3 Simple Steps to Writing Copy
Last month in Miami, after Bedros and I had completely restructured the businesses of five info-marketing pioneers, we each launched into a one-hour teaching session.
First, Bedros gave each attendee a traffic-generation checklist, showing them how to get free traffic from Youtube, blogging, and SEO.
Next up, I walked them through a simple copywriting formula. (You can listen to a similar teleseminar I did here.)
Mastermind Kate Vidulich said it helped her tremendously when she was putting together her Fat Loss Accelerators copy.
In addition to listening to that teleseminar (that gives you the nuts and bolts of organizing your page), I also recommend the following steps to copy success:
Step #1 – Create 30 to 50 headlines
This is a great exercise, and I wrote about this a couple of months ago (early December, I believe) when I created the headline for my best sales letter ever – now available for full review at www.HomeWorkoutRevolution.com
(Big thanks to Mikey “Earnin’ his IHOP Pancakes” Whitfield for his help with that sales letter.)
You may model that website for:
– where to put your buy buttons
– where to put your social proof
– how to create an emotional story lead (see more below on this importance)
– how to invoke curiosity
– how to set-up your PS’s and guarantee box
– how to structure an offer & make the bonuses valuable & desirable
– how to incorporate design + storytelling
No “copying” of course, but you can model it.
Step #2 – Write an Emotional Lead
This is an often overlooked component because most beginners want to get “right to it”. Most sales letters are like the proverbial male college student that just wants to “get it on”. But you need to romance the reader.
Hence the importance of the lead.
One of the best sales letters/videos going these days is from Stansberry & Associates in their copy about “Obama’s 3rd Term” (NOTE: I just discovered this salesletter is no longer online…*sadness*).
But if you keep an eye out for other Stansberry sales letters, you’ll see how they are patient and willing to take time to craft a story to get the reader engaged.
Compare that to most sales letters – particularly in the fitness industry – that just want to vomit up details on what you get in the product.
Just another reason to read the Home Workout Revolution copy.
Bottom line:
Be patient.
Create a story.
Make an emotional connection.
And make sure that you spend time in a Copy Logic review to improve not only your headlines, but your lead, too.
I highly recommend buying at least one Stansberry product (most are just $49). You need to be on their email list. They put out a ton of emails, but it’s worth having a crowded inbox to see the incredible copy that they create in their sales videos. They might just have the best copywriting team in the world.
3 – Read the Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy
Once you’ve got your headline and lead, filling out the rest of your sales copy is just like “painting by numbers” or baking a cake.
Just follow the instructions…
I.e.) Offer box goes here. Guarantee goes here. And so on.
In addition to the ad copy telemseminar, another great “copy recipe
guide” is Dan Kennedy’s Ultimate Sales Letter book.
Do your 50, write your lead, and paint by numbers with Kennedy’s help, and you’ll be 90% of the way there.
BONUS Tip:
Make sure to do at least one Copy Logic Peer Review process on your copy. If you aren’t familiar with this, just watch the video here.
A copy peer review will dramatically improve your copy. It’s the final 10% of the process, and one of the most important components to success.
So that’s it.
Start there with those simple steps and resources, and you’ll overcome what is often the biggest hurdle for beginners in their online business.
Most people fear writing copy, but it’s not that difficult when you follow this plan.
Let me know how it goes.
By the way, the next 1-day Mastermind that Bedros and I will be doing is Wednesday, May 8th in San Diego – right before our next Info Mastermind weekend meeting.
We’ve already had two people sign up for this (one we met at Traffic and Conversion on the weekend, and another that has been a long-time FIM subscriber) so we only have 4 spots left.
Email Frankie@keuilian.com to reserve your spot and get a 10-minute call with Bedros to make sure that it’s right for you.
Now get writing and selling,
Craig Ballantyne
“Timid salesman have skinny kids.” – Zig Ziglar