In 2017, it’s dang-near impossible to scroll down any social feed without smacking into a meme. The rise of 10+ million follower comedy brands like @thefatjewish and @fuckjerry (who pump out memes faster than Deepwater Horizon) indicate the medium is here to stay. After sinking more than a few hours into the vast ocean of […]
3 Ways To Ethically Steal Profitable Ideas From Memes Read More »
If you only sell to people who know the value of your product or service you’ll quickly run out of new customers, doomed to forever be a small fish flopping around in a shallow pool of revenue. To expand your market and increase sales you must indoctrinate new prospects. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of indoctrination
As freelance copywriters, we’re at this weird intersection between ‘creatives’ and ‘craftspeople’… Because our working practices need to draw from both areas. Creatively, copywriters must be sensitive to human emotions and highly empathetic… We have to be regularly inspired to create and develop ‘big ideas’ that resonate with people and help sell our clients’ products…
If you had to tell me your story right this second, would you be able to do it … or would you choke? You’d think it’s easy explaining who you are and why people should care. But if this were true, nobody would need copywriters. Bad storytelling means we risk confusing or boring people …
How to tell your story like Tolkien (and stop losing prospects to your competitors) Read More »
June 2017 marks 50 years since David Bowie released his first album. The title of this landmark record? Somewhat unimaginatively, it was called: David Bowie. Ironic, because nothing else in Bowie’s extraordinary life was ever that predictable again… The Ultimate Artist-as-Entrepreneur As a long-time fan, I was recently struck by just how well some of
David Bowie: The Ultimate Artist-As-Entrepreneur? Read More »
Before I became a copywriter, I spent 29 years working with brands. The power of those brands allowed me to create multi-million dollar businesses around the globe. That’s a nice piece of change. It worked because each brand had a clear identity that resonated with certain consumers. In fact, the product itself was often secondary.
How Eugene Schwartz’s Branding Secret Ignites Direct Response Sales Read More »
Add strong proof elements to your marketing materials and watch your sales soar. The young lawyer wrapped up his closing argument. He felt confident in his performance over the course of the trial. As the jury began deliberating, he and his boss walked toward the attorney conference room. He gave the senior attorney a broad
Boost Your Conversions by Thinking Like a Lawyer Read More »
I’ve been watching this for a while and wondering if others have noticed it too. The modern-day consumer is more aware and conscious than ever before. For us as marketers, copywriters and business owners, we need to be more aware of what we do when we sell to them. You may be thinking… “what
The Conscious Consumer: Who they are and why you need to know about them Read More »
How do you measure whether your voice is a success? Here’s a quick test. Try reading this out loud: It’s impossible not to read it in Liam Neeson’s voice. If you’ve nailed voice, that’s exactly what you should be looking for when someone reads your copy. They need to hear you. On Copy Chief, we’ve
The Voice Mistakes That Are Costing You Money (And How To Fix Them) Read More »
It’s one of the most notorious openings to any novel… Shocking, gruesome… …and so very, very vivid. From Stephen King’s epic 1986 tale, IT: “A small boy in a yellow slicker and red galoshes ran cheerfully along beside the newspaper boat. The rain had not stopped, but it was finally slackening. It tapped on the
Stephen King’s IT And The Secret To Creating Emotion-Driven Copy That Converts Read More »
I remember when I first deadlifted a barbell. Before that moment, I hesitated to pick up the 12.5lb dumbbells at bootcamp classes. So when I heard the barbell is 20kg (44.4 pounds) without plates on it, you can imagine how terrified I was. As I walked up to the platform, bullets of sweat were rolling
4 Things You Should Be Testing But Probably Aren’t Read More »
Recently a writer wanted her copy critiqued for an email lead generation campaign. It was for a watch targeted to bodybuilders. The writing style was “upbeat and cheerful.” Hey, wait a minute. That feels off to me… I looked at the company name and wasn’t familiar with the brand. But “upbeat and cheerful” wasn’t what
Here’s The Secret To Copy That Keeps Your Prospects Coming Back For More Read More »
As an entrepreneur in the self-improvement world, you’re pouring a ton of blood, sweat and tears into your business on a daily basis… You’re creating life-changing products and services and putting beaming smiles on people’s faces without them needing to gorge on an entire chocolate cake. You’d figure your work is done right there, and
The #1 Way You’re Accidentally Killing Your Own Sales… And How To Fix It Read More »
You already know case studies inspire hope, prove you’re credible, and give your reader that “If they can do it, so can I!” feeling that makes them take action. But done right, they can do a whole lot more. They can uncover objections and fears you didn’t realize your audience had. And ensure you write
