Dear Friend,

I have a confession to make…

You see “Dear Friend” as the greeting on so many sales letters. It’s almost like some unwritten copywriting law…

… And it’s something I’ve tested on probably ~20 different products all in different niches. These are client sites so I can’t really show you an example or get too specific…

But in many cases, no greeting at all can DRAMATICALLY improve readership and conversions.

Why?

I honestly can’t say for sure, but I do have my suspicions…

1. Your greeting is in prime real estate, usually after the headline and before the lead. Maybe it’s serving as a roadblock before you suck them into the lead copy.

2. It’s overplayed. Especially in the bizopp/make moniez niches. It just screams “I’m selling something”!

3. It’s insincere.  Most of the time when you’re selling in print you’re not *really* friends with your customers. Sure, hopefully you have a good relationship with them. I’m happy to chat with some of my subscribers from time to time, and in the case of my clients, we genuinely are “friends”, but that’s after we’ve already established a working relationship.

When I hit a complete strangers sales message, and I see “Dear Friend”, I think “Yeah, I don’t know you, what are you trying to sell me?”

But I’m not my prospect…

Point being, there are no “rules” in copywriting that are set in stone.

I’m not saying never use “Dear Friend”, sometimes it pulls better, other times it doesn’t…

But the differences are substantial enough to test.

The BIG takeaway here is even the little stuff is worth testing, because overtime even the small changes can lead to serious profits.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. While we’re on the subject of “breaking the rules”, check out how these guys are quadrupling  opt-in rates by… Get this…  Removing the opt-in form from their squeeze pages! It’s pretty crazy stuff, but what’s more impressive is that it’s producing some incredible results for people…  http://www.makestuffsell.com/Social

(The recorded webinar is only like 5-10 minutes and definitely worth the watch)…

http://www.makestuffsell.com/Social

If you want to create advertising that sells, you have to make people believe. And you have to do it multiple times…

Your prospect has to believe reading your offer is worth their time.

To do that you have to create headlines that can’t be ignored. Your lead copy has to be so compelling that they can’t resist reading further…

Your prospect has to believe your offer can help them.

People have VERY sensitive BS detectors that are easy to set off.

They have plenty of options to choose from. And they have every reason in the world to assume you’re a liar. You have to make a compelling offer that has both a huge benefit and is believable.

You have to use every proof element at your disposal. You have to present your facts in a logical way that gets them excited without assuming it’s all lies and hype.

Your prospect has to believe in HIMSELF.

This is something that’s VERY important and rarely talked about. If your product helps people lose weight, make more money or play better golf… Whatever it promises, even if people believe that it’s helped others they don’t believe it can help them…

They’ll think to themselves “That’s great she’s lost 58 pounds, but it won’t work for me”… Or “that guy made a ton of money with Adsense, but he doesn’t have a full time job and 3 kids to raise”…

People doubt themselves. Even if they believe your copy, even if they think it works for other people, many of your prospects simply won’t believe it’ll work for them.

People need encouragement like…

“If you’re like me, you’ve tried every diet from Atkins to Jenny Craig… And even if you lost a few pounds here and there it always came back. That’s how diets work. When you’re starving yourself the weight comes off, but if you stray from the diet the weight comes back within a week…

That’s where my diet is different. The weight comes off easy and naturally… And the best part is it STAYS off…”

Back up statements like that with proof. You show them it’s worked for other people. It’s different than all of the other solutions out there and it WILL work for them as well.

ALWAYS remember that people need help believing in themselves.

Being believed is quite possibly the most profitable skill in advertising.

If you can grab attention, hold it, and present an irresistible offer AND get your prospect to believe your claims, you’re set for life.

Make them believe…

Always keep that in mind.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Share any tips you have on gaining visitors trust in the comments below. Thanks!

I critique quite a bit of copy.

A HUGE mistake I see, and I see it all of the time, is people focusing on the product and not the person they’re selling to.

Case in point…

I recently saw an ad, and the very first thing it said was “You are about to purchase the most amazing product of your life”…

Really?

That’s how you’re going to hook me?

If you met me in real life would the first words to come out of your mouth be “You are about to purchase…”

Because that’d be a little creepy.

On another letter (and no offense if you read this) I saw “over 11 hours of content” touted as a benefit 3-4 times throughout the copy.

