1. Using Headlines to Grab Attention!<\/strong><\/p>\n 80% of your eventual sales will come as a direct or indirect result of your headline. Why? Because 80% or your readers will either read on or go elsewhere on the strength of the headline alone. This goes for both online and printed media.<\/p>\n 2. “Putting Quotes Around Your Headline Boosts Sales”<\/strong><\/p>\n Just placing quotes around your headline will Increase sales by 20 to 50%.<\/p>\n 3. Don’t Put a Period in Your Headline<\/strong><\/p>\n A period denotes a full stop \u2013 and that also stops the readers momentum. However, question marks. exclamation points and three ellipses (\u2026) are very acceptable. (See Next Point.)<\/p>\n 4. Multiple Exclamation or Question Marks Are A No No!<\/strong><\/p>\n One is plenty. As soon as someone sees a multiple \u201c!!!\u201d they\u2019ll instantly think it\u2019s BS.<\/p>\n 5. KISS – Keeping It Short & Simple<\/strong><\/p>\n If the headline is too lengthy, it probably won\u2019t get read.<\/p>\n 6. Please, Use Only One Major Point – Idea – Benefit -Promise \u2013 Fear<\/strong><\/p>\n The headline is not the place to be a Jack of all Trades. Put in more than one thrust, and you\u2019ll just confuse your audience.<\/p>\n 7. Fancy Fonts Don\u2019t Work<\/strong><\/p>\n Fancy fonts are hard to read. Hard to read means lost sales.<\/p>\n 8. Keeping Your Headline Between 16 to 24 Point Size is Optimal<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t go overboard in headline font size. Sure you want it to get noticed, but you don\u2019t want to overwhelm your audience either!<\/p>\n 9. Does Your Headline Offer A Specific Benefit To Read Further?<\/strong><\/p>\n If not – toss it. It won\u2019t generate much interest.<\/p>\n 10. Adding Specifics Spikes Interest<\/strong><\/p>\n “5,242 Satisfied Users Can’t Be Wrong!” Putting in a specific number adds credibility and interest to the message.<\/p>\n 11. Is Your Headline Negative? If So – Can It Be Made Positive?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sure, sometimes you have to go negative to make a point. But if at all possible, emphasizing a positive benefit will outperform focusing on a negative consequence.<\/p>\n 12. Using Sub-Heads Will Underscore Your Main Headline<\/strong><\/p>\n What\u2019s a SUB-HEAD? It\u2019s just what it sounds like \u2013 a smaller headline beneath the main one. (And sub-heads CAN have a period at the end.) Here\u2019s a tongue-in-cheek example:<\/p>\n \u201cEVERYTHING YOU\u2019VE LEARNED ABOUT NUTRITION IS WRONG!\u201d 13. Color Counts \u2013 Making Your Colors Work For You<\/strong><\/p>\n Make your headline even bolder by using a vibrant color. Red, maroon, very dark blue all work. Yellow, pink and light blue are no-no\u2019s!<\/p>\n 14. The Readability Factor – What Fonts You Use Does Make a Difference<\/strong><\/p>\n The best fonts to use on the web are either Verdana or Ariel. These are easiest to recognize off a computer monitor. The next best are Georgia or Tahoma. Don’t use the default font for online content – which is usually Times New Roman. Times New Roman should be reserved for paper media only.<\/p>\n And please – make the font large enough to see! Not everyone has 20\/10 vision – so using the equivalent of a 7.5 point font will only cause your visitor to squint, growl and leave. Font size should be a minimum of 10 point.<\/p>\n 15. Italics \u2013 They\u2019re Not Online Friendly<\/strong><\/p>\n For Online Copy – Don’t! Italics are deuced hard to read off a computer monitor. Use them at your own peril. For paper media, use them sparingly.<\/p>\n 16. Why Underlining May Not Be Wise<\/strong><\/p>\n Again, for online content, steer away fro underlining words or phrases in your copy, unless it\u2019s an active hyperlink. Exceptions can be made for underlining in made for underlining in headlines or sub-heads.<\/p>\n For a paper sales brochure or letter, use underlining sparingly to emphasize a major point.<\/p>\n 17. Use Bolded Black, Red Or Maroon Font Color For Emphasizing Online Content<\/strong><\/p>\n Your goal is to draw the eye and your reader\u2019s attention to the important parts of your sales message.<\/p>\n NOTE! There’s a time when you SHOULDN’T USE RED FOR EMPHASIS. The time to use another color is when you mention cost. The price should never be in red! Try blue, or black, or hunter green instead.<\/p>\n 18. Be Careful With Blue!<\/strong><\/p>\n The blue receptors in the human eye are the fewest – meaning this color is the hardest to recognize and assimilate.<\/p>\n 19. Break Your Copy Into Digestible Chunks<\/strong><\/p>\n Nothing turns off a reader like a big, honking, never ending paragraph. If something looks too long or too tedious to read, it simply won\u2019t get read.<\/p>\n 20. Sentences Should Be About 10 Words Long<\/strong><\/p>\n Avoid ones much longer than 18 words. More than 20 words? Go back to the drawing board \u2013 or break them up using commas or em-dashes. (Just like I did here!)