Direct Response Copywriter Learns from Teenagers

Teenagers are an interesting group. Vivacious. Moody. Unpredictable. Trying to be old. But still so young. I want to tell them...in 20 years, you'll want to be young again. Enjoy being young!

I hang out in a coffee shop and there are plenty of teenagers, especially later in the afternoon on weekdays; there's a high school with over 3,000 students less than a mile away.

Teenagers LOVE to tell other teenagers how brilliant they are. "I came first in this...I got this new pair of shoes...my new boyfriend is...my new girlfriend is..."

Of course, we all love to boast. In fact, I often come across websites that are one big boast.

Several years ago, a magazine here in Charlotte called "Charlotte's Best" would let advertisers call themselves...Charlotte's Best...So Bob's Taxidermy would tell everyone, "We're Charlotte's Best Taxidermist."

Don't you hate it when the person next to you in the coffee shop spends 30 minutes telling you how brilliant they are? It makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

I recently received an email newsletter from a local company. Look at it now.

It's one big boast and fails to answer THE question the prospect is asking, "What's in it for me?"

I'm just as guilty as anyone when it comes to this...I'm about to re-do my website and while my current direct response copywriting site is not replete with boasting, I'm going to be careful on the new one to make sure every word is directed to ensuring I'm addressing the needs of my prospects.

Yes--a track record is important. And testimonials are vital too. But it's much more important to find out what really matters to the prospect--and tell them how your product or service applies to what really matters or solves their problem.

For example...I'm going to ask those teenagers, "would you like a product that will make you look 10 years older?" Or perhaps I will tell them, "I'm Charlotte's best."

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I'm a direct response copywriter. My full website is here.

Click here for a free direct response 'PREFLIGHT' checklist.

Copywriter Embraces Positivity...and Hemingway

One of my copywriting "issues" is being too negative--letting the reader stew in their own juices a little too long. It's important to express some sympathy and understanding but if the reader is suffering from heel pain, there's no need to remind the reader about how much their feet hurt for 500 words. Get to the positivity...the solutions...the happiness.

As a direct response copywriter, I use a direct response copywriting checklist. One of the items on the list...SELL HAPPINESS. Get that heel pain sufferer to imagine life without heel pain...bounding down the road, able to run marathons and standing up for long periods at parties...or hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

When I'm writing, I take a look at a paragraph I've just written and instantly turn any negative sentences and phrases into positives.

So...

You will no longer suffer from heel pain...

Becomes...

Wear the Acme "Easy Night" Boot for just 14 nights and you will soon walk easily...even hike up a Colorado mountain.

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On Brevity

I have to admit a weakness for long, involved sentences, like the ones you will typically read in novels by Martin Amis, Charlotte Bronte, Tom Wolfe, Dickens, and other writers with a passion for over-expression and literary gluttony, as exemplified most commonly in, perhaps, mid-Victorian novels but also present more recently in writing by students at American Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs where "has been" and "never were" writers who are themselves extremely mediocre, instruct "would be" writers how to write fiction that will likely never be published by one of the "big six" publishing houses but will end up, like their teachers' writings, in the so-called slush pile, which is a stack, sometimes moving, sometimes not, of manuscripts that mostly novice writers have sent to agents and publishers in the hope their work, often replete with long, involved sentences (with an abundance of semi-colons) will help them earn a significant advance and get them in the literary 'game.'

OK...you won't read anything like THAT in ANY of my direct response copy but I find myself with a tendency to write long sentences. The cure: Hemingway.

From...The Sun Also Rises.

There was a light in the concierge's room and I knocked on the door and she gave me my mail. I wished her good night and went up-stairs. There were two letters and some papers.

Simple. Efficient. And a touch of tension...what was in the letters and papers?

I'm striving to write simple and efficient copy without making it anorexic or overly taut. Just like a simple conversation.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. My website is here.

Personality in Copywriting

One of the reasons big companies spend millions, even billions, on branding advertising is to give their product a personality--to differentiate their widget from all the others. Some companies even use fictitious "personalities" to give a bland product some life. Uncle Ben's. Betty Crocker. Mr. Clean. The Jolly Green Giant.

And many companies hire celebrities...again, to give the product some life. Arnold Palmer recommends you get your clothes cleaned at Arnold Palmer Dry Cleaners. And yes--there was a chain of Arnold Palmer Dry Cleaners.

If you haven't got a celebrity, or you haven't got a billion dollar budget, you can still get some personality into your marketing, specifically your website.

The copy on the site should be a conversation between the person behind the product and the buyer. This means extensive use of the pronoun "you."

"We're great" becomes "You're going to look and feel a lot younger." I always like writing copy when the sales pitch comes directly from the owner of the company or the inventor of the product. It's a LOT more powerful.

Think about the last time someone came into your home to sell gutters or something similar. If the person was dull, you were less likely to buy. If the person was an extrovert and a character--plus had a great product--then you were more likely to pay attention.

