World Copywriting Blog

Miss The Special Event?

The Two-Hour Year-End Call Turned Into A
Veritable Free-For-All!  You Can Listen In...

I was privileged to be on the panel of experts, along with Willie Crawford, Paul Myer, Rosalind Gardner, James Maduc and others last Tuesday, on the JV Alert Holiday Call (or should I call it "brawl.")

We had sharply contrasting views on where the Entreprenuerial Internet was headed and what newcomers (and old-timers) should do about it.  Which just goes to prove, you can herd cats, but there might be a few differences of opinion as to where each other should be allowed to stand... :)

I invited subscribers to my World Copywriting Newsletter to listen in for free, but I know not everyone could make it.  However, I just got some good news from Ken McArthur, head of JV alert:

You can listen to a recording of the call for free!

It's posted on the Web.  I don't know how long it will be up there, so get it while you can.  It's two hours jam packed with opinions, suggestions, advice, strategies, arguments... and even a little humor.

Go to http://www.jvalert.com/CustomerAppreciation121404.htm

And happy holidays to you!

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter
To subscribe, click here

Collector

Truth About Writing Copy That Sells Is Hard To Find,
And Much Of It Is Concentrated In A Few Books

I was talking with a client last night about how unusual it was for him to learn about the world of direct response copywriting. 

Despite a very successful, entrepreneurial business career, only in the last few months did he even know it was possible to create written messages that cause people to call or send money.

I'm overstating it a little.  He knew it was possible.  He didn't have a clue of what to do, how to do it, or who could do it for him until recently.

His discoveries about copywriting definitely came across as unusual to him, but his experience is fairly commonplace.  Most people have no idea what they can do with copy and what opportunities and fortunes await them once they do.  That's going to change in a widespread way if I have anything to say about it -- and I do.

Today I want to share with you some information about TWI Press, owned and run by my friend Bret Ridgway.  This online bookstore and resource center specializes in some of the basic things you need to...

Secret

Is There A Proven Formula For Sales Letters,
Ads, Web Pages, Infomericals Or Emails?  Yes.

When I first started writing advertising sales copy, I kept hearing about these formulas for putting sales messages together, but nothing I heard made any sense.

As time went on, I got the hang of it, and the formulas I had learned did a great job for me looking backwards.  That is, they described perfectly what had happened when a sales letter had worked... but they were of no use in putting a new one together.

Then I met a fellow named Ted Cooper.  A great copywriter with a terrific sense of whimsy, Ted wrote ads that helped build such Silicon Valley marvels as Apple Computer and Intuit (Quickbooks, Quicken).

One day, we were having lunch together in his hometown (the People's Republic of Berkeley), and Ted casually let slip the most powerful copywriting formula I've ever heard:

Special Event on Tuesday

It's Tuesday.  It's a Teleseminar.
And... wait for this... it's FREE!

Dear Loyal World Copywriting Blog Reader,

Here's a chance to get your questions answered by a panel of Marketing Experts (yes, I'm one of them) at no cost... and hear other people get pinpoint, no-horsefeathers, straight-up advice that you can use yourself.

It's on the JV Alert Tuesday night phone call, and, since I'm one of the panelists, I have the privilege of inviting you to come free.

All you pay for is a phone call to Nebraska, USA.

And no... we won't be pitching, pitching, pitching.  These calls are enriching, enriching, enriching.  Full of good info, with panelists earnestly trying to outdo each other in providing solid, useful information.

I have no idea why... but... it always works out that way.

Here's the link:

sign up free by clicking here

And if you want the full story...

Truckin'

Wanna buy a used truck?  I didn't think so.
But take a look at this copy anyway, will ya?

My young friend Drew Perry from Very Rural Tennessee has demonstrated a new way (in my experience) to use copywriting -- to sell an old, beat-up pickup truck!

Hi mom Rhea, also a good friend of mine, sent me the link to show off what a good student her son is:

(link to ebay listing)

It's some of the funniest copy you'll ever see... and... it's working!  He's already got bidders.

Check it out.  At this time of year we can all use a good laugh.

And maybe you could use a used Ford F-150 -- who knows? :)

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Blog
To subscribe, click here

CD

If you are looking to get more customers from the Web,
take a good look at my new teleseminar-on-CD

I've just released "How to Get Customers on the Web" and it's selling like hotcakes!

You can get full information at the Web site.  To learn more, click here.

Flash

If you are not yet a subscriber to the World Copywriting Newsletter, you might have missed today's issue, which is about the three reasons most Web sites don't bring their owners any business.

Fortunately, you can get to the issue right here from the blog.

Just click on this link.

Audition

As The Ear Draws To A Close, Let's Talk About
The Sound of Your Copywriting Voice

One of my mentoring clients, a super-bright guy who has been too heavily influenced by literary/academic traditions with the written word, was working on an assignment where he analyzed several pieces of copy I had written -- copy that has led to over half a million dollars in sales on the Internet.

His cut-to-the-chase conclusion:

"David, you're writing for the ear!"

Yes, Grasshopper, I am.

And so should you.

Because...

Testimonials

The Most Powerful Thing You Can Do For Your Copy
Is So Often Done In A Weak, Wimpy Way.  Why Is That?

Either you know now or you will soon realize that the single best way to increase the chance that people will believe your copy is to include a strong testimonial from someone else, supporting what you are saying in the first place.

Testimonials are valuable to copywriters because of a simple fact of life:

When it comes to saying good things about yourself, your product or your service, people are much more likely to believe someone else than they are to believe you.

Of course.  You, readers of your copy assume, have an agenda.  Third-party commentators (the people giving testimonials) are more likely to be disinterested, and are saying what they have to say from their own agenda, not from yours.

Yet I see so many testimonials that don't help the copy very much.  This is because...

Power

What Makes Some Copy Sparkle -- And Pull Response --
While Other Copy Just Sort Of Lies There, Listlessly?

If you could write a sales message that worked 100% of the time on 100% of the prospects that read it -- would you?

I would.  But I've never seen such a message myself, or heard of anyone who created one.  In business and not at gunpoint, anyway.

So what's the next best thing?