Direct Response Copywriter on The Right Words

At its core, direct response copywriting is:

1. Choosing the right words
2. Putting the words in the correct order

I want to focus on task #1.

Picking the perfect words for every sentence in either long-form or short-form copy is difficult. I choose words quickly and easily simply because I’ve been writing almost non-stop for 20 years…longer if you count high school and college.

And I’m not sure how to teach someone to choose the correct words. Perhaps it’s simply a knack.

Words dictate and determine the tone of the copy. Tone can affect conversion.

Excitable and hyper-ventilating copy needs excitable and hyper-ventilating words. Big adjectives. Ultimate. Amazing. Powerful. Some writers like to add a lot of exclamation marks!!!!! But I’m in the camp that believes that exclamation marks are a crutch.

When the copy needs to be a little more subtle, then it’s time tone things down.

Adjectives, metaphors, and adjectival phrases are the most potent weapon in the copywriter’s Arsenal.

Let’s take a look at a tiny bit of Gary Bencivenga copy. This sells his famous seminar DVDs.

My "Three-Hour-a-Day" Rule: Why you can achieve almost anything if you can throw three solid hours at your highest-priority project every day. Are you weary of meetings that go nowhere and the hundred little interruptions that nibble away your time like a school of piranhas? Here is the #1 antidote—a ruthless dedication to putting at least three hours a day into your top project and letting all other activities take second priority to that. Here's how to do it.

Note the following.

• It’s not three hours a day, it’s three SOLID hours.
• The interruptions are like a school of piranhas.
• It’s not just an antidote, it’s a '#1 antidote.'
• It’s not dedication, it’s ruthless dedication.

Adjectives and related tools bring color to copy and make it more interesting to the reader.

Dan Kennedy has spoken at length about having a thesaurus or two on hand when writing. Salient advice. He also recommends a great book:

Words That Sell.

It’s essentially a thesaurus just for people who write direct response copy.

Simple, direct, crisp copy that clearly explains the benefits of a product or service will always provide a more than acceptable response...but only when the product has merit. However, when you give a copywriter some width, the copy can become vivid and this can improve conversion.

If you’re staring at a blank page, start with one of the standard direct response copy formulas like AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) and simply write like you’re having a conversation with a friend…albeit a sales conversation! If you’re having a conversation with a friend, you’re not going to use crazy literary words like salient or pullulating. You’re going to use conversational language.

I choose my words carefully. Then I put then in the right order to make everything crystal clear.

*

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 Deadlines

I had a conversation with a fellow direct marketer recently and he said something interesting...and amusing.

To me, copywriters all seem a little bit like a person in a dark cabin in some dark woods...someone who plots the overthrow of everything.

I'll admit, a direct response copywriter is a little bit different.

We have to be.

A direct response copywriter is a:

• Salesperson
• Writer
• Editor
• Dreamer
• Creative Type

However, I also hear complaints about direct response copywriters. The #1 complaint? Tardiness. I also hear about a general air of "I'm better than you, so please shut up." Haughtiness.

For the record, I take great pride in hitting my deadlines. I also strive to be amenable and professional. Here's proof.

*

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 the Most Important Part of Direct Marketing

In my last blog, I wrote about Matt, the cartoonist for The Daily Telegraph. He celebrates 25 years of writing and drawing seriously brilliant cartoons.

Matt comes across as almost embarassingly shy. Not exactly a 'type A' salesman.

If you're in direct marketing, the story of how Matt got the front page gig at one of the world's biggest newspapers clearly shows the most important part of direct marketing: PERSISTENCE.

Matt discovered the decision maker and dropped off cartoons and jokes six days a week. After dropping off the material, he would 'hang around' hoping to speak with the decision maker. Ultimately, the newspaper asked him to produce a cartoon every day.

Yes, if you're a direct response copywriter, or a direct marketer, the copy has to be persuasive. But, ultimately, persistence is always going to pay off. Matt provides the proof. And he's the least exuberant hype-like person I've ever seen.

*

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 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.

*

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.

Direct Response Copywriter on Branding Copywriters

When I retire, I will become a branding copywriter.

I will get a cushy job at a big agency in a big city. The office will have exposed girders, vents, and pipes. Industrial.

The agency will have a wall with lots of awards. The office will have a phalanx of vixen-ish young girls…media buyers with beautiful hair and busy weekends.

Account executives will ask me to come up with ideas and concepts. I will spend caffeine-fuelled hours in meetings with award-winning art directors, creative directors, and producers. When I get stuck, I’ll leave the office for a walk and dive into a café for a couple of hours to “get the creative juices flowing.”

I’ll suggest a TV shoot somewhere in northern Arizona and we’ll trundle off in February to Flagstaff and quickly outspend the unlimited budget.

We’ll create funny ads that run on TV shows like The Simpsons. People in Lousiville, Kentucky and Beaverton, Oregon will laugh. The client will laugh. We’ll have client dinners at upscale restaurants and I’ll order comically expensive Bordeaux.

Of course, I’ll win some awards and this will delight the client. We’ll have a lunch that will start at 1 p.m. and end at a 1 a.m. somewhere in Brooklyn.

At some stage, inevitably, the client will ask about the lack of impact on sales. The Executive Vice President of Nothing in Particular, or the agency owner's expensively suited daughter, will remind the client that “we’re not really trying to push a response here” and that we’re helping to maintain “brand integrity” which can be especially important when the competition is spending $125 million on TV this year.

Sales will drop but I’ll get a raise and my work will appear in Communication Arts. I’ll get a confidential call from a brisk Manhattan headhunter named Holly who has a really exceptional opportunity in a big agency that's looking for a new senior copywriter. I'll leverage the offer for another raise.

That might be exceptionally pleasant. One day.

But for now, I’ll stick with being a direct response copywriter.

I will continue to dig deep to find what really matters to the buyer. I’ll spend hours trying to get into the head and soul of the customer to find what they really, really want. Headlines will float around in my head and I’ll write 20-30 before settling on one I like.

Laughter? Forget it. We’re trying to persuade someone to pull their credit card out of their wallet and BUY. I'm not trying to be funny. I'm trying to be persuasive.

Something I write won’t work so I’ll try again. And again. And again…until I beat the control or establish one that helps the company get in the black.

I will get the snot beaten out of me. I'll have success. But I'll have failures. But I will ALWAYS be accountable.

It’s not easy being a direct response copywriter.

As David Ogilvy said in perhaps the most perfect endorsement of direct response marketing...

The problem with many copywriters is that they don’t really think in terms of selling. They’ve never written direct response. They’ve never tasted blood.

I've tasted blood, my friends.

I spend my days at a desk or cyber-tramping in a coffee shop, tweaking copy to improve response from 2.3% to 3.1%.

And yes, I will giddily write “your satisfaction is completely and totally guaranteed” and “finally—there’s an easy way to…” and "It's clear you have nothing to lose."

There won’t be any awards on my walls. No prizes or languid company dinners.

But my clients, hard-core entrepreneurs, will benefit massively from my work. They get it. They don't want awards. They want customers and clients.

They know this important truth:

“The ability to organize words that motivate people to buy is a super power.”

That’s from Dan Kennedy, for the record.

Writing direct response copy is sheer joy and never a job. Yes—the ancillary stuff is a pain but actually creating copy that’s going to help a company thrive is a lot of fun.

No—I have no desire to become a branding copywriter. I’ll stick with being a direct response copywriter as long as someone will invest in my services. You branding copywriters can keep your awards and exposed brick offices and funny ads.

I’ll be busy helping my clients make money.

*

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.