5
Must-Have Techniques For Creating
Unbelievably Productive Copy
1. Get Specific
Nothing can spell out BORING quicker than bland
claims that really say nothing. “My clients
make more money!” is a perfect example
of poor copy that could use a little life. What
happens when you change it to, “My clients
increased their sales by 23.5% in the first
30 days!” Now that is kicking! It’s
specific and exciting.
Be sure that your claims sound believable,
no matter how unbelievable they are. People
are skeptical of “too good to be true”
claims. It’s better to tone it down, and
let them be surprised when it exceeds their
expectation.
2. Keep It Short
and Sweet
Long paragraphs and complex sentences look too
much like work to read. Yeah, readers get bored
quickly and easily. Chop it up, and break it
up. Don’t use paragraphs of more than
7 lines or sentences longer that 18 words. Find
ways to shorten it up, and you’ll keep
the readers attention.
How many long words are in your copy? Replace
them with short common words to create a reader-friendly
appeal. Let your copy speak to them in the language
they are used to hearing. Well, if your readers
don't like to spend a lot of time reading...
it pays to choose your words carefully.
3. Keep it Active
Eliminate dull passive phrases. They do little,
except bore the heck out of your readers. Dig
them out and replace them highly active words
that will motivate the reader to get up out
of his easy chair and DO something.
The call to action is the most important part
of any advertisment. Call, subscribe, join,
order, buy... make them hear the call loud enough
that they do something - NOW.
4. Skip the Humor
In the right place, and at the right time, humor
is an effective tool. Written sales copy just
isn’t it. Ads are short, concise and to
the point. Humor tends to get in the way and
distract.
Real life stories captivate readers. They relate
to them. The human interest of these stories
draws the reader into the message, whereas humor
distracts them for the point.
5. Us A Powerful
P.S.
A P.S. can be a powerful way to emphasize your
product, highlight the points of benefit, or
dramatize effects of the purchase. It’s
the perfect way to summarize your page.
The P.S. is most powerful on Web pages. Surfers
often read the headlines and skim to the P.S.
where they look to get an idea of what’s
on the page, and if it’s worth their time
to read it. Put some effort into making your
P.S. captivating.
Who is Allyn
Cutts, and why should you care?
Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses
like yours find new customers and increase sales
to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and
sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing
solutions that drive huge results for small-to
mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally
with clients to design and deliver off-line
and on-line direct marketing strategies that
focus on metrics and measurable results. You
can learn more about Allyn Cutts at www.AllynCutts.com
and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM
and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.