Direct Response Copywriter On The Bad Side of Marketing

I’ve been working in marketing for a long time, close to 30 years. As such, I’ve worked with some great marketers and some marketers who are not so great.

What’s the difference?

The great marketers understand what a direct response copywriter can do for them. They actively search for ones who can help them generate significant revenue. Also, the great marketers speak a very specific language …

• Call to action.
• Headline testing.
• Highlighting benefits.
• Cost per acquisition.

The language is precise. They treat direct marketing as a science.

What about the not-so-good marketers? That’s easy. Here’s what I hear … jargon.

• Low-hanging fruit.
• I’ll be untangling the spaghetti here.
• I’m going to bird dog that for you.
• We have to maintain some brand equity here.

What did the great David Ogilvy say?

“Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”

At the risk of sounding like an ornery so-and-so, I’m not impressed when someone in marketing starts speaking in jargon-ese. I like to spend time with direct marketers. These are my people and I love speaking the language of direct marketing.

Direct Response Copywriter on "Reasons Why" Copy

I see a lot of direct response copy. Much of this includes the “fundamental” elements:

• Pre-head
• Headline/deck
• Lead
• Features
• Benefits
• Guarantee
• Close
• Call To Action

All good. But here’s something I rarely see: “Reasons Why" Copy. I always include this copy element in my long-form copy. I sometimes include this in shorter copy, including opt-in pages.

I use the format:

23 Reasons to Try INSERT PRODUCT

It might be fewer reasons … it might be more.

I write this element after I’ve written all the other copy. It’s basically a summary of the benefits, presented in a numbered list. Yes, I fully admit I’m going to repeat myself. But let’s remember that around two-thirds of people don’t read all the copy. A list of “reasons why” might be the one thing that really grabs their attention deep in the body copy. There might be one benefit that will ultimately motivate them to try the product or service. They will likely find this benefit in the “reasons why” copy. Plus the other benefits will buttress their decision.

In a perfect world, I want the reader to sell themselves on their buying decision. If you’re like me, you’ve justified a purchase to yourself by including some additional benefits beyond your original ones.

For example, you might decide to buy a car because it’s fast and powerful. If you’re on the fence, you might ultimately "sign on the dotted line" because of the color or the promise of a super-high resale value. I pity the salesperson who doesn’t introduce the other benefits of the car beyond its raw speed.

If you’re a direct response copywriter, I encourage you to start using “reasons why" copy. It’s one reason my copy has helped my clients generate millions in revenue. Sometimes the list isn’t that long. Sometimes it’s really long. I include as many of these as I think I need to make the sale.

And one more thing … the inclusion of this element will make your copy longer. That’s always a good thing when the copy is relevant. Long copy almost always beats short copy.

Direct Response Copywriter on A Lesson You Can Learn from Sir Sean Connery

Sir Sean Connery, the wonderful actor, passed away a few days ago.

We all know about his acting career and perhaps you know about some of his other passions. These included golf and Scottish independence.

He left school at 13, as you could back in the day, and he had numerous odd jobs and, before he hit the big time, had a career that could only be described as peripatetic. His jobs including being a milkman and babysitter. He came third in a bodybuilding contest. He beat up a bunch of Edinburgh thugs and nobody went near him again with any violent intent ... until the Bond movies, of course.

I read the obituary in The Daily Telegraph and I learned something interesting but not surprising.

Early in his career, a fellow actor gave this advice to Sir Sean … from The Telegraph piece …

Having played football for Scotland juniors, he toyed with the idea of joining Manchester United, but an American actor persuaded him to work on his voice so as to lose part of his Scottish accent and to acquire a literary background by reading the classics.

He did so in public libraries, devouring the complete works of Shaw, Wilde, Ibsen, and James Joyce, and later on would raid the lending libraries of every town and city he visited on his travels. “It’s the books, the reading, that can change one’s life,” he remarked. “I’m the living evidence.”