If you said “in depth” or “everything I know about” that’d make sense.

But just saying “11 hours of content”… Really, who wakes up in the morning and thinks “Man, I need to get my hands on 11 hours of content today”…

That’s the problem when you focus on your product and not on what the person you’re writing to is thinking about.

You completely miss the mark.

Selling in print is all about having a conversation with your customer.

And your customer, just like everyone else on this planet, they want to talk about THEM.

It’s okay to talk about your product. But tie everything into how it’s going to help the person you’re selling it to.

If it’s not a real benefit, skip it.

Because the second you stray from focusing on the person you talk to, you run the risk of boring or insulting them, and you’re giving them a very good reason to pass on your offer.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

Think about this…

Every Government in the world uses fear to rule. They use fear to manipulate elections, to pass laws that fit their agendas…

We’re afraid of the economy.

We’re afraid of high taxes.

We’re afraid of terrorists.

We’re afraid of war…

Every politician campaigns on fear. “If x party doesn’t get elected, the economy will crumble, we’ll be attacked by terrorists and the world will forever change as we know it…”

Seeing a pattern here?

Fear is powerful.

It’s an emotion that plays a big part in every buying decision you make.

People buy nice cars in part because they’re worried about what others think, they’re afraid that people won’t think they’re successful.

People buy marketing products because they’re afraid of not having money in the future. Or afraid of not being able to keep up with the competition.

So is capitalizing on fear immoral?

It depends on how you do it.

One thing is for sure…

Fear plays a part in every decision people make. There’s nothing we can do about that, we can’t change human psychology.

What we CAN do is acknowledge the fact that fear is a buying motivator. And use that knowledge to persuade prospects that what we’re selling can help alleviate their biggest fears.

And think about it…

Fear isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We don’t touch fire because we’re afraid of being burned. We go to the doctor because we’re afraid of death and disease…

Every entrepreneur in the world fears failure, and that fear generally motivates them to succeed.

It’s not such a dirty word.

We’re programmed for fear. It effects nearly every decision we make. Including your customers buying decisions.

If you know what your prospects biggest fears are it gives you a glimpse into what they’re thinking – What they REALLY want, and puts you in a perfect position to give it to them.

Take care,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Just one of the insider marketing secrets you’ll learn on my FREE newsletter could lead you a monumental breakthrough in your business – the only thing I know for sure is that definitely WON’T happen if you don’t sign up

Man…

My parents are going to be disappointed.

According to Gender Genie, I write like a girl.

I’m not sure how accurate it is but it does make sense.

When selling in print, nothing helps conversions like knowing how to speak to people on an emotional level…

As a general rule guys usually try to persuade with logic.

Girls usually try to persuade with emotions.

And in the world of marketing, emotions trump logic every time.

All of my ads have a unique “voice”…

But in these emails, and on my blog, it’s just me being me.

And apparently I write like a girl. BUT, there’s a very good reason for it (it makes more money)…

So here’s my quick and dirty guide to writing like a girl…

• Always care about your reader and their problems. It’s always about THEM, never about your product or company.

• Learn what your prospects are feeling at a gut level, and then use that knowledge to persuade them on an emotional level…

• Always be a caring problem solver, never a pushy salesman.

The lesson is, even if you’re in a market that’s all about crushing skulls and cracking ribs, you still need to always be aware of what your prospects are thinking and how they feel…

Enough girl talk.

I’ve been working like a dog over the last couple of weeks (which is why I’ve slacked on the daily emails) but I’ll have something very cool  to show for it soon.

Take Care,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Launching a product soon? If you want to do crazy numbers like my clients have (you can see them at ResultsCopywriting.com) feel free to get in touch.

Today I’m going to talk about fear as a buying motivator.

At first glance “fear” based selling can sound manipulative, even downright evil.

But it doesn’t have to be.

In fact, when used correctly, using fear can be taking the moral high ground.

How so?

If you were a dentist, and you knew without selling a customer on an expensive operation that they’d lose all of their teeth wouldn’t you feel obligated to let them know the consequences of passing up on your offer?

If you were a mechanic, and knew that a customer’s brakes would eventually fail without replacement, same story, you’ve got an obligation to let them in on that info.

One interesting quirk about human nature is that we’re more motivated by fear of loss than the hope of gaining something.