So please, someone, explain to me why so many websites are dull and lacking in character/personality.

Bring your site to life with video, a photo gallery, and testimonials from satisfied customers. Include a Frequently Asked Questions page. Get someone with an effusive character at your company to write a blog. Make their love of life shine through.

There's no need to be obnoxious or silly. Although if that's your character--have at it. Just avoid the typical "cookie cutter" corporate-style copy and content that makes so many websites a total yawn. Get people fired up about your product--give it some PERSONALITY.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. My website is here.

Copywriter finds key to successful marketing/sales

I've worked in copywriting, niche publishing, content, communications (whatever that is!), and the like for more years that I care to admit (22). And I suppose that makes me a bit of a nomad or, even worse, the dreaded "multi-dabbling freelancer."

So this time last year I finally chose to stop dabbling and start specializing. Niche print publishing is OVER and so that was easy. I never really enjoyed the business anyway. I had been writing direct response copy for several years and always enjoyed it so I simply chose to specialize in the "buy now" and "your satisfaction is..." even though it's more complicated that a few "reliable" phrases. I know other writers and certainly the branding copywriters look down their nose at the direct response copywriter but I don't really care. I love writing pedal-to-the-metal direct response copy. Three reasons.

1. It's measurable. No place to hide. You get the results or you don't. My brothers and sisters in the world of branding copywriting flee from this type of accountability. It's not about "image" it's about RESPONSE.
2. It helps businesses succeed--and that's hugely excited.
3. I enjoy the challenge of discovering what's going to persuade the reader to take the next step in the sales process.

Because I'm a freelancer, I'm constantly marketing. And if you're a freelancer and you're NOT marketing, give up freelancing.

I've discovered that passion is the most powerful sales weapon. Yet you'll rarely read about passion in sales and marketing books. My passion for direct response copywriting comes through when I speak with prospects and it separates me from other copywriters.

So I'm always striving to create passion when I write copy and convey the client's passion to their potential customers. As I reorganize my website, my #1 goal is to convey my passion in all my content (blogs, copy, podcasts, video, etc.)

Yes--people buy because I provide a solution to a problem, specifically low conversion. But people also buy for emotional reasons backed by logic.

"This guy is seriously into direct response copywriting and the enthusiasm is infectious; but he also gets results."

Here's some content from people I know who are seriously passionate.

• Andrew Wood--marketing legend.
• Will Swayne. Marketing Results. Excellent at traffic and conversion.
• Ted Mahon. Loving life in the Rockies--and passionate about skiing, climbing, ultra-marathons, and ice climbing.
• Big Bald Bobby. A blog with attitude. "I'm here. You're not." I love it.

Get some passion into your marketing and get routinely superb results.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, NC. My current website is here. My clients measure results. They keep hiring me.

Direct Response Copywriter Critiques Google's Direct Response Package for Places

Google has regularly sent me a card with $100 of free Google AdWords spend. I like it because it's DIRECT MAIL and proof that even the most advanced and famous companies recognize the power of a marketing tactic that started, according to legend, in the 13th Century.

OK--let's take a look at the package.

This box arrived by UPS...yes...Google uses direct mail.

The goal here is to get business owners to use Google Places. I won't go into why but Google is really motivated to boost its Places product. Here's an article I found.

Basically, Google wants four outcomes...

1. Finally put Yellow Pages under and get that money
2. Get people to spend more time on Google, and not Facebook...especially when it comes to business pages
3. Mine the local advertising market even more...
4. Become your website

There was a lot to like about this direct mail piece...unless you are Yellow Pages.

Delivery. By UPS...you had to sign for it. Superb. Expensive...but impossible to ignore. Plus it came in a box the size of a small turkey. Again. How can you ignore that?

Benefit headline on the brochure. There are over 40,000 businesses in Charlotte...get noticed on Google. Not very grabby...

Overall, I thought the body copy was a bit confusing. Google Places is a mystery to most business owners (as is all of SEO and AdWords) so I would have made it easier to understand.

All graphic designers note: Google uses black type on a white background. Apple uses black type on a white background. Both companies measure response and make a lot of money.

Offer...$100 in FREE Google ads. But what sort of ad?...thankfully there's a number to call. In fact, the CTA is to call.

In a brochure within the folder, Google offers all sorts of "stuff" to get you to promote Google places...pens...fortune cookies...toothpicks...yes--toothpicks.

Interesting headline..."You're already doing a great job. Make sure you get noticed." Hmmmm.

Rookie direct response copywriting mistake: asking a question the reader might not know the answer to...ARE YOU EASY TO FIND ONLINE?

In a time when companies rarely send large-scale big budget direct mail packages, this one was epic...although confusing.

One final thought...it's cool that companies can add photos, videos, etc. to their Google Places page but I think it's a huge mistake to rely on user generated content, which is notoriously easy to rig. In fact, this line of copy reveals all..."Encourage customers to rate and review your business."

I would have made this piece more educational.

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I'm a direct response copywriter and my site is here.