<\/p>\n 21. Problem, Agitation, Solution: The Three Basics of Persuasion<\/strong><\/p>\n This formula is a proven winner. Basically you describe a problem (the one your target audience is experiencing), then get them all hot and bothered about why it\u2019s making their life miserable, or at least less enjoyable. Then offer your solution \u2013 and cash those checks!<\/p>\n 22. Writing at a 6th to 7th Grade Level To Increase Responses<\/strong><\/p>\n Now hold your horses! If you think I mean talk down to your audience, you’re sadly mistaken. Do that and you can close up shop and go home. You\u2019re aiming here to make your message understandable. The human mind can best and quickly comprehend messages aimed at a 6th grade level \u2013 connecting you with your audience<\/p>\n 23. Watch Your Words! Keeping To Good Grammar<\/strong><\/p>\n Making obvious grammatical errors makes you and your message look sloppy. Keep to the rules, unless you’re emulating the spoken word or local vernacular. For instance: \u201cYou\u2019re Gonna Love This New Design!\u201d would be acceptable.<\/p>\n \u201cYour Gonna Love This New Design\u201d isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n This goes for punctuation as well. Learn the rules, and break them by choice and design – not ignorance.<\/p>\n 24. Write To your Audience, Not to Yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n If your copy doesn’t appeal to the person reading it by directing the message to them as often as possible – then forget about putting it on your site or on paper.<\/p>\n Write to your audience! Use the lingo that your visitors normally use. For example, if you’re selling sports shoes to teenagers – don’t go into how the darn things are made. Your audience couldn’t care less. The shoes aren’t “fine quality” they’re “rad.” They aren’t “great bargains” they’re “awesome buys.”<\/p>\n 25. Use \u201cYOU\u201d and YOUR Sales Will Soar<\/strong><\/p>\n When writing your sales message, talk about the prospect at least three times more often than you talk about yourself. This means use the \u201cYou\u201d word, and tone down using the \u201cI\u201d word.<\/p>\n 26. Tell Me a Story And I\u2019ll Be All Eyes and Ears!<\/strong><\/p>\n People love stories. If you can – start off with a short story, and you’ve got ’em hooked. Jump right in with facts and figures and you’ve got ’em lost.<\/p>\n 27. When At All Possible – Write Using Contractions<\/strong><\/p>\n “You Will” becomes “You’ll” And so on \u2026<\/p>\n EXCEPTION: In making a point for emphasis – sometimes the whole phrase is better. Such as: “YOU WILL BE SATISFIED!”<\/p>\n 28. REMEMBER! BENEFITS FIRST – FEATURES SECOND<\/strong><\/p>\n When you write about features you’re telling your prospect what the item or service does. Ho Hum. When you write about benefits – you’re explaining how your item or service will improve their life.<\/p>\n Stress Features – and your prospect will walk. Stress Benefits – and they’ll take out credit cards and buy.<\/p>\n For instance – you won’t sell a SUV to a soccer mom based upon engine size and horsepower. You’ll sell it on safety and carrying capacity. (You can fit the whole soccer team inside – with room for groceries. And the anti-locking break system will make sure you & the kids arrive home safe and sound.)<\/p>\n 29. Being Active, Not Passive Brings Home the Bacon<\/strong><\/p>\n When writing, try and use the active voice as much as possible. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n ACTIVE: This product will catapult your profits right through the roof.<\/p>\n PASSIVE: Your profits will be catapulted through the roof by using this product.<\/p>\n 30. Keeping Your Eye on the Goal: Focus On Results<\/strong><\/p>\n As you\u2019re going through all the benefits your product is offering, focus on the “end results.”<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a diet, it\u2019s a thinner, trimmer body. It\u2019s not a fountain pen, it\u2019s a writing experience. It\u2019s not a home business, it\u2019s a way to escape the rat race and achieve financial security.<\/p>\n 31. Use Strong Testimonials to Blast Those Sales Into The Moneysphere<\/strong><\/p>\n By using strong testimonials, you can increase your sales by an astounding 250%!<\/p>\n If possible, show actual names & addresses. Always get permission before you post a testimonial. Don\u2019t alter the testimonials, except to correct obvious spelling mistakes. Also \u2013 never make them up. That\u2019s not only unethical, but illegal.<\/p>\n 32. Show Me the Proof, And I\u2019ll Buy<\/strong><\/p>\n Put pictures of canceled checks, income statements, or other proof that your service will do as you claim. If it\u2019s a product, put supporting evidence that it works. For your website, using a current date script implies everything is up to date and real.<\/p>\n 33. Sprinkle with Facts To Augment Your Sales Message<\/strong><\/p>\n Sprinkle your sales message with actual facts and figures. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n \u201c165 million Americans get on the Internet every month. 135 million of those consumers go there to shop. How are your sales doing?\u201d<\/p>\n 34. AIDA \u2013 The Marketers Mantra<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the grand formula for writing successful copy. AIDA stands for:<\/p>\n A – Attention (Awareness): Attract the customer\u2019s attention<\/p>\n I – Interest: Raise customer interest by demonstrating advantages, benefits and features.<\/p>\n D – Desire: Convince prospects they want, desire and need the product or service you are offering.<\/p>\n A – Action: Tell the prospect what action they should do next \u2013 like purchasing your product!<\/p>\n Some have added another letter to this formula:<\/p>\n AIDA(S):<\/p>\n S – Satisfaction – Satisfy the customer after the sale so they become a steady source of repeat business.<\/p>\n 35. Use Bullet Points to Highlight Lists<\/strong><\/p>\n Have a long list of items? Then try breaking them up by using bullet points.<\/p>\n 36. Use Pictures to Supplement (Not Supplant) the Content<\/strong><\/p>\n Studies have shown that quality pictures or images of your product or service can increase your page views by up to 300%. They can also increase your wanted actions by 200% (link clicks, downloads, responses, signups, phone calls, whatever \u2026) and increase the amount of time someone stays on your site by as much as 50%.<\/p>\n Pictures make a great supporting cast \u2013 but never make the mistake of using them as the lead actor.<\/p>\n 37. Long vs. Short: Which is Better?<\/strong><\/p>\n As long as you have something to say – long copy won’t adversely affect sales. In fact – it’ll more than likely improve them. The rule here is simple: Sales copy should be long enough to fully explain the product or service and the benefits in purchasing – and not one word more.<\/p>\n 38. Using the \u201cBarstool Technique\u201d for Selling and Profit<\/strong><\/p>\n When writing your copy, make believe you\u2019re talking one on one with your prospect. Write like you\u2019d talk to your buddy at the local watering hole, or to a close friend while sharing a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n 39. I Feel Your Pain\u2026 Really!<\/strong><\/p>\n This is known as empathy. If you can share a common trait or cause, this “I’ve been in your shoes\u201d technique can be quite powerful. But to be powerful, it also has to be real. If not, you\u2019ll just come across as a lying, insincere blowhard.<\/p>\n 40. Give Them The Fish, Not the Line<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, people are looking for ways to reduce stress, and to make their life easy – or at least easier. Your prospect doesn\u2019t want you to teach them how to fish \u2013 they want you to deliver that fish to their door fully cleaned, cooked and ready to eat.<\/p>\n Put the emphasis on how your product or service will make your prospect\u2019s daily grind go smoother \u2013 and hassle free.<\/p>\n 41. Being Precise Makes More Money<\/strong><\/p>\n You decide which is more enticing: \u201cLose that blubber faster than you\u2019ve ever thought possible!\u201d Door number 2 will outperform its vague cousins every time. But \u2026 make sure you can back up your claims. Complete honesty is the best policy.<\/p>\n 42. Meeting Objections Head On<\/strong><\/p>\n In almost every service or product, there are bound to be at least a couple of objections your prospect can make. The price is too high, the wait is too long, the paperwork is too lengthy. Meet those objections head on, with reasons why your product or service is worth the extra cost, time or expense.<\/p>\n 43. Curiosity Rocks! How to Instantly Generate Interest<\/strong><\/p>\n Make your prospect curious, and you have them by their attention lapels. For instance:<\/p>\n \u201cDo You Know The 7 Secrets To Great Sex?\u201d Directed at the proper target audience, these lead-ins would be virtual interest super-magnets.<\/p>\n 44. Use Descriptive Action Verbs to Nail Down Sales<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Put The Swagger Back in Your Step!<\/p>\n \u2022 Hammer Out Credit Card Debt Now!<\/p>\n \u2022 Fend Off Debt Collectors Once and For All!<\/p>\n 45. Imagine This \u2026 Painting Mind Pictures<\/strong><\/p>\n Paint a vivid picture of what your prospects life will be like by using your product or service. Make it as real as possible, pressing all the hot buttons applicable to your audience.<\/p>\n \u201cJust imagine where you\u2019ll be six short months from now. Financially secure, never worrying about where the next dollar is coming from. Taking that long waited vacation, treating your wife to all the good things in life \u2013 that up until now you just couldn\u2019t afford\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n 46. It\u2019s FREE! This Technique Never Goes Out of Style<\/strong><\/p>\n It might sound hokey, but people love free stuff. If you can offer quality freebies just for looking or buying, by all means do so. Now, take notice of the word \u201cquality.