What did those classics give Sir Sean? It’s hard to say, perhaps. But here’s one thing about every Sean Connery performance I’ve seen: he always came across as hyper-intelligent. There’s only so much a script can do to provide that trait. He was always the smartest person in the room.

In direct marketing and direct response copywriting, what can we learn?

Read everything you can about our little part of the business universe.

Thankfully, many of the world’s greatest practitioners, including many of the great direct response copywriters, have written excellent books and, for around $25, you can get all their wisdom. Gary Bencivenga never officially wrote a book but he’s given us The Bencivenga Bullets … the same thing as a book and totally free.

There’s one important caveat: be careful who you follow. Most of the great direct marketers and direct response copywriters who wrote books believed in selling ethically. Some people who wrote books did not.

I can just imagine Sir Sean spending hours of his free time in the local library, devouring the work of the great writers and playwrights.

Now I know why I always admired Sir Sean. I wish I could have played golf with him.

Direct Response Copywriter on "Story" ... The Latest Marketing Fad You Can Safely Ignore ...

One of the more interesting parts of marketing … or anything for that matter … is that people are constantly looking for the next “bright shiny thing.”

I don’t include innovation here. I love innovation, especially in my two favorite sports, skiing and golf. A golf club that will help me play better golf? A ski that will help me be a better skier? YES! Here's my credit card!

What I’m talking about is some new and clever-sounding strategy, tactic, or approach to something.

The creator is almost always someone who is trying to establish themselves as THE expert in their field.

In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell published his first book, The Tipping Point, which he defines, in a blizzard of mixed metaphors as, "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point."

Well done to Gladwell: The Tipping Point remains part of our language. Quite frankly, I’d prefer The Tipping Pint but that’s for another day.

Who was Gladwell before he published his book and went on to build a speaking and publishing empire?

According to Wikipedia, he couldn’t get a job in advertising, so he became a journalist. I should laugh but I won’t. He got a gig at The New Yorker, wrote a couple of articles and these led to a $1 million book deal. Nice work if you can get it.

The man who has written several books that are quoted by all sorts of business people has no business experience. OK.

In marketing, the bright shiny thing right now is “story.”

We all know what a story is. We grew up with stories. We tell stories every day, almost. We hear stories every day.

But what does story mean in the context of marketing? Is it a story in copy? No.

One website defines it thus …

"Business and brand storytelling is the ultimate marketing strategy and story marketing is the trigger. It beckons your audience into your life and turns your story into their story."

And then …

"I define story marketing as a strategic marketing approach that creates a brand experience through audio, visual (sic) and immersive storytelling whereby the customer becomes the center of the story to drive profitable engagement."

"Story marketing is about transporting your audiences through a well-crafted brand story strategy."

The “ultimate marketing strategy” … yeah, right. The writer, of course, provides no proof. Proof in marketing comes from MONEY. The author provides proof in the form of examples of other ads.

However, this tactic has the backing of several big-name gurus.

Seth Godin is big “story” guy. And so is Gary Vaynerchuk.

The latter said … “storytelling is by far the most underrated skill in business.” I’d say it’s the most overrated skill … and I wouldn’t call it a skill.

The above have been very successful in business. I can’t argue with that, can I?

However, have they ever written copy? Have they put words on a page to motivate a prospect to try a product or service? I don’t know the answer but I doubt it.

Here’s a guess … “story” is all the rage in marketing departments at business schools. You won’t get much about direct marketing in these departments.

So all these MBAs head into business thinking it’s all about “story” and brand awareness.

Whenever I come across a “story” person, I have a simple question. “How do you measure ROI?”

End of conversation.

Is the goal of marketing to tell brand stories with great authenticity or is it to generate revenue? If you think it’s the former, then I feel dreadfully sorry for you. Try taking your stories and your awards to the bank.

