The Hidden “Horsepower” in Your Copy
Archives: Daily Issues
Issue #2315
- WEALTHY: How to know when to take money out of the market (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: A powerful combo that makes some carbs better than others (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Shakespeare on words
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- James Watt’s "steam engine secret" for capturing your customers’ interest (John Forde)
- How freelancers can make Uncle Sam happy (Jason Holland)
- It’s Good to Know… about toxic waste
- Add "arrant" to your vocabulary
How To Get The Highest Return On Investment for Your Business This Year
If you want to grow your own – or a client’s – business faster, easier, and cheaper you need high-quality leads (potential new customers). This is true whether it’s a brand new start-up or an already profitable venture. High quality leads can mean almost immediate cash flow for your business that sticks around for the long term.
And there’s probably no better way to generate quality leads and deep profits that follow than following Howie Jacobson’s Google’s AdWords program. This best-selling author of “AdWords for Dummies” can show you – with amazing ease and insight – how to play Google like a fiddle, turning the sweet sound of clicks into cha-ching.
The problem for many folks is you can’t get Howie for less than $3,000 a day.
That is, unless you attend the Profits in Paradise conference this April, hosted by Early to Rise. You’ll get access to Howie and his secrets for extracting deep profits from AdWords this year at an amazingly low price.
And that’s just ONE of the dozens of under-the-radar profit opportunities you will learn about at our Profits in Paradise conference this April. For more details, click here.
Just How Bad Is the Economy?
Report after report has come out detailing just how bad the economy is. But February’s Philly Fed Survey really put it into perspective. The February reading came in at -24, much worse than the expected reading of -10. It was even worse than the terrible January reading of -20.9. Take a look at the chart below from Briefing.com.
Look at the blue General Activity line. Not only is it trending downward, it is as low as it has been since February 2001. Even more troubling is the red Prices Paid indicator. It is trending upward. Take note of how back in 2000-2002, that indicator was trending down.
The combination of General Activity trending down and Prices Paid rising suggests that we are in a period of stagflation.
This means you should be adjusting your portfolio by taking money out of the market. You should not have more than 50 to 60 percent of your portfolio in equities right now. The rest should be in cash, natural resources, or fixed-income investments.
[Ed. Note: Rick Pendergraft is a professional trader and market analyst. Rick teaches investors how to read chart patterns and how to take advantage of them in his new K.I.S.S. trading program. This program is a great way to earn and learn at the same time. Learn more here.]
"That which we call a rose, / by any other name would / smell as sweet."
Shakespeare
Unlocking the Hidden " Horsepower " in Your Copy
By John Forde
When I was 17, I wanted to buy a car.
Not just any car. But a cherry-red 1968 GTO convertible.
Lucky for me, the very one I wanted happened to be parked in a nearby lot. And it was marked for sale.
It needed paint.
And there was a tear in the canvas top.
But under the hood, it was lovingly restored. A custom "four-on-the-floor" Hurst transmission. The Quadrajet carburetor. Extra-wide tires. And, of course, a 400 cu. inch Hemi engine under the hood, packed with a rumbling, growling, thundering 360 horsepower.
Today, I call it "the fastest car I never drove."
It was the horsepower that was the hurdle.
For me, it was plenty. For my wise mother, who insisted on coming with me to look at the car, it was way too much.
The mechanic selling the car underscored the point: "Last guy who test drove this beauty got a ticket just taking it around the block!"
Instinctively, Mom knew that that kind of horsepower and a teenage boy with car keys was not a good mix.
How did she, who has zero interest in muscle cars, have any idea what "horsepower" meant?
I know. Seems like a silly question. Because today we all know what horsepower is. Or at least we have an immediate sense that a lot of it means a lot of power.
If you buy a motorcycle, you ask about it. If you buy a tractor or a lawnmower, you note the horsepower too.
In Germany, Japan, Italy, and France – all car-making countries – they have their own version of "horsepower." And in each of their languages, it directly translates to the same image: power measured in "horse" units.
What’s a "horse" unit?
Sure, it has a number behind it. This is supposed to be a scientific term, after all. But could 360 horses really pull a Pontiac from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds? I think not. Though I’d love to see them try.