How to 2X the value of your case studies (follow these 4 steps) Read More »
In this short article, I am going to show you how to use a few basic principles from the opening scene of The Lion King, “The Circle Of Life”, to create a VSL that influences and converts your audience. In case you’re unfamiliar with the success of The Lion King, upon its release in 1994, the movie brought in
How To Turn Your Sales Page Into A Blockbuster VSL Read More »
“I think it was a dud man, nothing is happening,” said Brett. Brett is the founder of Territory Run Co., an online retail company in the running/outdoor space. We had just pressed GO on his latest product launch – an email launch sequence that I wrote – and… …nothing was happening. Heart dropping into my
The 5 Elements Of A High Converting Retail Brand Launch Read More »
“You’ve got to stop buying into your own bullshit.” With that line, he built a deeper connection and showed he could help me. I was on the phone with a productivity coach. We were talking about my goals for the year — stop overworking, build a side business, and have a social life again. When
How to create deep, instant connection with your audience Read More »
Bullets — they’re those titillating snippets of copy designed to tempt your reader into taking action… Have you ever read one so intriguing you couldn’t get it out of your head? Where you just HAD to know its secret? Sometimes, a single bullet is all it takes to knock your prospect off the fence and
How To Write Badass Bullets Your Readers Simply Can’t Resist Read More »
“Story sells…” “Your customers connect with stories, not features and benefits…” “Thou shalt not bore thy customers…” If you study sales copy, you’ve no doubt heard variations of the above…that you should be telling stories. Stories are what people remember, and the way to your audience’s heart. And you can probably name at least two
5 Steps to Transform Your Personal Stories Into Sales Machines Read More »
There I am innocently perusing Facebook and then… woah! Good copy alert. Yes, I’m a nerd, buuuuuut… Check it: So I did what completely normal people do (right?)… and broke this down quick by asking 4 questions: What are they saying? Who are they speaking to? What is the voice? Does it work? 1. Why are
Conterintuitive Copy – Why this company reveals how to make their product on your own Read More »
When I was a kid, I was an unashamed ad junkie. (I’d love to tell you I always wanted to be in advertising, but that wouldn’t be true. I wanted to be an airforce pilot.) In my ears, I can still hear every note of the catchiest theme songs and the excited delivery of ad slogans. But
In today’s hyper-connected cyber world, we’ve become “copy blind.” People are reading so much copy… they tune out, go numb, and become blinded by the sheer number of ads they encounter day after day. The New York Times reported that, 30 years ago, people saw up to 2,000 ad messages a day. Today, people
Beating Copy Blindness: Weaving story into every part of the sales letter Read More »
During World War I, the British Army believed high morale was the key to victory. And what builds morale better than love notes and care packages from home? So they developed an efficient way to deliver 12 million heart-wrenching letters to active-duty soldiers… every week. Here’s an excerpt from a real letter sent home during
How to sell beyond emotion and logic (Melanie Saladino’s safety and excitement scale) Read More »
Are you sitting down? Because this isn’t going to be easy to hear… Your About Page isn’t about you. It hurts, I know. And it’s a little confusing. I mean, the page is called About You… What else would you write about, if not yourself? And that’s how a lot of people approach their About
How to write the perfect About Us page Read More »
After nearly a decade of trying, I finally need to admit my complete and utter failure at something that is basic for the vast majority of people… I cannot, for the life of me, get a single ounce of quality work done in a coffee shop. I know, I know—it’s totally not cool and
Checklist for great copy based on hierarchy of needs Read More »
They don’t believe you. There are a lot of reasons that sales copy fails to convert prospects into customers. However, that one up there in boldface often flies under the radar. I see it a lot when I review sales pages for clients. Even the ones who are pretty good at copywriting. They can write
Why Your Prospects Think You’re Full of It Read More »
Remember the Wizard of Oz? I’ll always remember that creepy, disembodied head surrounded by pillars of FIRE. That wizard was SCARY, man. And Dorothy went up to that dude and asked for a favor like it was no big deal. Sure, half the room was on fire and the wizard’s temple veins looked like they’d
5 Tips to being a better corporate writer Read More »
Many business owners I know cower at the prospect of emailing their customers. If they don’t have something to sell, they’re not sure what to say. When they do have something to sell, they don’t want to annoy them. And if they have any type of subscription model, they’re afraid an email will only serve
How Cards Against Humanity Writes Emails Their Customers Can’t Wait to Open Read More »