In direct marketing, we measure everything to the penny. I’m a direct response copywriter and I’ve helped my clients generate over $450 million in revenue in the last 8 years. I helped two clients build dominant brands in the golf and dietary supplement verticals where competition is stiff.

When writing copy for these wonderful clients, I never thought “brand” and I never thought “story.” Neither did the people who organized the marketing and hired me to help them.

I’ve spent huge chunks of time, and still do, studying the work of the world’s greatest direct response copywriters. Let me give you a brief list of copywriters who never talked, or talk, about “story.”

• Gary Bencivenga.
• Bob Bly.
• Clayton Makepeace.
• John Caples.
• Claude Hopkins.
• Dan Kennedy.

Look in Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples and you’ll see 3 pages devoted to “story.” It’s a 300-page book, all based on testing, not theory.

What about the brilliant Bencivenga Bullets? Anything about “story” in those? Not once. Ask any of the “story” people if they’ve heard of Gary Bencivenga and I doubt they have. Companies gleefully paid Gary Bencivenga millions to write copy for them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not averse to a story. A story can be a proof element. But it’s just one of more than 50 proof elements I like to deploy where applicable. A great story can capture the attention of a prospect. But what if, during my research, I don’t find a great story? Should I include a story just to include a story because Seth Godin says it’s all about story?

Negatory.

Think about the person who says, “I’ve got a great joke for you.”

You hear the joke and it’s the worst joke you’ve ever heard. I’m not talking about a joke that’s purposefully poor. Those can be brilliant. No … I’m talking about a joke that’s just not funny. What do you think about the joke teller? Not much, probably.

Yet I hear marketers saying “there must be a story” and it’s “all about story” all the time.

This fad will pass, eventually. But it may take a while.

Accountants run companies these days and the numbers people are interested in … well … numbers. They don’t care about “award-winning” ads and “story.” They care about MONEY. Direct marketing will bring you revenue. There’s no accurate way to measure “story” and branding.

And that’s the big problem with all this story stuff. It’s ultimately an exercise in branding. And there’s no way to measure this and that’s exactly what the story and branding people want. There’s no accountability. Direct marketers love testing and accountability. Branding people run away from it.

There’s a big company with which I’m very familiar. Their CMO was a “story” person. There was an expensive “agency of record” and lots of prizes and lots of storytelling. Did this CMO really understand direct marketing? Did they have a direct response copywriter on staff? No. And this CMO just got fired. I conservatively estimate this person’s annual salary was in the $250,000 to $400,000 range, including benefits.

How’s all that “story” stuff looking now?

What do people really care about?

What do prospects really want?

Is it your story?

No.

Let me answer the first two questions by asking another vital question the branding and story people never really want to answer.

WHAT ARE WE REALLY SELLING?

You can tell a great story about a lawnmower you’re trying to sell. That’s nice. But what are you really selling with a lawnmower? It’s more than just cutting the grass. It could be to make a spouse happy. It could be because you don’t like to sweat and you want a riding mower. Maybe you’re really into how your garden looks and the mower provides a certain look to the lawn. It’s my job as a direct response copywriter to find out what people really want … not tell stories.

Look … people don’t care about your story. They care about themselves and how your product or service can help them solve a problem or help them get where they want to get.

If you’re a big believer in “story” and you work in marketing, then I have this advice for you. Story will quickly take your career in the wrong direction. Learn about direct marketing and apply direct marketing to your work and you’ll become a rock star. Why? You’ll show your clients/bosses actual tangible results … in the form of revenue.

This blog is not for branding people. I’m not going to change your mind, most likely.

This blog is for business owners and executives who might come across marketing people who tell them, “it’s all about story.”

This blog is also for people who are entering the marketing field and are trying to figure this whole thing out. I hope, after reading this, you’re not attracted to the “bright shiny thing” called storytelling.

Focus on direct marketing and direct response copywriting and you’ll be successful.

Direct Response Copywriter on ... Copy for Kajabi

I’m a direct response copywriter and I use Kajabi as the platform for my online copywriting training course: The Aspen School of Copywriting.

