Copywriting Power Chords

Can a sales letter create the same kind of chest pounding intensity as a killer guitar riff blasting through a stack of Marshall amps?

Do your words reverberate in your reader’s head like Jimi Hendrix blazing up the sunrise on half-a-million sleepy stoners by wailing The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock?

Would that scare away readers in a lot of more traditional markets?

If you think so I have 4 words for you: John Carlton Golf Letters.

Granted most copywriters don’t have clients like the ones John refers to as “The Boys.” Clients willing to live or die by your writing with a blood oath never to question, and always to trust. Then again, most copywriters aren’t John Carlton.

But, perhaps your best chance at ever finding clients willing hand you the reins and hang on for a potentially bumpy ride is to feed your inner rock star. Because to stand out in this crowded industry, timid just won’t get it done. Hell, even Bob Dylan had to go electric in order to get his message heard the way he wanted it heard.

So, here then are my top 3 tips for electrifying your message and turning your copy up to 11…

1. Collect power verbs. There are a few great files of emotionally charged verbs floating around the web. Search around a bit and get them, or start your own list. I like to read 100 or so power verbs aloud before I write, it get my syntax buzzing in the right direction for writing exciting copy.
2. Read music magazines like Rolling Stone and Spin. Pay special attention to articles that include “greatest” lists. Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time” packs a lot of emotion into very short song desciptions. You get great examples like, But in “Purple Haze,” … he declared himself a free man — and unveiled a new guitar language charged with spiritual hunger and the poetry possible in electricity and studio technology.
3. Crank the soundtrack. Stephen King typically writes with AC/DC blaring behind him. Find music that excites you and let it seep into your writing. I seek out a full length record that captures the essence of what I’m trying to convey in the letter I’m writing and play it while I write. It helps me find a rythm, and it’s a great way to plug back in and pick it up the pace when I’ve been away from it.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be rock n roll. If it’s jazz or classical music that lights your fire, then go with that. Regardless of the musical genre or market your targeting, music can fuel your words and make your letters come alive. Plug in and see for yourself.

And if you have a particular song or album that gets your head right for writing power copy, I’d love to hear your comments.

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