You may have seen the mean looking lady at the top of this article on TV before. Or maybe on YouTube. She’s the lady who’s always in those cage fights, crushing some other girl in a “no-holds barred” blood contest. She normally ends up winning, brutalizing her opponent in a matter of seconds. Her name is Ronda Rousey. Now, how you
How To Sell Like The UFC Read More »
Re: How to give Greece back its Alexander the Great Glory – with a BIG IDEA Dear Mr. Tsipras: Read this letter once before discarding. The time has come to turn Greece’s bankruptcy into a thick vein of gold. Your recent victory speech: “In Europe today, Greece and the Greek people are synonymous with resistance
An Open Letter to the Greek Government (Alexis Tsipras) Read More »
Let’s take a virtual walk-n-talk, eh? I have a little exercise I think you’ll like. It’s about how you can really connect with the people you’re trying to reach. But first, I’d like to tell you about a couple copywriting origin stories. Once upon a time, there was a copywriter who grew up in a
The power of less-than-perfect Read More »
If you want to work as a copywriter in the fashion industry, you have your work cut out. I got my foot in the industry at a Parisian contemporary fashion house (I’m actually Australian) as their online editor — at a time when blogs were a new and exciting thing. Blogs were the buzz word at
9 Copywriting Lessons Learned From The Trenches Of High Fashion Read More »
Love him or loathe him, there’s one accusation that can never be levelled at Donald Trump: he’s dull. You can roll out any number of metaphors for the billionaire and reality TV star’s impact on this presidential race. A tour de force, a whirlwind, whatever… But beneath the grandstanding and deeply controversial statements, there are
Trump: The Art of Division and Persuasion Read More »
Picture it: June. Southeast Texas. HOT. I’m talking swamp-in-the-seat-of-your-pants HOT. I’m on the hunt for a new car because after my car accident, I’d been stuck driving my stepdad’s old Ford pickup truck. The one with the bench seat, the loud engine, and the open-all-windows variety of air conditioning. I arrive at the 5 billionth
The danger in presuming you know what your prospects are thinking Read More »
What happens when a rag tag competitor sneaks up behind you with a (high calibre) Big Idea? Ouch! Have you ever heard of a company called RazWar? Unlikely. Delivering on their name, RazWar fixed bayonets and went into full battle formation. They hoped that your facial hair would fund a revolution against the empire of
Casualties of Big Idea Warfare (disturbing) Read More »
I don’t know about you, but I get frustrated when my inbox is loaded with “junk” emails adding no value to my day. I’m not talking about those SPAM emails trying to hock me Mexican Viagra at $0.79c a pop… (What a bargain!) No, I’m talking about emails from sources relevant to my interests, who
A lesson in the importance of clarity Read More »
“We’re doing a sequel That’s what we do in Hollywood And everybody knows that the sequel’s never quite as good!” So sings Kermit and friends in the latest instalment of the Muppets movie. Why is it that movie sequels have such a bad rap and infuriate movie critics so? There’s a sneering attitude of looking
How to use the Hollywood Sequel technique to keep prospects coming back Read More »
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Converting copy into design Read More »
Isn’t shaking hands a weird thing to do? It may be normalised in Western society. But let’s just think about it for a while. The act of touching another person’s hand has become our way of cementing trust. It’s a physical act that causes an emotional response… and what it means has huge importance for
Trust-building lessons from Terminator Read More »
One of the biggest questions I’m asked when teaching copywriters to write sales letters is this: “How do I choose the right avatar?” Coming right at the start of the research process, the identification and development of your customer avatar is an essential element in the copywriting process. But it’s more than that. Your choice
“How do I choose the right avatar?” Read More »
The missing secret of failed campaigns. It’s true. Remove the BIG IDEA behind the world’s highest grossing marketing campaigns, and then ask yourself this question… What remains? Bum fluff. A little harsh, but if a sales letter’s body copy could speak – his testimonial would read… “Big Ideas changed my life forever – never been
WANTED: The Big Idea (direct response style) Read More »
Now when it came to ‘morning’ writing rituals, no-one could touch Hunter S. Thompson. According to his biographer, his day started at 3pm with a glass of Chivas Regal and a packet of Dunhills with his papers. Minutes later, it rapidly descended into an evening-long smorgasbord of vice. Cocaine was then taken every half hour,
Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Secret’ To Jacked-Up Writing Read More »
Time for another sneak peak into the Copy Chief private forums with this conundrum from founding member Sean Bissell on how to do the seemingly impossible… warm up a cold list. Sean wrote: Hey everyone, I hope you’re doing great! I need to write an email to a list of people who have not been
Warming Up A Cold List – How Would You Do It? Read More »
Time for another free peek into the Copy Chief Insider forums… This time Brian McCarthy unveils a problem many of us copywriters have (but seldom confess to publicly). I can’t tell you how many times I find myself constantly fiddling over the tiniest details when editing my letter. The last ad I wrote I kept changing