As such, I regularly attend the Kajabi “Meet Ups” where people who use Kajabi get together online to talk about specific subjects.

I very much enjoy these virtual “Meet Ups.” It’s fun to meet new people, albeit through a computer screen.

People have some great products. I'm really impressed. They are also excellent at driving traffic. I get a lot of questions about copy because I’m a direct response copywriter. People on the Kajabi platform don’t seem to know a lot about copy but they WANT to know more.

So … in this blog, I’m happy to provide Kajabi users with some thoughts about powerful copy. These thoughts, of course, apply if you’re not on Kajabi but you’re selling some type of information product online … and you want to know more about copy.

Let’s get started.

Your copy is your salesperson. It must motivate potential customers to try what you offer. It’s not supposed to be creative, clever, funny, or award-winning. People don’t buy from clowns and they're not interested in your creative approach.

Tell the truth. There’s a group of copywriters who believe it’s perfectly OK to say pretty much anything to make the sale. Don't emulate these copywriters. Many of them have got into serious trouble. Tell the truth with intense clarity and put the truth in the best possible light.

When writing copy, imagine you’re having a conversation with someone who wants what your product/course provides. During this conversation, your goal is to motivate them to try your product or service. How would that conversation go?

Your headline is the advertisement for the advertisement. Use the John Caples formula.

Curiosity + Self-Interest = Compelling Appeal

80% of your copy should be informational … providing your prospect with information that will help them. 20% can be sales copy.

Here’s a great saying: “The more you tell, the more you sell.” Your copy should be long, provided it’s relevant. The copy for my sales page is 15,000 words and I’m trying to make it longer. Plus I provide 4 hours of video.

You want direct response copy, not branding copy. There's a huge difference.

Proof is your best friend. Proof overcomes skepticism. Skepticism is your biggest enemy.

Apply direct response copywriting techniques to every part of your sales funnel … emails … display ads … sales pages … everything.

Your prospect is asking this crucial question: “what’s in it for me?” Build your copy around the answer to this question.

Want some direction? Look at your competitors but don't plagiarize. Look at the copy that motivated YOU to try a product or service.

Copy can be long. But keep sentences short. Write at a 7th grade level.

Use the words “you” and “your” often.

If you can write decently, you can write some good copy relatively quickly. But it takes years to come close to mastering copy.

Write about your credentials but don't boast.

Fortunately, many of the world’s most accomplished direct response copywriters have written books about copy.

Here’s a link to my reviews of some of these books.

Great copy can help you sell more of your product … at higher price points.

The most seriously successful marketers understand the power of copy and happily pay vast sums to engage the top direct response copywriters.

Your copy can be the difference between “doing OK” and earning vast amounts of money.

There aren’t many copywriters who can write direct response copy at a high level. You won’t find them on sites like Upwork and Fiverr. You’ll get cheap copy on those sites but you’ll get copy that will not convert readers into buyers.

If you want to see my sales page for my product, click here. It’s a good example of long-form copy.

If you want to discover more about me, click here.

Great copy has the correct structure. AIDA is one structure.

A = Attention. I = Interest. D = Desire A = Action.

What is great copy? Copy that generates revenue.

Your sales page does not have to be beautiful. Your prospects don’t care about beautiful. They care about themselves and what they want and how you can help them reach their goals or solve a problem.

My blog on this site provides a lot of free information about copy and direct marketing. Dig in.

Tell your prospect, with intense clarity, PRECISELY what they will receive for their money.

Also … provide them with the features of your product but also provide them with the corresponding benefits.

Tell your prospect, with intense clarity, the steps you want them to take in order to gain access to your product.

One of my least favorite sayings is “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” If that were the case, then every advertisement would be just a series of photos. Photos are proof elements and should be carefully chosen.

I hope you enjoyed these copy thoughts. Feel free to ask some questions or you can contact me here.