How to Turn Raw Copy Into Polished Copy

In my last article, I showed you how to create your pitch by finding your product’s top 10 “Big Benefits”.  Then I showed you how to get into a peak emotional state—and how to use that state to create a killer sales pitch.  And of course, I also promised you that I’d show you how to refine that pitch into a polished sales presentation.

(Good) Copywriting Defined
According to copywriter John E. Kennedy, “Copywriting is salesmanship in print”.  You’ve probably heard that countless times before.  It gets repeated over and over again in marketing circles.

But when you look at a lot of copy, you may start to wonder if anyone ever really listens to that little bit of advice.    It’s as true now as it was in 1905, when Kennedy said it.   But all too often, we get caught up in “writing a great sales letter” instead of “selling our stuff”.

That’s dangerous ground for a marketer to be on.  Because the moment you start thinking about “writing a great sales letter”, you’re trying too hard to sell them. And as you know, people love to buy.  But they hate to be sold.

The second you get too “sales-y”, a good percentage of your prospects will walk away.  Sure, some really motivated prospects will buy.  But you could be missing out on an additional 10%…20%…or even 50% in untapped profits—just due to poor “salesmanship in print”.

That’s why I had you start out by getting into a peak emotional state and visualize your perfect pitch.  When you do that, you unlock your mind’s creative and emotional power and creative potential. And when you direct that energy towards writing copy, you’ll almost always write a great pitch.

But that sale pitch—while powerful– is  still raw.  Right now your copy is like an over-enthusiatic, wet-behind-the-ears sales guy.  If you let him, he’ll overwhelm prospects with everything they know about what they’re selling.   He’ll make the pitch and ask for the order.

And that new sales guy does make sales.  But he also loses sales because he’s too over-the-top.  And the same thing can happen with your pitch.  If it’s over-the-top, unbelievable, or unclear, it might drive away as many customers as it attracts.

The Simple (but not easy) 3-Step Process to Turn Your Raw Sales Pitch Into Polished, Powerful Copy
Don’t worry. You can polish the most over-the –top sales pitch into great copy.  All you have to do is use this three-step process. But I’ll warn you in advance: this 3-step “Salesmanship in Copywriting” process may bruise your ego a bit.

Unfortunately, our customers and clients don’t care how much WE like our copy.  So set your ego aside and get started.

1.) Read your sales copy out loud to a friend.

Ouch.  Painful, I know.  But there’s a good reason to do this.

When you read your copy out loud, your mistakes become painfully obvious.  And that’s doubly true when you read it to someone else.

You see, reading your copy to another person is really the same thing as making a sales pitch.  When you read your copy out loud, any weaknesses in your pitch stand out like a sore thumb.  And just like a face-to-face sales pitch, you get immediate feedback from your subject.

That feedback is what you’re looking for.  And that’s why you’re going to record your “performance”—and your friend’s reactions.

Video is best, but you can also use a digital voice recorder.  But video lets you watch their body language.  And that important, because 80% of our communication is non-verbal.  As any experienced salesperson will tell you, you ignore body language at your peril.

2.)   Have your friend read your copy out loud to you.

Now reverse roles. Have your friend read your copy out loud to you—and record your reactions.  It may be a little difficult to be objective. Just try to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Listen with a slightly skeptical ear.

Now, watch both videos.  Take careful notes on how your pitch sounds.  Does it clearly present benefits that your prospects want?  Does it move with momentum—picking up speed towards the end? And most importantly—is it believable?

3.)    Cure Your “Copy Hiccups”

Now watch both videos again. This time, pay close attention to places where the copy “hiccups”.   That “hiccup” is usually a sign of problem with your copy.  Sometimes the words just don’t flow.  Sometimes there’s a hole in your argument.   And sometimes it’s a combination of the two.

Those “copy hiccups” are losing you money. If you want to dramatically increase your profits overnight, you need to attack them full-force.

So if there’s a hole in your argument, fill it.  Show the prospect some proof. If there’s an unspoken objection, answer it—whatever it is–completely.   And throw in more proof to support that answer.

And if your copy lacks momentum, you need to fix that too.  Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs.  Use action verbs. Speak in the present tense.  And of course—use “you” and “your” as much as possible.

Now that you’ve tightened up your pitch, go back to step 1. This time, you should notice a huge difference in how your copy sounds.  And when your copy sounds good, it sells.

However, don’t go through the whole process again, unless your copy still sounds really rough.  Take your new pitch and test it.  Give it a month or two to see how it works. And then come back and do it all over again.

Ii you use this 3-step system, your copy will quickly become “salesmanship in print”.  Your response rates will rise. Your profits will skyrocket.  And your bank account balance will go up and up.

By the way, if you want proof that this 3-step process works, consider this:

Copywriting legend Gary Halbert used a similar technique to the one I described above.

You see, when Gary Halbert finished a new sales letter, he’d walk down to his favorite bar.  And he’d read it out loud to the guys who hung out there.  And then he’d ask the guys what they thought about it.

If they said something like “Wow Gary, that’s a nice letter.” Gary knew had written “good copy” . And he’d go back to his office and re-write the entire thing.

But if the guys at the bar said something along the lines of “Whoa, Gary! My wife would love one of those…and so would my mom and Aunt Mabel! Where can I get one?”  Gary knew he had a winner…and that he’d written a killer sales pitch.

That’s the power of a great pitch.  Get it down on paper—or on your website—and you’ll see the difference firsthand.

– Paul