It’s often a good idea to make a strong promise or challenge a common belief in your headline. But it’s not<\/em> a good idea to cross the line into hype.<\/p>\n How do you know when you’ve crossed the line?<\/p>\n Example: “Discover How You Can Pocket an Extra $4,267 on the Internet in the Next 7 Days!!”<\/p>\n Deadly Copywriting Sin #2: Yapping about Your Product from the First Paragraph<\/strong><\/p>\n In most cases (not all), you’ll want to avoid talking about your product or service for at least the first few paragraphs and maybe even the first few pages.<\/p>\n That’s because you want to first enter the conversation that’s happening in your prospect’s mind. He’s probably not thinking about your product or service, but rather the problem<\/em> he wants to solve.<\/p>\n So talk about the problem first. Only after you’ve gained your prospect’s interest (and trust) should you introduce the solution to his problem.<\/p>\n Deadly Copywriting Sin #3: Formal “Term Paper” Tone<\/strong><\/p>\n When you write sales copy, it should sound as if you were in the room talking face-to-face with your prospect.<\/p>\n So whatever your write should sound as if it was something you would really say.<\/p>\n Do not<\/em> use what I call “term paper” tone — you know, the kind of writing they taught you in high school and college. This kind of tone is borrriiing<\/em> (not to mention confusing).<\/p>\n Example: “When one wakes up in the morning, one sometimes feels groggy, exhausted, and lacking in energy. Therefore, one should examine a new product that addresses these irksome problems.”<\/p>\n Deadly Copywriting Sin #4: Writing to a Group of People Instead of a Single Person<\/strong><\/p>\n Selling is a one-to-one experience. It’s me talking to you. Not me talking to “you-all.”<\/p>\n When you write, write to just one person. Hold him or her in your mind’s eye as you write. Imagine you are sitting in a room together, and you are telling your friend about the merits of your product.<\/p>\n This is how you should write.<\/p>\n But it’s easy to slip out of that “mental reality” and start writing to a group of people.<\/p>\n Example: “If one of you is a doctor, then you will know what I mean.”<\/p>\n That phrase — “one of you” — implies that you are writing to a group, and will destroy the one-to-one selling environment you want to create in your copy.<\/p>\n Deadly Copywriting Sin #5: All Promise, No Proof<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s easy to make promises. It’s much harder to back them up.<\/p>\n Said another way, it’s easy to talk the talk, but it’s hard to walk the walk.<\/p>\n Remember: Whatever promises you make in your sales copy, you need to back them up with proof: facts, figures, testimonials, and whatever else you can bring to bear as you build your sales case.<\/p>\n Deadly Copywriting Sin #6: No Risk Reversal<\/strong><\/p>\n No matter what you are selling, you will almost always want to include some kind of risk reversal.<\/p>\n Sometimes it’s a money-back guarantee. Other times, it may not be a guarantee to refund a customer’s money, but rather a promise to do something extra to guarantee a certain outcome.<\/p>\n This is often done in service businesses.<\/p>\n The key is to reduce the risk — to make it easier for your prospect to say yes to your offer.<\/p>\n Deadly Copywriting Sin #7: Confusing Call to Action<\/strong><\/p>\n When selling in print, you want a very clear call to action. In most cases, that call to action will be to click the link below to buy now.<\/p>\n Don’t confuse your prospect by asking him or her to do two different things.<\/p>\n Also, if you have multiple product options, keep it to one, two, or three options — but no more than three. Too many choices leads to confusion and lost sales.<\/p>\n Remember: Avoid these “7 Deadly Copywriting Sins” to strengthen your copy and generate more sales.<\/p>\n – Ryan<\/em><\/p>\n P.S. Here’s your clear call to action. Click this link — free business growth articles.<\/a> — to get ideas, strategies, and techniques for growing your business.<\/p>\n![\"copywriting](\"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/copywriting-strategies-150x133.jpg\" "\\"copywriting")
A good rule of thumb: When you’ve made completely unrealistic (or unbelievable) promises combined with short time frames and exclamation points.<\/p>\n
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