Category — Copywriting

Tips for starting your post, your ad, or your email with a headline that’s so good, your readers will take it everywhere (even swimming).

Make them curious

Curiosity is bad for cats, but good for people. Write something odd, or unexpected, and your readers will want to find out more about it.

One way to do this is to put two or three things together in a new way. Or, combine subjects that don’t seem to belong together at all.

The Yogi Berra Marketing Guide
The only way to find out what in the world Yogi Berra has to do with marketing is to read the post.

The Pajamas, The Lizard Brain, and the Employee Manual. Certainly a strange combination.  The only way to find out what it’s about is to read on.

Ask a question (without a clear answer)

Are You Reading These Blogs?
Do You Make This Common Marketing Mistake?
Why Are Clients Like Fish?

Make a big promise

Tell people you’ve got secret, long-lost, or critical information.

The Number One Marketing Secret You Need to Know
Try This Timeless Copywriting Technique

Announce something new or solve a big problem

Revealed: Why Clients Want to Make the Logo Big
The Truth About CAN-SPAM

Appeal to self-interest

Earn More Money by Giving Free Gifts
15 Tips for Writing Emails That Make Money
Get Record-Setting Results in a Recession

Photo compliments of: inju

Today’s Freebie Friday is an e-book of copywriting tips, called Secrets of Writing Killer Copy.

Learn:

• easy ways to write great headlines
• tips for getting your sales letter off to a great start, and
• an old copywriting rule that still works

As promised last November, this is the second in a series of free e-books I’m releasing.  If you missed the first one, you can get it here

Both are free. No sign-up or registration required.

Feel free to read them, share them, and pass them along. Just don’t sell them or change them.

Click on the picture below to get your copy.

UPDATE: The link should work now! Sorry about that.

Yesterday, I posted some copy and asked what was wrong with it. The company is pure fiction, but the copy is adapted from an actual Web site. Names and details have been changed to protect the guilty.

Can you spot the problems?

Here it is again.

A badly designed web site can have a negative impact on your site’s effectiveness and the money you earn from it.

After the initial consultation phase of your project, Wow Wow Web Design will create your web site using professional design tools. There are people who will offer to produce graphics for you at highly discounted rates. However, the quality of their design may be poor.

Whether you need a big web site or a small one, we can provide all your design needs.

No work process

There’s a general statement about an initial consultation, but no indication what happens after that. Talking about your work process is good, but spell it all out. Take people through what you’ll do and when.

No differentiation

Why choose Wow Wow over any other company? Do they offer tools that let you easily make small updates yourself? A project dashboard?  They’re not remarkable in any way.

No trust/value

They point out that cheaper alternatives may lead to poor results, but give no proof that their services are better.

No tribe

What is their market? What kind of fish are they trying to catch?  Do they specialize in large companies? Plumbing suppliers? Artists? Can’t tell.  Who is their perfect client?

Image: sue_r_b

Go look at your Web site’s home page in a new window. Or, pull out your company brochure.

It’s OK, I’ll wait.

Read the first two or three paragraphs.

Do they pull you in? Make you want to read more? Or, is the best opening sentence buried?

Here’s an example, from the completely fictional Wow Wow Web Design company.

After the initial consultation phase of your project, Wow Wow Web Design will create your web site using professional design tools. There are people who will offer to produce graphics for you at highly discounted rates. However, the quality of their design may be poor.

A badly designed web site can have a negative impact on your site’s effectiveness and the money you earn from it. Whether you need a big web site or a small one, we can provide all your design needs.

The best sentence is buried at the beginning of the second paragraph. Move that up and see how much better it reads.

A badly designed web site can have a negative impact on your site’s effectiveness and the money you earn from it.

After the initial consultation phase of your project, Wow Wow Web Design will create your web site using professional design tools. There are people who will offer to produce graphics for you at highly discounted rates. However, the quality of their design may be poor.

Whether you need a big web site or a small one, we can provide all your design needs.

There are several other things wrong with this copy. Do you know what they are?

Find out here.

Image: spekulator

Today is the second in this week’s roundup series. The theme this time is headlines. Here are five posts with tips on writing headlines, starting your sales letter with a bang (and going beyond the headline), and some unusual sources for headline inspiration.

7 Easy Ways to Write Great Headlines

How to Write Great Headlines

Start Your Sales Letter with a Bang

7 Secret Shortcuts for Writing Great Headlines

102 Great Headlines

Image: gracey