For example, if someone you knew stole $500 from you, you’d probably work a lot harder to get that $500 back than you would earning another $500. It’s just human nature.

To apply this to the marketing world…

Say you’re selling a product proven to increase conversions. Telling customers how much money they’re losing without that boost is a great (and perfectly ethical) way to sell it.

Or if you’re selling weight loss. Putting some scary statistics about hear t disease, diabetes and other health risks associated with weight loss is usually a great idea.

When is fear not a good idea?

When you use it deceptively or in a negative way… Like “if you want to stay a pathetic loser your entire life, skip this course”. You don’t want to put people down or try to make them fear something they really shouldn’t be afraid of.

To paraphrase a John Carlton quote…

If you have a product that helps people, you have a moral obligation to do everything you can to sell them on it…

And sometimes using fear as a motivator is one way to do it.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. How much money are you losing by NOT signing up for my FREE “Conversion Hacks” newsletter? There’s only one way to know for sure – sign up below – it’s free

Stories are one of the easiest ways to sell…

In copy, in person, it doesn’t matter. But before you go out and tell stories for the sake of telling a story, it’s smart to take a minute to understand why they work so well.

It starts with grabbing and holding attention.

It’s easy to suck in a reader with a good story.

Once you have a reader hooked, if it’s a good story, they’re going to read all the way through to the end. We’re hard wired to see stories through until the end. It’s why you tune into your favorite shows every week or sit through a 3 hour movie.

Stories are very emotional. It’s a lot easier to make a point through telling a story than it is to come right out with the lesson…

People are going to relate to a story about an underdog who fought the odds and came out a winner – That’s going to resonate with people a lot more than if you just come out and say “you can fight the odds and be successful!”

A story allows your copy to do all of the stuff good copy needs to do…

It’s going to suck the reader in.

It’s going to spark curiosity and keep people reading…

Done right, they can change beliefs, shift mindsets and compel people to take action.

One of the most successful ads of all time was called “A Tale Of Two Brothers”, a famous ad written for The Wall Street Journal.

It told a story of two brothers, one brother worked for the company, the other owned the company.

The only difference, the successful brother read The Wall Street Journal.

The story allowed them to illustrate their point, as opposed to saying “if you read our paper you can become rich and successful”.

If you dig deep enough, you can almost always find a good story you can use to illustrate a point for you.

No ninja-NLP-guru copy tactics here…

But learning how to effectively sell with stories could very well be one of the most profitable skills you ever learn.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

A few months ago I was working on a project.

I finished the copy, and as I always do I turned to some fellow copywriters for feedback and ideas.

A VERY successful writer told me he felt it was “boring”, that it just wasn’t exciting enough. That I wasn’t doing enough to paint a picture of how the product could make people rich…

I could see his point. But I decided to stick with my gut on that project…

I had no testimonials to use, the client wanted to keep everything “under wraps” until launch, so no beta testers…

We had no proof that it worked. The product was a web based link building software – And while I had tested it and saw that it worked, people had to take my word for it.

If you’ve been with me for awhile you know that I consider proof one of the critical elements to a sales letter.

At first glance this looked like it was destined for failure – But…

It Converted At 18% On A $197/Month Membership Site!

That wasn’t a “fluke” over a few hundred visitors, those were the numbers after the site was sold out.

I’m not saying this to brag, there’s a lesson here.

To be fair, the product is phenomenal, it was a “must have” product for anyone in my clients niche…

And those numbers came from a buyers list of related products, so it wasn’t “cold” traffic.

The product and the list come first, but the copy played a big part as well.

Why It Worked…

Instead of ignoring proof I “borrowed” it, like I talk about in this post…

I made the guarantee (risk-reversal) VERY clear, there was no doubt in their minds that if it wasn’t for them they didn’t pay…

But most importantly, I talked about their favorite subject… THEM…

You can have the “sexiest” copy in the world…

World class headlines…

Bullets that ooze curiosity…

Pages of testimonials…

And you can still fall flat.

Because in copy, the most important thing to remember is you’re talking to another person.

And if you focus on THEM, on their problems, and on why your solution is going to help them solve their problems, it’s hard to screw it up.

I critique a lot of ads. And I see a lot of guys doing their best to write “sexy” copy.

