Charlotte Copywriter lands on Mars...finds lost Elvis record and a secret potion that restores hair in 10 seconds!
/As a direct response copywriter, it's my responsibility to write revenue generating headlines.
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Direct response copywriting meets the query letter
/An author recently contracted me to help him with a book proposal. If you're unfamiliar with the book publishing process, before a book gets published, there has to be a book proposal and before there's a book proposal, there's a query letter. The query letter gets a publisher or literary agent interested in the book proposal; the publisher makes a decision about the book based on the book proposal.
All the books about publishing I've read say the query letter has to be a groveling plea for a merciful look at the book proposal. Something like this...
Dear all-powerful literary agent:
If you would be so kind as to allow me to submit this humble query letter so you might consider, just for a minute, about thinking about seeing the book proposal, I would be most flattered. Of course, I'm but a lowly writer and would totally understand if you considered this query letter to be far less than perfect...
I'm sorry but I'm not writing that type of letter. How can I? I'm a direct response copywriter.
So the query letter I wrote was a direct response letter, albeit toned down a bit. It had all the ingredients...benefit headline...hit them between the eyes first paragraph...benefits not features...call to action.
And most importantly, I know what makes a literary agent tick so the query letter was a sales conversation between me and the agent. And I know this agent likes the type of book the author is writing. I know what literary agents want.
And the letter worked. The one literary agent who has seen the query letter has asked to see the proposal. That's 100 per cent response.
For my copywriting site, www.scottmartinwriting.com, go here.
All the books about publishing I've read say the query letter has to be a groveling plea for a merciful look at the book proposal. Something like this...
Dear all-powerful literary agent:
If you would be so kind as to allow me to submit this humble query letter so you might consider, just for a minute, about thinking about seeing the book proposal, I would be most flattered. Of course, I'm but a lowly writer and would totally understand if you considered this query letter to be far less than perfect...
I'm sorry but I'm not writing that type of letter. How can I? I'm a direct response copywriter.
So the query letter I wrote was a direct response letter, albeit toned down a bit. It had all the ingredients...benefit headline...hit them between the eyes first paragraph...benefits not features...call to action.
I used direct response copywriting techniques for a query letter I sent to a literary agent and the letter got the result I wanted. I did NOT use the standard query letter template.
And most importantly, I know what makes a literary agent tick so the query letter was a sales conversation between me and the agent. And I know this agent likes the type of book the author is writing. I know what literary agents want.
And the letter worked. The one literary agent who has seen the query letter has asked to see the proposal. That's 100 per cent response.
For my copywriting site, www.scottmartinwriting.com, go here.
Copywriter gets 100 per cent response
/At a recent marketing boot camp, I asked a member of the "audience" what a good response rate is. She said 40 per cent. A great response to a direct mail letter is one per cent.
I'm pleased to say a recent email campaign I wrote got a 100 per cent response.
OK...it was just one email but it got the response I wanted.
A former intern asked me to write an email to a person at a TV station; the former intern wanted an interview with a news director. Instead of the standard "please may I be so humble as to recommend..." I thought about what the person at the TV station would be looking for and wrote a direct response letter with 17 reasons my former intern should get an interview. The intern got the interview and the internship.
100 per cent response!
The key was getting into the boots of the news director and thinking about what he/she would want from an intern.
For my direct response copywriting site, www.scottmartinwriting.com, go here.
I'm pleased to say a recent email campaign I wrote got a 100 per cent response.
OK...it was just one email but it got the response I wanted.
A former intern asked me to write an email to a person at a TV station; the former intern wanted an interview with a news director. Instead of the standard "please may I be so humble as to recommend..." I thought about what the person at the TV station would be looking for and wrote a direct response letter with 17 reasons my former intern should get an interview. The intern got the interview and the internship.
100 per cent response!
The key was getting into the boots of the news director and thinking about what he/she would want from an intern.
For my direct response copywriting site, www.scottmartinwriting.com, go here.
More sagacity from the CDMA meeting
/....as I mentioned in my last blog, I went to the June Charlotte Direct Marketing Association meeting. There was an excellent guest panel with some top direct marketing people. Each one admitted to having made one of the biggest marketing mistakes...one I've made and one everyone has made.
We all have ideas we think are superb and even life-changing. Or superb AND life-changing. Suddenly, we discover, sometimes after having spent time and money on the idea, we're pretty much the only one who thinks the idea is brilliant...others might like the idea or the product but won't pay for it.
The panelists admitted to having made this mistake...which was big of them. Very few people are willing to admit marketing mistakes. These professionals have the benefit of data and a response baseline. So the raw numbers tell them if the idea was a profitable one.
What can we learn as direct marketing people? What can I learn as direct response copywriter? Right now, my unique selling proposition (USP) is speed. I think it's important and I have clients who think it's important...these are people who "buy" direct response copywriting. However, the "speed" idea isn't generating enough response, I'll make a change. I'm about to re-write the copy for my direct response website and I'm keeping my USP but I will make a change if necessary.
It's not what's important to you...it's CERTAINLY NOT what's important to the copywriter...it's all about what's REALLY REALLY important to the person who will buy your product.
We all have ideas we think are superb and even life-changing. Or superb AND life-changing. Suddenly, we discover, sometimes after having spent time and money on the idea, we're pretty much the only one who thinks the idea is brilliant...others might like the idea or the product but won't pay for it.
The panelists admitted to having made this mistake...which was big of them. Very few people are willing to admit marketing mistakes. These professionals have the benefit of data and a response baseline. So the raw numbers tell them if the idea was a profitable one.
What can we learn as direct marketing people? What can I learn as direct response copywriter? Right now, my unique selling proposition (USP) is speed. I think it's important and I have clients who think it's important...these are people who "buy" direct response copywriting. However, the "speed" idea isn't generating enough response, I'll make a change. I'm about to re-write the copy for my direct response website and I'm keeping my USP but I will make a change if necessary.
It's not what's important to you...it's CERTAINLY NOT what's important to the copywriter...it's all about what's REALLY REALLY important to the person who will buy your product.
How I learned a lot about direct response...at lunch
/Yesterday, I attended, for the first time, a Charlotte Direct Marketing Association meeting. It was a lunch and the group put together a superstar panel: senior direct marketers from Wells Fargo, Lowe's, and Bank of America. There was a gentleman from Cleveland who is right at the cutting edge of data collection and distribution plus John Hill, executive creative director, Hawkeye...an advertising agency with a great track record in direct response.
Going to the lunch reminded me of the importance of networking as part of a marketing strategy for a direct response copywriter...or anyone.
Over the next few days, I'm going to write about the lunch and my thoughts about the sagacity from the panel. Much of what I heard buttressed what I know about direct response. Here's the first thing...
John Hill talked about a direct response package he put together for a bank. It had a simple A vs. B option/offer...you can get this interest rate with these terms or this interest rate with these terms...or something along those lines. Everyone was really happy with the response and it's such a simple strategy.
As I told the people who attended my direct response marketing boot camp in the Ballantyne area, ALWAYS offer two options. You're going to buy or you're going to buy.
For my direct response copywriting site, www.scottmartinwriting, go here.
Going to the lunch reminded me of the importance of networking as part of a marketing strategy for a direct response copywriter...or anyone.
Over the next few days, I'm going to write about the lunch and my thoughts about the sagacity from the panel. Much of what I heard buttressed what I know about direct response. Here's the first thing...
John Hill talked about a direct response package he put together for a bank. It had a simple A vs. B option/offer...you can get this interest rate with these terms or this interest rate with these terms...or something along those lines. Everyone was really happy with the response and it's such a simple strategy.
As I told the people who attended my direct response marketing boot camp in the Ballantyne area, ALWAYS offer two options. You're going to buy or you're going to buy.
For my direct response copywriting site, www.scottmartinwriting, go here.
