The Most Useful Copywriting "Secret" You Will Ever Come Across
Dear Reader,
There's one copywriting "secret" that makes me more money than any other.
And no, it's not the one about "write good headlines."
Or even the old standby, "know your customer."
Sure, those secrets matter. But without this little insight, you're nowhere.
No matter what you sell or how you sell it.
What is it?
Before I tell you, let me give you a little background …
On the very first day of my copywriting career, over 17 years ago, someone gave me a little speech. I'm sure you've heard it yourself. It goes something like this …
There are only three things that matter when it comes to selling anything with direct-response marketing. You've got your lists, your offer, and the sales copy. Out of these, copy is where you've got the control and flexibility to make or break your business.
And this, of course, is why I became a copywriter.
Because I knew that if I could just write great copy … that would be my ticket. I could be the guy that does the thing that makes the business. And what could be better than that?
Only I quickly learned that wasn't even half the story.
See, while it was true that copy mattered a great deal, I discovered that 9 times out of 10 there was an even easier way to double and triple sales results … that didn't involve writing much new copy at all. Or lining up new and expensive lists of customers to mail to.
For flagging sales letter, doing just this was often like throwing the switch on an extra fuel tank. And for new sales letters, applying this insight first often made the whole effort fall into place.
What I'm talking about, great copywriter Gene Schwartz actually put best. "Your OFFER," Gene said, "can make a hero or a bum out of the finest, slickest string of words you ever turned out."
I know that sounds too simple.
But really, it's amazing how many copywriters overlook this fact.
Just consider, by throwing in the right bonus, switching to the right price, or rewording your guarantee … the phones in customer service start ringing off the hook.
With the right offer, you can do in minutes what weeks of crafting a whole new sales letter might not accomplish. You can even make even "dead" lists of customers start responding again.
That's why I now don't even think of writing a sales letter without working out the offer details … even writing the offer out … before I do anything else.
Nothing has done more to make sure I'm thinking about the customer, right out of the gate … no step has done more to focus my headline and lead ideas … and no insight has made it easier for me to focus on the rest of what my sales message needs to do, while I'm writing.
That's why I was so glad to hear that my friend and long-time copywriter Bob Bly just put the wraps on a book that tells you all about great sales offers and how to write them.
The full title of Bob's new book is, "How to Create Irresistible Offers: The Easiest Way on Earth to Make Your Marketing Generate More Leads, Orders, and Sales."
You can't find it yet in stores.
But Bob sent me an advance galley to review.
Here's a glimpse, from my own notes, of what you can find inside …
- The four offers to use when you want to bring in a flood of new sales leads.
(pg. 6) - The zero-sales-pressure way to get a prospect to fill out an order form.
(pg. 8) - When to ask for a paid-up order instead of just a sales lead.
(pg. 9) - When asking your prospect to say "no" to your offer can get you the sale.
(pg. 11) - The only time to ask a target customer to wait before ordering.
(pg. 12) - The most common mistake in a lead-generating offer.
(pg. 12) - How to combine different kinds of offers for maximum sales.
(pg. 12) - Six times when you should use a soft "pay-later" offer.
(pg. 13) - Six more times when you're better off asking for the order outright.
(pg. 14) - How to double the response of an ad without changing a word of copy.
(pg. 23) - The one offer that stops people cold when looking for mail to throw away.
(pg. 24) - Why it's a BIG mistake to think "free" offers no longer work.
(pg. 24) - Do this and you'll get a greater response almost every time.
(pg. 25) - The "silver bullet" section every white paper should include.
(pg. 27) - Five sample formulas for giving strong titles to your free reports.
(pg. 29) - What format — from PDF to DVD — works best for free gift reports?
(pg. 30) - How offers made to CEOs need to sound different.
(pg. 32) - What's the easiest way to make every bonus report seem more valuable?
(pg. 34) - When audio CDs or DVDs can sell your product better than a sales letter.
(pg. 37) - Thinking of hiring a pro to make a marketing video? Try this instead.
(pg. 39)
Now, I'm sure you already know or have heard about Bob.
Here's a guy who's written more winning sales letters for the last 30 years … for some of the biggest around … AT&T, IBM, and Nortel … Agora Inc., Boardroom, and Phillips Publishing … Prentice Hall, KCI … over 100 clients in all.
My first book of Bob's was the classic "The Copywriter's Handbook."
But he's written over 70 books since then — on all kinds of topics — which is just part of the reason publisher McGraw-Hill calls Bob, "America's Top Copywriter."
So, you know he knows what he's talking about!
Things like …
- How to get someone else to write your bonus reports at no cost.
(pg. 41) - Five reasons never to use gift reports — and five better reasons why you should.
(pg. 45) - What to charge for "gift reports" that go with your offer.
(pg. 50) - The one kind of customer you can always ask to pay cash up front.
(pg. 51) - Five time-tested rules for hot offers you can't afford to ignore.
(pg. 52) - The most common word in lead-generating offers and why NOT to use it.
(pg. 52) - 10 better ways to describe your sales staff that won't turn off customers.
(pg. 53) - Never say "sales call!" Use one of these 12 irresistible descriptions instead.
(pg. 54) - What never to do during your first sales meeting with interested customers.
(pg. 56) - When free won't work as well as you hope it will.
(pg. 57) - 10 different phrases that can dissolve buyer hesitation on your order form.
(pg. 58) - The popular copywriting shortcut you don't want to take, and here's why.
(pg. 60) - How to iron out those tricky offer phrases that often confuse customers.
(pg. 62) - The simple sentence that stops "freebie" hoarders from taking advantage of you.
(pg. 63) - Why giving away a bestselling book as a gift with orders is usually a bad idea.
