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10 Successful Strategies For Profitable Sales Letters
1) Start with a headline. Right up front give your products strongest benefit. Make a promise in your headline, and then explain how the promise and benefits work to the customers potential in the body of your sales letter. 2) Tell a story. Give a...
Case In Point: What You Need To Know About Link Popularity
by Karon Thackston © 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Link popularity. The term has flooded the ‘Net over the last year, and everybody is in a buzz trying to build link popularity for their sites. But do we really understand what link...
Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses
Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste, silence surrounded you and everything smelled the same. Not very appealing, is it? Now imagine a crisp, fall morning. The sun is burning away the last of a lazy fog. Robins are...
Five Secrets of Writing Great Sales Copy
Why are you reading this sentence? I’ll bet you a steak at Ruth Chris it’s because of the implied promise of the title. That promise – that you’ll soon be privy to five well guarded secrets of writing great sales copy – just grabbed the skeptic in...
The Art of Reading Your Buyer's Mind
Wouldn't it be fantastic if you had a crystal ball and you could read your prospects' minds you knew what they were thinking when you were making your sales presentation. You knew why there were considering the product in the first place. You knew...
The Not-So-Mysterious Art of Getting Clients
Sure, you can print business cards and letterhead. Launch a web
site. And hang your shingle as a freelance copywriter.
That's easy.
But you're not really "in business" until you GET business. And
that means having at least one paying...
Use Grammar as a Marketing Weapon
If you're like me, you're not writing that ad, Web page, or
radio script to make your English teacher proud. You're writing
to sell.
If you get an "A" while you're at it, great. But don't count on
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What is Advertising - and What Does it Mean on the Internet?
Today’s Quick Tip answers the question “What is advertising?” “Advertising is salesmanship. The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. It is profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales.” - Claude Hopkins, one of the early...
Why Jerks Win At Direct Marketing
Have you ever noticed that some very successful direct marketers go out of their way to be cantankerous? Have you ever wondered why? Today we're going to discover their secret? It makes many of them millions! Studies have shown that people buy...
WRITING POWERFUL EFFECTIVE SOLO ADS
Everybody wants to make more money... In fact, most people would like to hit upon something that makes them fabulously rich! And seemingly, one of the easiest roads to the fulfillment of these dreams of wealth is writing effective solo ads and...
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Subtle Emotion - The Key To Copy That Works
by Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.marketingwords.com
Say the word "emotion" to a man, and he'll immediately jump out of his seat and run from the room! Utter the word "emotion" to a woman, and she begins to conjure up thoughts of romantic, long talks centered around feelings. However, speak the word "emotion" to a copywriter and s/he should see dollar signs. Why? Because a good command of subtle emotion is the key to copy that works.
The Difference Between Subtle and Obvious Emotion
Confusing obvious and subtle emotion is a common mistake among copywriters. Let's say your copywriting client tells you his product should make the end user feel classy and sophisticated. He wants the copy you write to convey that message. What happens when writing with obvious emotion is this:
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Our silverware patterns will make you feel classy and sophisticated. They will decorate your table in an upscale manner so you and your guests will think you're in a fine-dining restaurant.
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Obvious emotion tells readers what they will think, see or feel. This approach is clumsy and awkward and rarely has the result the client is looking for. On the other hand, subtle emotion has a much greater appeal. Why? Because it deals with imagery. When you show people, rather than tell them, how they'll feel or what will happen after they buy your product or service, you evoke core emotions rather than shallow feelings. Here are several examples of subtle emotion at work:
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Graceful and elegant, these silverware patterns are sure to bring compliments from your guests. With an exceptional display of taste and style, you can adorn your table with distinctive stainless or sterling silverware that highlights every element of your table setting.
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As peaceful and charming as a Sunday
afternoon on grandma's front porch, these metal gliders are recreations of the WWI originals. Rock the afternoon away with a big glass of lemonade and a little nostalgia wafting through the air like a gentle summer breeze.
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Spend lazy days and restful nights in this poster bed dreaming about romantic interludes. Finished with Gabon mahogany veneers, your bed has reed posts, a removable canopy frame and a louvered headboard reminiscent of a shuttered window.
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Do you see what's happening in the copy examples above? No one came right out and said, "Your table's gonna look real classy if you use our silverware," but the notion is there. From the description given, you pick up on the fact that this silver will do more than make your table look good. It will make you look good in front of your guests and give you a little boost of confidence due to all the compliments you'll receive.
The metal glider chair copy never said your blood pressure would be reduced as you sat on your porch de-stressing from a long, hard workweek, but that's the distinct impression you get from the copy, isn't it?
And the poster bed? Just the mention of the materials (Gabon mahogany, reed posts) and romantic interludes gives a feeling that this bed is something special, although the copy never actually says so.
By using subtle emotion, by painting a picture of what the customer will get from these products, by incorporating them into the customer's everyday life, you - as a copywriter - are able to pique interest and increase sales. Ah! The power of words!
About the Author
Karon Thackston is owner of Marketing Words, Inc., a full-service copywriting agency. She is also author of the highly acclaimed Step-by-Step Copywriting Course, now in its third edition. You can find Karon online at http://www.marketingwords.com or http://www.copywritingcourse.com.
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