“Ugh. Who’s going to read that?” It was Saturday morning and I had an idea for an email. Problem was, when I wrote it, it sucked. Fortunately, by using a copywriting trick, it was easy to fix. I’m going to show you the first draft, explain why it sucks, then Read more…
Let me tell you a story… Years ago, I wrote website copy for a client. It converted well and generated a nice stream of leads for his business. He was happy. I was happy. The world was a good place. Until… A few months later, he got in touch and Read more…
I was re-watching Jaws last night. My favourite scene is the “fingernails on the blackboard” scene. That’s where we first see Captain Quint, and where he makes his pitch to the townsfolk: “Y’all know me. Know how I earn a livin’. I’ll catch this bird for you, but it ain’t Read more…
I had a strange experience recently …
A prospect wanted to hire me to write sales copy, but when I asked about his business, it made no sense.
He’d done some keyword research, found two B2B services that had high demand, and combined them into one website.
To respect his privacy, I won’t say which two services, but they seemed completely incongruous.
It’s like if I said, “I can write your sales copy … and I can also clean your office…”
You’d be (more…)
As I write this, there’s a book that’s selling for $229 on Amazon. That’s the lowest price; the highest price is $3,214.
I think I paid just over $100 for my copy. It was a bargain.
The book is Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz, who was one of the most successful copywriters of the 20th century.
It’s been described as “graduate school for marketers.” And most top copywriters – the ones that earn over $1m a year – say it’s the most important book you can read.
Now, I’m not going to suggest you buy a copy. Instead, I’m going to (more…)
The left-wing media delights in telling us that Donald Trump speaks at a fourth grade (10 year old) level. They see this as evidence that many of his supporters are stupid and poorly-educated.
But the truth is, it’s the journalists that are dumb.
For three reasons …
First, 90% of Americans read at a grade seven level or lower. That’s a lot of votes. (And a lot of people who are below Hillary Clinton’s eighth grade speaking level.)
Second, direct marketers know that high reading levels (above grade 8) reduce response. And that’s true even when writing to highly-educated professionals.
That’s because (more…)
Ever wondered why most websites only get conversion rates of 1-3%?
Even visitors from search engines – people who not only want what you sell, but want it now – often convert at under 5%.
So why do 95-99 of every 100 visitors leave without buying?
I think there’s one primary cause…
And when I say “weak”, I mean copy that fails to: (more…)