As the wheels continue to turn and burn in developing a digital product I’m releasing my personal notes on the ebook Make Your Words Sell. Whether we like it or not, we are selling or less suggestively, “communicating” everyday or our lives, so why not become a little better at it on paper (or a blog). I believe these bullet points will help do just that.
Out of all the copywriting resources I covered while testing idea feasibility and a mock sales page I was continually recommended to Make Your Words Sell by Joe Robson through both my extensive “Googling” and by three separate online marketers. Apparently it’s great for an online guide (and it’s free!). The thing is, it’s 250 pages long. It may be an easy read but it still took me a week to sit through, and it’s pretty much a massive list of useful bullet points, so I decided to pull out what I deemed essentials for easy use.
Call it my shorthand summary, or bullet point wisdom (with page references), but below is what I took away from MYWS to make the most out of persuasive online writing. Give it a gander and update your market writing tool bag as we continue with the creating income stage here at The LDP, amongst other things.
For extra exposure, check out stellar writer JC Hewitt at his blog Fail Often. He’s been “paying the bills since ’08″ only after a few years of looking into journalism. I’ve read up on his last three posts and have been compelled to get in touch with him after each one, that’s the type of writing I’d like to command!
Make Your Words Sell
- first, anyone can do it, it’s more effort based not skill based (19)
- know your product, industry, and competition (most important to know competition) (25)
- identify your customers wants (30)
- for every feature there are one more benefits (tell them about the benefit not the feature) (32)
- how to find benefits, present features and ask, so what? (36)
- use lots of subheadings, use even without other text
- start each paragraph with a “bang” (key or flashy word)
- paragraphs should not be more than four-five lines
- vary paragraph lengths
- it takes %20 longer to read a computer screen than paper (woah? is that true?) (49)
- saturate with benefits (51)
- techies do not prefer technical copy, don’t use jargon (57)
- don’t try to be funny, unless you’re really good at it (58)
- keep your message positive, not negative in anyway (60)
- we are all salesmen, every day of our lives (charles shwab) (62)
- use white space (62)
- use black text on a white or very pale background (dangerous to do otherwise) (66)
- don’t make bulleted lists too long whatever you do, 5 bullets max. (67)
- use a P.S. for a call to action, it works (68)
- use testimonials, feature them, (duh, page 70)
- use text based links instead of “banners” or “image” links, people are more likely to click them (70)
- “sell freebies” and sell their benefit on your salespage
- write with joints, a finishing line on a paragraph that intrigues the user to read on. example…how exactly can you double sales? (raise curiosity)
- describe your guarantees in detail
- ASK for the order (are you going to buy it? have we got a deal?, then shut up, don’t keep writing, ask for payment)
- tell them how to order, click here, fill this out
- pile on reassurance before and after the sale with guarantee, money back, restatement of benefits, a testimonial
- cut, slash and review your copy several times (83)
- write to suit your ideal audience, NOT everyone in common references and connotations
- summary of typical personality types and how to write to them (89)
- have a non english native speaker proof read your writing if you can
- make sure to present what you have as something special
- be different immediately (104) (opening headline, paragraph, something) be unique (112)
- step back and gain perspective after a few drafts
- create an extensive list of features, match your web design meta data
- need more and better benefits? ask what will that do for me, how will that improve my lifestyle, how will i benefit in the long term, how will it help my family? (107)
- continue to ask SO WHAT? (110)
- display your uniqueness, your unique selling position multiple times
- use headlines ruthlessly (115) but don’t copy others these are special on the web and target them to ideal customers (122)
- write distinct “hooks” or triggers with benefits (128)
- base outline full book instructions (129)
- make sure the text on your links have important words in them, they act as mini headlines (134)
- write headlines while you are excited about your product (137)
- read it outloud, as someone else to read it outloud, send to someone else for opinions (139)
- anticipate your readers thoughts by asking so what
- get in their head example (145)
- create a ideal customer document (analyze them, paint a picture, list out their characteristics) (148)
- the books mock process flow for creating a salespage (154) (good for modeling your own, but still long, they actually make a fake product)
- you MUST make your opening paragraph flow (188)
- prioritize benefits, best go at top (199)
- don’t let customer think too long, ask for sale (201)
- consider using a “special release price, or limited time only” to foster more sales (204)
- people fill out the form and then leave, reassure them all the way! make sales simple (205)
- finish strong with an “irresistible” offer, bonuses, discounts, limited time
- kick start guide (225) (they model the process in concept not an actual example here)
- the biggest obstacle is procrastination (228)
- ken’s 5 keys (co-author) become your customer, benefits first, keep it simple stupid, use the right tone (232)
- word magic (a huge list of “trigger” words that invoke response from anyone and everyone including “joint” words) (234) (great to have printed out or on hand when writing)
I wanted to test out this fancy new service (www.issuu.com) so here’s the first part of the “trigger” word section of the ebook in Issuu display below. I’m probably not supposed to display it, but given that it’s a free resource now and I’m pointing people to their website, I think Joe will probably be cool with it.
Hope you picked up a few new tips or brushed up on a few old ones. Add your own by leaving a comment.
PS/Real Life: After employing these techniques to my test product, the feedback I received from established digital download marketers like Glen Allsopp (www.viperchill.com – How I Wrote a $30000 eBook (And You Can Too) was really positive, which got me excited but most still commented that the best way to introduce an idea and test it’s profitability is to gauge an audience you are familiar with. Awesome writing is one thing, having eye balls is another. Considering on average I have very poor writing skills I’ve decided to build out the product anyway but concurrently build the fan base at IT Arsenal, the freedom business I’m developing as I record my efforts here. No doubt we’ll cover that amongst the efforts here going forward.
