Direct Response Copywriter on Crazy Egg

I contribute frequently to the Crazy Egg Blog.

Here's the latest entry.

Here are previous entries.

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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 Telling the Truth

The entire advertising industry has a bad rap for not telling the truth. You've heard the phrase "false advertising" I'm sure. Every now and then, a company gets nailed for not telling the truth. They get sued privately or publicly.

As a direct response copywriter, I'm part of the whole marketing gig so I guess I'm perhaps seen in the same way as the entire marketing industry. To some, direct marketers are seen as the worst. That's not entirely fair. There are some scallywags in direct marketing; the same applies for the branding side.

This brings up the tricky subject of ethics in direct response copywriting. My clients want me to show their product in the best possible light so that people will buy the product. But some clients have asked me to make outrageous claims.

I'm not comfortable making these claims. Here's why.

• It's not right.
• Potential customers are not stupid and they know that outrageous claims are just that...outrageous.

There's nothing wrong with a little bit of excitability and color. The key is what Herschell Gordon Lewis calls "verisimilitude" which is a long word for putting the product in the best possible light.

I have to trust the information the client provides but I won't tell flat out lies. Here's my overall approach to telling the truth in direct response copy.

1. There must be a guarantee...a way for the customer to say, "no thanks I want my money back" if the product fails to live up to expectations.
2. Crazy claims might work in the short run but it's not a good long-term strategy.
3. The clients and customers you want are the ones who will buy from you again and again. You want to build a relationship with them based on trust. The truth is the foundation of a trusting relationship.
4. Real testimonials from real people are important.
5. Proof elements prove you're telling the truth.

So there's no need to lie in advertising. As I regularly say...clear copy that easily explains why the prospect needs the product or service almost always works.

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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 What Really Works

I just wrote the copy for a product in the golf space. As soon as the product launched and the shopping cart opened, the shopping cart crashed due to sheer volume/demand. A good problem to have.

The company that is promoting the product had to shut down the launch, beef up its server capacity, then relaunch. Everything is hunky dory now. It was a blockbuster launch, despite the glitch.

I'd like to take credit, as the copywriter, for copy that shut down the servers but I can't. Here's why this launch was so successful.

• A big list with globs of hungry and highly-qualified traffic.
• An excellent relationship with the list based on superb content.
• Awesome "teaser" emails to get everyone fired up about the product.
• A unique, top quality product that is different from the typical "how to hold the club" golf DVD.
• Three major revisions of the copy before it went live. A healthy dose of persistence.
• A strong and clear sales page.
• The ability to add server capacity at the last minute to avert final hurdle disaster. Flexibility.

As a direct response copywriter, I wish I could claim total credit but direct response copy is just part of a successful launch. If the product has no merit and there's no traffic, there's nothing a direct response copywriter can do to help. If there's plenty of traffic, the offer is exceptional, and the product is great, then I'm simply closing the sale and helping to break records and shut down servers. However, with moderate traffic and a modest product and offer, I can help to make a significant difference.

Still, while it's never good when the shopping cart shuts down due to demand, it's a good problem to have: you've discovered what really works.

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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 Creative Flexibility

My clients are almost all direct marketers. This means they ALL test like crazy.

If you take a peek at my portfolio, you’ll see a wide variety of styles and formats. But it’s all direct response copy.

Some clients want “pure” pedal-to-the-metal DR copy. Others want it toned down. Some use a format that’s built around graphics.

As a direct response copywriter, one of my jobs is to give the client exactly the style of direct response copy they want. Because that’s the type of copy that converts…based on their testing data.

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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.

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 Life Before Direct Marketing

You’ve heard it before: think like your prospect. Get into their shoes.

And so on.

When I’m writing golf copy, it’s pretty easy: I’m a golfer. I know what golfers want. It’s a little more difficult when I’m writing copy for a product I wouldn’t normally buy…like a male testosterone supplement. And yes, I wrote a ton of copy for a product called Nugenix. And no, it’s not a product I currently need. Just for the record.

To get started, I like to use my pre-flight checklist, which is a must for any direct response copywriter or direct response marketer.

However, there’s a step that every direct marketer should take.

Think back to the days before you were in direct response...before the “but wait, there’s more…” phraseology started to invade your mind. I started my direct response journey about 10 years ago. Before then, I bought products based on direct response advertising. I knew nothing about headlines, bullets, CTAs, etc. I was just a normal consumer with a problem or dream. That’s the person I’m trying to reach.

About 15 years ago, I remember buying a golf product that Greg Norman marketed through an infomercial. In my teens, I bought a series of Time Life books because I got a letter in the mail telling me my life would be better with these beautiful books in my house. I’m sure I bought many other products and services because a direct response copywriter persuaded me to the take the next step in the sales process.

The overwhelming majority of people…potential customers…know NOTHING about direct response copywriting or direct response copywriting. Proof: the blank stares I receive when I tell someone that I’m a direct response copywriter.

One of the biggest mistakes a direct response copywriter can make is to write to impress other direct response copywriters. Quite honestly, I don’t care what another copywriter thinks about my work. I only care about response and conversion and the revenue I can generate for clients.

And to max out that conversion and revenue, I have to think back to the days before I knew anything about direct response. So don't get too immersed in the technical aspects of direct response. Remember that regular people, not direct response marketers, are the ones buying stuff.

And one more tip...think about what you're thinking when YOU are buying something in response to a direct response campaign.

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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.

*

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.