Agonizing over minutiae Read More »
Enjoy a sneak peak into the Copy Chief private forums via this excellent post by Founding Member Ross O’Lochlainn… Are you a fan of House of Cards? If not, you should be. I have only recently started watching it. It is powerful stuff. The writers and producers of this show deeply understand the themes of power,
House of Cards Persuasion Lessons Read More »
Today I’m going to share an important lesson about using empathy to relate to your prospect in a sales letter. This is an issue I’ve concentrated on a lot for two reasons… 1. There’s a lot of misinformation about the meaning of empathy in copy. 2. How you use empathy changes drastically based on the
The right way to use empathy in copywriting Read More »
1. Stop traffic. Once a small crowd has gathered Joe waves his audience in closer as a “courtesy” because it “saves me shouting.” He promises, “I won’t ask you for money” to differentiate himself from the panhandlers in the streets of New York City. (And technically he does not ask for money, he asks
The Million Dollar Potato Peeler Sales Pitch Read More »
My first year into freelance copywriting, I had a serious problem. The Problem: Information overload. You know this one, right? That feeling that there is so much good information about how to make money online and it’s your duty to KNOW ALL OF IT. So you opt in for a ton of free reports or
Kill information overload Read More »
Can you look at any sales letter or video and know exactly which parts are making the sale? Imagine what a direct marketing super-power like that could be worth. Talk about your “unfair advantage”. Possessing the ability to see past the surface of any ad and see exactly which words and phrases poke the prospect’s hot buttons
How to develop sales conversion x-ray vision Read More »
“You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talking… you talking to me? Well I’m the only one here.” – Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver (1976) Copywriting legend John Caples famously said the key to writing an effective ad was to enter the conversation already taking place inside your prospect’s head. But, when
Speaking To Your Readers, Or At Them? Read More »
Did you watch Jimmy Fallon take over as the host of The Tonight Show this week? It’s hard to fathom how much pressure he was under to get this moment right. The last time NBC attempted to bring the popular 12:30 show into late night’s 11:30 “prime time” slot, it was a ratings and PR
Jimmy Fallon’s 60-Second Sales Hook Read More »
There are a million ways to get attention online. But what you do with that attention is the X-factor that determines how much money you can make with the internet. Unless you’re as endlessly intriguing as a pregnant Kardashian you simply cannot bank on an endless cycle of attention-getting tactics to bring in the dough.
How to turn attention into money Read More »
Hi Friends, Just back from John Carlton’s Action Seminar – a torrid 3-day affair between the sharpest minds in marketing and the most elite group of copywriters ever assembled. I realize that statement reeks of hyperbole, so let’s briefly consider the players: John Carlton and Stan Dahl The all-star faculty of Top Dog Simple Writing
Secrets Smuggled Out of John Carlton’s Action Seminar 2011 Read More »
Written By: Kevin Rogers My 6-year-old son is a natural born persuader. Here’s an example: He loves eating breakfast at Bob Evans (not a natural born gourmet, apparently)… so, on a recent Tuesday morning he announces… “You know what would be great? If we all had breakfast at Bob Evans before school.” My wife and
How To Sell Like A Six Year Old Read More »
Have you ever swiped a sales letter? I haven’t. I’m not condemning the practice. Hell, it crossed my mind once or twice under heavy pressure of short deadlines. It could never work though. I don’t color inside the lines well enough to be an effective swiper. It takes keen focus and discipline to match your
Pump The Funk Into Your Copy Read More »
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Protected: The Two-Sentence Sales Proposal [SECRET PAGE] Read More »
What would you say is your #1 skill? I call this your Bat Signal Talent because it’s the ONE problem your best clients would call on you to solve in their most desperate hour. It’s not the only thing you do, but it’s the one thing you do best. And usually the thing you enjoy
How To Define Your “Bat Signal Talent” Read More »
Once you learn it, you see it everywhere. The super-simple (yet magically effective) 60-Second Sales Hook is used by major ad agencies and brick and mortar businesses alike… for one good reason… … It Never Fails! You can use it to write… High-converting squeeze pages The ultimate “About” page on your website Perfect one-minute video
60-Second Sales Hook in a magazine ad Read More »
When I was a skinny, punk-ass 16 year-old… my step-dad, Scotty, ran a construction crew building new homes in Tampa. He was a tough-as-nails, but fun-to-be-around guy (picture Willem DaFoe and Jeff Spicoli merged as one) who had one rule on the job site: Never get outworked. That summer, rather than sit around broke watching
The greatest benefit of a freelance career Read More »