And which horses? Clydesdales can pull more. But race horses can run faster. And plow horses? Ah, not so much. You get my point.
Here’s the funny thing… "Horsepower" isn’t really so much of a scientific term after all, even though it plays one on TV. Rather, it started out as marketing. That’s right.
See, the word "horsepower" itself was cooked up by engineer James Watt in 1782. He wanted a metaphor to help him sell people on the newfound power packed into his revolutionary invention, the steam engine.
Watt had, of course, scientifically measured what the machine could do. But he quickly realized that talking about "pounds-per-square-foot" just wouldn’t light his buyer’s fire. So Watt redefined the unknown and complicated… as something most people could immediately understand and accept: the pulling power of a horse.
He got the idea while watching a mine pony lift a pulley-suspended bed of coal out of a coalmine. The pony could lift 22,000 foot-pounds per minute.
So why not "pony power?" Watt must have realized that only pre-teen girls would have been interested. So he doubled the values of his data and called it "horsepower" instead.
The gambit worked. Watt sold lots of his steam engines and other inventions, lived extremely well, and died filthy rich.
The How and Why of the "Horsepower" Secret
I bring this up because lately I’m seeing a lot of the same logic work its way into today’s marketing copy. And often with huge success.
The trick works like this…
Let’s say a concept near the core of your sales message is a little dense and unwieldy…
Or maybe it carries some emotional baggage…
Or maybe you’re just selling something so familiar, you worry people won’t hear you out long enough to see what’s different about your pitch.
That’s where the "horsepower" technique comes in handy. What it does is let you reframe the concept into something new.
It’s familiar in one way, mysterious in another. So the prospective customer can embrace it instantly. But they’re also intrigued to hear more.
A friend did this recently in a promo for an investment newsletter, where the editor’s latest favorite hot topic was geothermal energy. Knowing that term would bore the socks off prospects before he could lay down his case, the copywriter re-dubbed it "slow volcano power." And it worked. That one promo is bearing down on $2 million in sales, if it hasn’t passed that mark already.
Another info publisher I know of uses this same technique as a starting point for almost all their new pitches – with huge success. They did $60 million in sales last year.
The same technique can add new drama to common problems that your product can solve. You might even consider a term that adds more mystery rather than clarifies.
For instance, asking your reader if they’re "Tired of suffering the embarrassment of ‘halitosis’"… is just asking them if they want to get rid of their bad breath.
But transforming "bad breath" into the lesser-known "halitosis" – the clinical term for bad breath – both ups the stakes and raises curiosity.
If this is an old technique, why talk about it now? Because prospects are hit so hard, so often with pitches that say much of the same thing for similar products, re-inventing terminology gives you a time-tested way to breeze past all that new resistance.
Call it "brain grease," if you like. Just so long as you know that it works. And that it’s worth testing as soon as you get the chance.
[Ed Note: John Forde, a published writer and a direct-mail copywriter since 1992, is a featured expert in The Magic Button, ETR's step-by-step guide to starting a profitable Internet business. Applying John's proven techniques for writing promotional copy will make every customer contact an opportunity for a sale, whether it's your company's homepage, sales letters, emails, ads, and even editorial content.
Sign up for John's free weekly e-zine, The Copywriter's Roundtable.]
Can I Make You $103,000 Richer This Year?
This is kind of embarrassing, but I have a ridiculously easy way of making money online that you can copy step for step. If you are into complex, time-consuming, technical know-how programs for Internet money-making (and some of them are very good for the right person), this is definitely NOT for you. It’s just that some people hear “easy” and think it has no value.
But if you are like me, value means how much money this can make you. And $75,000 to $100,000 this year is well within reach. Maybe a lot more.
I guarantee this new program is exactly what I say it is. To learn all about it and to get started right now just click here.
The One-Person HR Department
So you’ve broken free from the corporate rat race. You’re a freelancer now, working from home. And the checks are already rolling in from your new clients. It’s what you’ve always wanted: financial independence.
But before you start spending that hard-earned money, remember that Uncle Sam still wants his piece.
There’s no HR department to automatically deduct Social Security and income taxes from your paycheck. No one to make contributions to your retirement plan. No one to make payments for health insurance coverage. Now you have to handle those things on your own. It can be tedious. But if you don’t do it, you’ll be scrambling for money that may not be there when tax time (which is quarterly, not annually, for freelancers) or payment-due dates roll around.
