Direct Response Copywriter on the Headline Peer Review System

There’s a well-known direct response company that uses a “peer review” system for assessing headlines. This happens before the copywriter gets the go-ahead to write the full promotion.

The copywriter writes 4-5 headlines … plus pre-heads, and subheads. The direct response copywriter also writes the lead.

After submitting the proposed headlines to the copy chief and/or publisher, the copywriter makes some tweaks. Then the other copywriters review the headlines in a conference call. The “peers” give the copy a grade. If it’s at or above a certain grade, the direct response copywriter moves forward with the promotion. If it’s below a certain grade, the copywriter starts again.

I’ve been a direct response copywriter for a long time now so I’m not afraid of a “jury of my peers.” I welcome the feedback. I have a thick skin when it comes to a review. A direct response copywriter is not here to win plaudits from other direct response copywriters. The goal is to get people to buy products and services.

This peer review system strikes me as being fundamentally flawed. My problem is not with the other copywriters, it’s with the process itself. I can love a headline and lead. My client can love a headline and lead. But when the copy goes live, we discover the following: the reader, also known as the CUSTOMER, fails to respond.

Conversely, I can be so-so about a headline, and the other direct response copywriters can hate it, but then testing shows it’s an epic success.

The views or otherwise of seasoned copywriters, while interesting, are ultimately useless. I’m only interested in what creates the highest conversion.

So I have two final thoughts here.

1. Don’t write for other copywriters. Write for the potential client or customer then see if the copy resonates.
2. Start with a basic, “how to” headline. Or the straight offer. My experience shows these beat just about everything else in testing.

The peer review system has some value. But real testing with real eyeballs is always going to be more valuable ... at least to this direct response copywriter.

AND ONE MORE THING ...

Other direct response copywriters have told me they dislike this review system ... to the point where they avoid this company. So the system is fundamentally flawed ... plus it keeps talent away from that company.

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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 ... 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.

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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 the 'How To' Headline

By Scott Martin

At a copywriting conference I attended in April, the speaker said he loves the "how to" headline. Why? Because, in testing, a "how to" headline outperforms other headlines 9 times out of ten.

The "how to" headline is one of the most basic and I love its simplicity...plus it usually works. I'm sure you've seen dozens of "how to" headlines. For a direct response copywriter, the "how to" headline is a staple.

"How to Sovle Bad Breath Forever"

"How to Get First Class Tickets for the Price of Coach"

You also see "how to" headlines without the "how to."

"Look Taller Today"

"Get Cable TV for 60% Less"

You get the picture and speaking of pictures, I was recently in a large northeastern city visiting a hostelry. The men's room was plastered with cut outs from various and "sundry" magazines. This "how to" headline caught my attention, not becuase it relates directly to me...

In case you can't see it, the headline reads...

"How to Tell Your Girl You've Got Herpes"

Magazines are replete with "how to" headlines...because they get readers to read. If you're scratching your head wondering how to start the copy, trust the "how to" headline.

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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.

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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 the Cartoonists

I spent my formative years in the United Kingdom. I grew up, therefore, with three media companions.

1. Seriously good newspapers with seriously good writing.
2. Tabloid newspapers with shoddy journalism but phenomenal writing.
3. High quality radio.

One day I’ll write about the tabloids—because the headlines and captions present a daily clinic in breathtakingly attention grabbing writing. And I'll go into my favorite radio shows like Just a Minute...another time, another day.

I believe I learned to write by reading the quality broadsheets like The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Guardian. A mixed bag politically but you can’t argue with the consistent quality of the writing.

Today, I want to focus on perhaps my favorite part of The Telegraph, the daily “Matt” cartoon. You can see the archive here.

You can see the current Matt cartoon here.

The newspaper just celebrated Matt’s 25^th anniversary. Here’s an article and video.

Matt cartoons are always funny—in a non-confrontational way. They poke fun at everyday life and its absurdity.

But the cartoons are arresting. They grab my attention—just like a good headline.

You can apply how Matt works to direct response headlines.

• He tries 6-20 jokes (similar to a headline)
• He ‘tests’ the cartoons on people in the office…simply asking their opinion
• He understands the daily pressure to produce
• For material, he uses topical subjects and completes research
• The visual (the cartoon) matches the joke—the perfect marriage of copy and graphic
• It’s simple—and you get the joke and the cartoon right away without having to dig

Matt isn’t trying to sell anything. But a direct response headline isn’t trying to sell a product directly. The perfect direct response headline simply persuades you to keep reading until you get to the final sales pitch where the you have to decide whether to leave or buy.

Part of me wishes I had just 5% of the raw talent of a Matt. I’d be able to write killer headlines in about 10 minutes.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I specialize in providing content and 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.

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.