Direct Response Copywriter on the Perfect Headline

You've likely heard about the importance of the headline in copy. As a direct response copywriter, I have a large swipe file of successful headlines.

But, at its core, what is a headline in direct response copywriting?

It's a deal...

Read this copy and you'll get this.

"This" needs to be highly specific, the more specific the better. Follow the "deal" model and you can get the headline to perform its most important task: persudade the reader to read the body copy.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I specialize in providing direct response copy for the direct marketing environment for clients around the planet. I specialize in sales page copy, landing page copy and copy that persuades readers to pull out their credit card and buy. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here if you have a project you'd like me to quote.

I'm also a Dan Kennedy Certified Copywriter for Info-Marketers.

Disclaimer for the above.

The Dan Kennedy Copywriter for Info-Marketers Certification is awarded to professional copywriters who have successfully completed a course of study of preparation for such copywriting.  This Certification has not been provided by an accredited education institution.  It does not constitute endorsement of or liability for any individual copywriter by Mr. Kennedy or any companies or organizations affiliated with Mr. Kennedy. The client's relationship is solely with the individual copywriter retained via any agreement.

Direct Response Copywriter on Preparation (Part 1)

I’m going to start a series about how I write copy and my approach to direct response copywriting. I want to start the series by going through what it takes to prepare to write—before I even type a word of copy.

Direct response copywriters will know about preparation and research but many people in marketing and advertising may find it surprising to discover what it takes to get, to use a shocking cliché, all those ducks in a row.

The first step is to understand the business model. Some of the questions I like to ask: 

• What is the company trying to achieve?
• What’s their basic business model?
• Are they changing the model?
• How does the company market the model?
• What are they doing right now?
• Is the sales copy for a special offer or ‘routine’ business?
• How will the direct response copy I’m going to write complement or augment the business model?

It doesn’t usually take me a long time to work out what the company is trying to achieve. But it helps. In fact, if a direct response copywriter doesn’t understand the business model, they will find it tough to maximize response. Remember, the direct response copywriter is trying to persuade the reader to take a specific action. How is that action going to help the company generate additional revenue?

Next: I'll discuss the action...and what's a realistic action to ask the reader to take.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

A Lesson in Branding from a Direct Response Copywriter

A couple of final thoughts from the Glazer Kennedy Info-summit a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta.

Dan Kennedy spoke for a total of eight hours. He spent five minutes talking about branding. In the other 475 minutes, Kennedy gave a clinic in the precise execution of direct response tactics—and it was a thing of great beauty.

It was wonderful to be in the company of so many direct response people. These are my favorite type of (business) people; these are the people who understand the value of direct response copywriting and they are some of THE most successful entrepreneurs on the planet. There were marketers in that room at the elegant Sheraton Atlanta who generate millions in revenue with very few employees.

These entrepreneurs spend time working on positioning but rarely spend time working on branding. A good lesson there...

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

Direct Response Copywriter at Dan Kennedy Info Summit Day 1

At the dinner break at the first day of the Dan Kennedy Info-Marketing Summit here in Atlanta.

Some thoughts (there's another session coming up--it's all day, four days in a row).

Dan Kennedy opened the summit with a short presentation. He said, “you’re here to shop.” And there’s plenty of shopping. In fact, the “Back of the Room” operation is a store.

The summit is a little bit of a 'pitch fest' but some of the speakers were informational. Internet marketer Andy Jenkins was impressive as he detailed how he pitches his products at launch.

I wish speakers would mind their language—there’s no need to use even mildly offensive words. Why risk offending anyone?

I’m coming up with a lot of good ideas from simply being away from my computer.

The highlight of the day was listening to the former editor of The National Enquirer, Iain Calder, originally from Scotland. He did pretty much whatever it legally took to get the stories first. They sold 6.5 million copies of their Elvis issue (when The King died). The issue cost 35 cents. While I don’t want to sell scandalous information, I admire the approach to content. Their content sold publications at the newsstand. They paid a ton to find and keep the top writers. Lesson there...

Great to see Will Swayne who is here all the way from Brisbane, Australia.

Thanks to the staff at the Hilton Downtown Atlanta for their flexibility for a loyal Hilton guest. Superb hotel.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

Direct Response Copywriter on the Split Infinitive

Among writers, the split infinitive is one of the most controversial style issues.

It’s not a grammatical issue. Simple agreement is part of being grammatically correct.

We write: ‘I like you’ not ‘I likes you.’

But the grammatical rule books vacillate when it comes to the split infinitive.

‘To boldly go where no man has gone before.’

Ummmmm….

What would you write in place of the most famous split infinitive of all time?

I’m not a TV writer so I won’t venture into outer space with our friends at Star Trek but I’m a direct response copywriter so I’ll discuss the split infinitive as it relates to sales and persuasion…and conversion. To me, shunting a clause or an adverb in the middle of the infinitive is unnecessary 99.9% of the time.

If I wrote ‘to boldly go’ in copy, I would replace the split infinitive with a more vivid verb.

I might write...

• To venture
• To travel
• To globetrot
• To voyage
• To explore

In general, a verb like ‘to go’ is weak and, even in direct response copywriting, strong verbs make for better copy.

I’m always finding ways to reduce word count in direct response copy and will always work to use two words instead of three. Yet another reason to avoid the split infinitive. 

Now, in non-commercial writing, I always avoid the split infinitive. I hate it.

BUT in direct response copywriting, if a split test shows that a headline with a split infinitive beats a headline without a split infinitive, then I’m all for the split infinitive. Even if the stylist in me is squirming a touch.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.