflon coating and you’ll receive the two pots plus our handy cookbook and video for the price of only $19.95.” You’ll be surprised at how many ads miss this important point.
Ease of Ordering:
Ask for the Order:
Direct response advertising doesn’t give you the opportunities of observing your prospects. You are not there to see any knobs being turned. But you can get them to turn the knobs by giving them a feeling of involvement with or ownership of the product you are selling.
In all my ads I try to make the prospects imagine they are holding or using my product. For example, in one of my earlier calculator ads, I might have said, “Hold the Litronix 2000 in your hand. See how easily the keys snap to the touch. See how small and how light the unit is.” I create through imagination the reader’s experience of turning the knobs.