\u201d If your free offer is perceived as junk, then your product or service won\u2019t fare much better in your customer\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n 47. Reduce Anxiety or Buyers Remorse to Close the Deal<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s ingrained and hard wired in most of us: Parting with the cash produces stress. Anything you can do to make that process go down easier is to your direct benefit. Offer a FREE trial or a FREE sample to overcome reluctance.<\/p>\n 48. GUARANTEED! You Gotta Have One<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re selling a product, you all but have to offer a guarantee. If you\u2019re selling online \u2013 no guarantee means no sale. Contrary to popular belief, a longer guarantee means less returns and more profits.<\/p>\n One technique that is working quite well is to offer a 110% return on the money invested if the product or service doesn\u2019t meet the buyers expectations. While there will always be those who\u2019ll try and take advantage of your offer, the increase in revenues more than makes up for it.<\/p>\n 49. Including an ACT NOW! Limited Time Offer to Bolster Response<\/strong><\/p>\n Put a deadline in the sales message. By acting now, the buyer will get x additional premiums, or x more months of service, or an upgrade to a higher class of membership. If you do have a fixed date deadline \u2013 don\u2019t extend it. That makes you look like a liar. Buy now before December 31st means just that. On January 1st, they\u2019ll have missed the boat.<\/p>\n 50. Don\u2019t Put Up Buying Barricades!<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve done your job and got your prospect clamoring for your offer, don\u2019t squash the sale by making it difficult to purchase. Make it crystal clear how to order. If online, pose your buying hyperlinks in an action orientated manner. For example:<\/p>\n Grab Your Future By The Tail Right Here! 51. Including a P.S. \u2013 It\u2019s a Integral Part of Any Sales Message<\/strong><\/p>\n After the headline and the initial paragraphs, this is one of the most read segments of any sales message! Make it strong and bold. One good idea is to add an extra benefit not before mentioned \u2013 or a consequence of delaying by not jumping in right away on your offer.<\/p>\n 52. Redundancy Check \u2013 Cutting Out The Fluff and Filler<\/strong><\/p>\n After writing your masterpiece, get out the red pencil. Go through every line and cut out any redundant words or sentences. If you\u2019re not sure a word or phrase is necessary, it probably isn\u2019t. For instance, the common word \u201cthat\u201d is overused to the point of exhaustion. Cutting it out from a sentence usually makes no difference in how it reads \u2013 except for making it smoother.<\/p>\n 53. Flow Control \u2013 How To Make Your Copy HUM! (And not Ho-Hum!)<\/strong><\/p>\n After you\u2019ve cut and revised, sit yourself down and read what you wrote ALOUD! Yes \u2013 aloud. Shoo away the dog and close the door if you feel self conscious. But speak every word as you read. Not only will you find umpteen mistakes that passed you by before, but here\u2019s another good reason:<\/p>\n When speaking, if any phrases or sentences get you tongue tied, revise or eliminate them. They are just interrupting the sales message flow.<\/p>\n 54. Keeping A “Swipe File” Will Keep You Current<\/strong><\/p>\n Every day you probably come across dozens of sales pitches and messages. Some are notoriously bad. Some are works of persuasive art. Start saving the ones that pique your interest or have actually induced you to buy. Hey! If they were good enough to get your money, they must have something behind them.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t plagiarize of course, but no one says you can\u2019t borrow techniques, principles and styles and use them in your sales copy.<\/p>\n 55. Never Stop Testing & Improving<\/strong><\/p>\n What works for today may be tomorrow\u2019s dog. There is always room for improvement, and testing your current copy (called the \u201ccontrol\u201d) against newer versions will make sure you\u2019re getting the biggest bang for your sales message buck.<\/p>\n But remember: When changing or revising your message, do it one point at a time. Otherwise, you\u2019ll never know what exactly produced the altered results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Before you approve any web copy or sales letters put them through the most rigorous quality check on the planet using this Ultimate Copywriting Tool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[38],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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The Content Message<\/h4>\n
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