While sexy may win awards, if you fail to resonate with your prospects, it won’t win you any sales.

In sales, understanding your prospect trumps “sexy” every time.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

Time for some nitty-gritty copy talk.

Now, you may have heard that the P.S. is the second most read part of a sales letter.

So, we’re looking at some extremely valuable real estate, in a sales letter, or even in an email.

One thing I see pretty often is that people rarely know the RIGHT way to write a P.S.

Here’s how…

The best way to think about your P.S., imagine it’s like a trampoline at the bottom of your copy.

People will get to your P.S. in one of two ways…

1. They skipped the copy, they’re looking for the price or just looking to the P.S. to get the “gist” of what you’re offering (most common scenario).

2.  They’ve read the entire sales letter word for word, and they’re just making sure they’ve read all of the details.

The first case is going to be the majority of the time.

And in the second case, they’re already sold on reading the copy, so we don’t need to worry about them.

The goal of your P.S. is NOT to sell…

It’s to “sell” the reader on going back up to the headline and reading your copy.

Not many people understand this.

The exception would be in an email, where often times you want to use your P.S. area to get a click through to your offer.

But on a sales letter, the only sale you’re trying to make is getting their eyes back up to the top of the page.

So how do you do that?

Curiosity.

On a typical sales letter you may see a “P.S.” like…

“P.S. I can only promise to keep the price this low for the next 24 hours, so act now!”

You’re reading that just like a prospect would. You don’t even know what ‘s for sale. But now you know that someone is trying to pressure you into buying something.

How about something like…

“P.S. If the 15 FREE conversion boosting secrets of top copywriters got you excited, you’re going to love the other 88 tips. And if you don’t, you don’t have to pay. Either these tips multiply your conversions or you get your money back…”

See what I did there?

1. I told them that there’s valuable content in the copy, that if they go through and read it they’ll be rewarded.

2. They get the “gist” of what I’m offering, and they now know they can have it risk-free.

This is just one example, there are a million ways to do this, and in copywriting there are exceptions to every rule.

But if you keep in mind that the goal of the P.S. is simply to sell them on going back and reading the copy, I guarantee you’ll see a boost in readership and conversions.

Your P.S. is the second most valuable real estate in your copy.  Don’t ignore it. Don’t play it down. Use it to make yourself more money.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. This post talked about how powerful a “P.S.” really is and how to use it – for plenty of other awesome “Conversion Hacks” be sure to sign up to my FREE newsletter below!

Most ads are boring…

If you turn on the TV most of the ads will make your eyes glaze over. They’re easier to ignore than pay attention to.

Online it’s even worse. There are probably 100 horrible sales letters online for every good one. How often do you come across a sales letter online that grabs and keeps your attention from beginning to end?

It’s a pretty rare thing to see, yet if you want to maximize conversions you need to make your ads easier to read than ignore…

If no one pays attention to your ad, no one’s going to buy from it. So what’s the trick to keeping a visitor glued to your message until they hit the order button?

It’s Momentum…

Joe Sugarman calls it the “slippery slide”. You want the reader to start reading your copy and be captivated from beginning to end.
This is a lot easier said than done…

Here’s a few quick tips on how to do it…

• Always Write To Be Read… Starting with the headline, the first sale you have to make is selling people on spending their most valuable asset – Time – on reading your advertisement… Never forget that.

• Shorter Is Better… Wasted words have no place in sales copy. Keep paragraphs and sentences short… It’s easy to read and less intimidating…

• Break It Up… Use headings, bullets, white space and images to break the text up and propel the reader forward…

• Be Interesting… If you can write ads that are good enough to be read for entertainment value alone, you’ve got the readership problem solved…

You Need To Build Momentum From The Very First Sentence…

Your biggest challenge is the beginning of the ad…

The only job of your headline is to get them to read the first sentence.

The only job of the first sentence is to get them to keep reading, and you need to keep this in mind for throughout your entire sales letter.

Use short sentences and paragraphs at the beginning to keep the letter from looking too intimidating. Once someone commits to reading roughly 30% of your letter, as long as you keep it interesting and keep that momentum going, they’ll usually read the entire thing…

And if you can keep them interested enough to read your entire sales letter, assuming all of the other gears in the sales machine are in place, you stand a pretty good shot at making the sale.

Make your ads easier to read than ignore.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh