Books for the copywriter

I've always got books about direct response copywriting and marketing around. Two I'm diving into right now.

2,239 Tested Secrets for Direct Marketing Success: The Pros Tell You Their Time-Proven Secrets. By Denny Hatch and Don Jackson.

One day on The Golf Channel, the powers-that-be decided to have the top 5 golf teachers on the show at the same time. Mistake. They have big egos and were all talking at the same time and all have different approaches. I was worried this book would be a big mish-mash of direct response techniques and thus be confusing.

I could not have been more mistaken.

While there are well over five ways to teach golf, all of them proven, there's only one way to get direct response right...follow the same proven techniques. So this book buttresses all of these. The copy chapter beginning on page 72 is especially brilliant...a superb digest of techniques from the best.

The book is also good because it provides a good road map for the parts of the direct response universe I rarely visit...lists...sweepstakes...graphic design...back-end marketing...etc.

I'm enjoying this now and I'll be dipping into it more.

I'm also dipping into Perfect Phrases for Sales and Marketing Copy by Barry Callen. There are some good ideas in this book but I'm not sure I agree with the notion on page 161 that a headline on a sales letter is optional. There's not a lot of pure direct response in this book. One book always open on my desk is Dan Kennedy's The Ultimate Sales Letter. It has the ugliest cover of any book I've seen but it's tough to beat the content...especially the headline templates on pages 42-47.

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I'm rebuilding my site to help me sell more. In the interim, here's my Krop portfolio.

I specialize in the clinical and creative execution of proven direct response copywriting techniques to make the reader pull out their credit card, write a check, hand over hard-earned cash, and happily provide their email address and additional valuable data.

Why a copywriter is a must

I've been working with new client...a pure direct response marketing agency. They are great...more about them in a later blog. Something they said in a training video...EVERY WEBSITE PAGE MUST SELL WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER.

It seems obvious but few web sites do this...

Ask a marketing executive or business owner this question..."do you believe every page of your web site should sell what you offer?" I think the answer would be, "DUH...yes!"

But very few companies hire a writer to write pure sales copy (direct response copywriting) for any of their pages. These companies are losing money as I write.

When you want your website to sell what you have to offer, hire a direct response copywriter, who will...

• Keep potential clients and customers on your site


• Make them take the next step in the sales process


• Explain the benefits of your product or service


• Answer the most important question the customer is asking, 'what's in it for me?'


• Help you sell more...

The investment is always a good one when you hire a direct response copywriter...

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I'm rebuilding my site to help me sell more. In the interim, here's my Krop portfolio.

I specialize in the clinical and creative execution of proven direct response copywriting techniques to make the reader pull out their credit card, write a check, hand over hard-earned cash, and happily provide their email address and additional valuable data.

Copywriter listens to advice from fellow direct response professional

This morning, I met with a client to go over some copy. My client also works with Chestin Salisbury who attended my April marketing boot camp and is a direct marketing expert. Earlier in the week, I asked Chestin to take a look at my YouTube video. He liked it but said I was missing something...AN OFFER! It's such a basic direct marketing ingredient yet I totally forgot it...so I'll be reorganizing my video to include an irresistible offer.

When someone who really knows what he/she is doing offers advice, are you willing to listen? I am. Are you willing to do what it takes to put the advice into action? I am. It's what success is all about, especially today.

I was listening to a Dan Kennedy podcast the other day and it reminded me of something extremely important...look at what successful people do then do what they do. It's easier said than done I know but the road map is always there.

I'm a direct response copywriter. Here's my current website. Here's Chestin's site...one of them!

UPDATE...just got a ton of feedback from a direct response fanatic who contacted me through Elance. I agreed with all his feedback and will start to make the necessary changes...a direct response copywriter MUST have all the boxes checked when it comes to marketing.

Copywriter almost spills coffee...or (the) beans

Periodically I like to spend an afternoon writing in the coffee shop. Today, it was crowded and I was sitting next to a couple of guys around my age (24.5).

Well...you know how it is...you overhear the conversation...they were producing a web page for a seminar and were writing the copy. Some of the conversation...

"Let's give it some punch."

"Cute but not too cute."

"Let's make it just like the names of the softball teams when I was in law school."

"I want to make it appealing."

"It has to jump out at people."

As a direct response copywriter, I was tempted to join the conversation. I might have earned a cup of coffee. I would have said, "use the type of headline that's worked before."

Better still, they should have hired a professional copywriter.

The clinical execution of direct response copywriting techniques is what they needed.

They were running a seminar for lawyers. I imagine the seminar cost around $500. Let's say they hired a copywriter for the landing page and it helped them get two more people to attend...great copywriting is ALWAYS a great investment.

For my copywriting site, go here. For my portfolio, go here.

Two new copywriting projects

A couple of recent direct response copywriting projects came out well. A squeeze page for a company in Worcester, England. And a local roofing company.

Direct response copy for a local roofing company; click for larger version.

[caption id="attachment_193" align="alignleft" width="231" caption="You should have seen what this squeeze page looked like before the total makeover."]
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For my copywriting site, go here. For my portfolio, go here. To see me on YouTube, go here.