When you get a check from a client, first set aside money that will go into savings for future investment. "True wealth builders," Michael Masterson says, "set aside money for savings well before they pay any bills. By making personal investing a priority, they force themselves to conserve where they need to conserve… in their discretionary spending."
Once you’ve got your savings accounted for, do as novelist and freelance writer John Scalzi suggests: Cut your earnings in half. One half pays your bills, buys groceries, and covers other living expenses. The other half, which you put into a no-risk, interest-bearing account, will cover taxes, insurance payments, and your retirement plan.
(Source: scalzi.com)
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"Just a line or two to chuckle at Jason Holland ’s article, ‘A Simple Way to Make Today More Productive.’
"You make your e-zine so interesting, it is hard to put it down.
"I have started a newsletter dealing with health, wealth, and happiness, which is along the same lines as yours. In fact, reading ETR helped me decide what niche to go into, and I decided I could do all three. My training as a psychotherapist and stress counselor gives me the experience needed to help many people. The Internet is a good medium for this.
"Thank you for a delightful e-zine. Long may you flourish."
- Sussan Carter
Kiewa, Victoria, Australia
[Ed. Note: Want to get your name and opinions published in ETR? Let us know how reading ETR has helped you - maybe even changed your life. Send your comments to ReaderFeedback@gmail.com. Include your name and hometown... and we may print your e-mail in a future issue.]
Don’t Can the Beans
Last week, I was talking with a diabetic friend. During her latest weight-loss effort (and there have been many), she gave up beans. But she was still eating whole-grain bread and pasta. She reasoned that "beans are too high in carbs," believing they would worsen her diabetes and waistline woes.
When I told her I eat beans (dark red kidney beans or chickpeas) just about every day, her jaw dropped. "But you’ve never been leaner or more fit," she said. Exactly! Beans are a great low-glycemic carbohydrate that helps keep blood sugar in balance and your appetite in check.
In fact, a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition proved just how much better beans are than popular wheat-based products for keeping blood sugar levels stable.
At each meal, healthy participants were given 50 grams of carbohydrate – either from chickpeas, wheat-based foods, or white bread. Researchers found that plasma glucose levels of those eating chickpeas was substantially lower 30 minutes and one hour after each meal than levels of the participants eating the other carbohydrates.
What makes beans so effective at stabilizing blood sugar? Fiber and protein. This powerful combo helps slow digestion and blunt the spike associated with eating other carbohydrate-rich foods. Plus, you’ll stay full longer and eat less, which is the key to losing weight… and keeping it off.
[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series. Learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
It’s Good to Know: Toxic Waste Is for the Birds
Scientists at Cardiff University have found that male starlings develop superior singing ability after being exposed to an estrogen-like toxic waste. Because singing is a sign of virility among birds, the pollutant-enhanced males attract more females. It turns out the toxic waste changes the part of the birds’ brains associated with singing. Of course, the news isn’t all good for the animal kingdom. When the same chemicals pollute streams and rivers, they have been known to turn male fish into hermaphrodites.
Throw off the delicate balance of hormones in birds, fish, animals – or people – and you never know what will happen. (Male athletes who abuse steroids – which mimic testosterone and other "male" hormones – often wind up with results that are less than virile.)
(Source: Wired )
What If There Was A Way To Legally Beat A Traffic Ticket?
“When Attorneys Get Speeding Or Traffic Tickets, This Is What They Do… No Points, No Increased Premiums & Definitely No Stupid Driving School. These Tricks Work Like Magic.”
If you’re like me then the simple sight of a police car in your rear-view mirror is enough to send shivers down your spine, but…
When the lights start flashing…
There Goes That Safe Driver Discount… Right? Not anymore…
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Arrant
"Arrant" (AR-unt) – from the Latin for "a journey" – means downright/ confirmed/ extreme/ notorious. It was originally a variant spelling of "errant" (meaning "wandering") and was applied to vagabonds.
Example (as used by J.D. McClatchy in The New York Times): "More deplorable is his [James Dickey's] arrant and compulsive hypocrisy…. Under all the chest hair, he was a hollow man."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008
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