(pg. 64) - How to decide when or if a "bill-me" offer is right for you.
(pg. 64) - A very big difference with business-to-business offers you can't ignore.
(pg. 65) - Ethical bribes that convince customers to buy immediately.
(pg. 69)
Like I said, the book is just now coming out.
So, if you haven't heard much about this yet, I'm not surprised.
But a few others have had a chance to look it over.
Here's what some of them have to say …
"Bob Bly is a creative genius, always thinking outside the box. His latest masterpiece, How to Create Irresistible Offers, will help businesses unlock their full potential, generating floods of leads, and ensuring long-term viability. His work draws on decades of battle-proven experience. This book will surely be a staple resource for every marketer."
That's Michael Stelzner, by the way, a high-tech marketing consultant and the author of the popular resource, Writing White Papers.
Then there's what famous copywriter Sig Rosenblum recently had to say …
"If you sell anything — services, products, ideas — you are sure to sell them faster, better — and more profitably — with Bob Bly's How to Create Irresistible Offers. Here are the "secrets of the offer" the top pros know, but won't reveal. Plus a parade of profit-packed deeper insights that even the pros haven't yet grasped. What's the right offer for your next selling effort? Read this masterful guide by a master — and you'll know!"
Let me put it to you this way.
I piled up a lot of "how to" books on copywriting, back in the early days. Some I didn't bother to read. Others I couldn't finish. A small handful, I soaked up like I was reading the "owner's manual" for a successful copywriting career.
Those resources, I credit with getting me started. And I still recommend them to new writers today. But even then, I didn't have anything like Bob's "How to Create Irresistible Offers" around.
I really wish I had.
It would have saved me a lot of time.
And, probably, it could have made me even more money along the way.
A lot more.
And here's the thing, the book itself is insanely cheap — just $24.95.
I say this sincerely, I think that's a very good deal. Because, and I know this is something a lot of the "A-List" copywriters I know now could agree on, probably nothing will prove more valuable or simple a "secret" to you than knowing how to craft the best possible offer, right out of the gate. Get that right and it gives you a "target" for everything else your sales letter needs to do.
I highly recommend you take a look at "How to Create Irresistible Offers" for yourself.
I literally found myself making a note on just about every page.
Things like …
- How to make any price — even a high one — sound like a good deal.
(pg. 88) - How long should your guarantee last? Longer is almost better, but not always …
(pg. 96) - An extremely powerful promise that can triple your sales.
(pg. 97) - What's the perfect guarantee for an e-book product? Copy this live sample …
(pg. 102) - The "unfair advantage" secret that boosted orders by 21%.
(pg. 102) - Two ways to use "buy now" deadlines to make customers buy faster.
(pg. 106) - How long should your offer deadline be? It depends on this one factor.
(pg. 107) - Just by changing the word "trial" to this other word, orders shot up 15%.
(pg. 108) - Online tricks you can use to make offers feel much more urgent.
(pg. 108) - When using a "supplies limited" offer is just plain silly.
(pg. 109) - Bonus and other special deals that can make buyers order faster.
(pg. 110) - The only two things that matter when you choose "gifts" to give customers.
(pg. 110) - The one kind of customer who likes discounts better than order premiums.
(pg. 111) - When to mention your offer right away, when to save those details for last.
(pg. 116) - Forget word-by-word copy rewrites. Focus on these three "copy hot spots" instead.
(pg. 119) - How changing a single word on your reply form can make all the difference.
(pg. 121) - A layout for order forms that gives you all the room for copy you need.
(pg. 123) - How expecting buyers to order online from a mailed letter can cost you big time.
(pg. 124) - The proven response-boosters for reply forms that most mailers have forgotten.
(pg. 128) - Nine ways to make your reply form so strong, it boosts your total orders.
(pg. 130) - How changing the color of this one element boosted sales nearly 30%.
(pg. 131)
Naturally, the book comes with a generous no-risk guarantee.
If you decide "How to Create Irresistible Offers" isn't giving you enough insight to at least double or triple your sales … or if you're unhappy with the book for any reason … just send it back within 90 days for a full refund. You risk nothing.
It's really that simple.
Just click here and you'll find all the details about how to send for your own copy …
Of, if you'd rather, you can also call Pat, Debbie, Cameron, or Kristen at 1-866-879-2924.
I can't think of a better resource to have on your shelf.
But follow the order link to see for yourself, risk-free.
Sincerely,
John Forde,
AWAI Board Member and 2008 "Copywriter of the Year"
P.S. By the way, it turns out Bob's publisher, Katie Yeakle, must have picked up a few tips from Bob's book herself … because she just shot me an email saying she'd like to "sweeten" the deal ...
“She and Bob have organized a special teleconference, just for anybody who orders the book right now. This is free, but spots are limited so I urge you grab yours today.”
Here are the 12 key questions and answers Bob will walk you through during the call …
- "What's an offer?"
- "Should every promotion have an offer?"
- "Do 'free' offers still work, or is 'free' overused, worn, and tired?"
- "What about image-building ads — do they need offers, too?"
- "What are the keys to a successful offer?"
- "What are the keys to an effective guarantee?"
- "How do I protect myself from getting flooded with refunds?"
- "How much of a boost can I really get with a good offer?"
- "Do I have to rewrite the whole deal or can just a few word changes do the trick?"
- "What offers work best for selling stock-market newsletters and other financial products?"
- "What offers work best for selling nutritional supplements?"
- "When I don't have any free reports to offer, what can I do?"
Doesn't that sound like a whole seminar's worth of information?
I certainly think so. And yet you get all of it free, on top of everything in your copy of "How to Create Irresistible Offers," when you place your order.
All you need to do is click the link …
