How to Appeal to Today's Distracted, Disinterested, Disengaged, Disenchanted & Busy Consumer

[The Copy Nazi]

Good book for copywriters -

$1.46 New on Amazon (non-affiliate link follows)

Amazon.com: Your Attention Please: How to Appeal...

[Nathan Alexander]

Order placed... $1.46 New! How could I not buy?

(I love searching Borders and Barnes and Noble for stuff, but this one must have escaped me. Thank you for the share.)

[KenThompson]

Hey Mal,

Thanks for the book, I'll get it.

Hope you don't mind if I post this article excerpt from Clayton
Makepeace? It's relevant to your thread topic. The article is
about 3 blunders that even experienced copywriters make.

In this excerpt, Clayton gives his solution to the apathetic
reaction people have when they read 'yet another' benefit
driven headline. Of course their reaction is worse if the
claims are over the top.

This article is probably several years old, so by now things
are worse regarding reader apathy with headlines. So maybe
that book, above, will have additional approaches we can try.

"... Of the thousand or so ads your prospect will see today, hundreds will have benefit-oriented headlines. And many of them (maybe even most of the ads he gets over the ‘net) will feature headlines that promise ridiculously inflated benefits: Benefits that nobody – least of all the guy who wrote them – even remotely believes.

In an act of sheer self-defense, your prospect has cranked his brain’s anti-advertising defenses up to DEFCON 5. He’s alert and ready to defend against this blinding blizzard of B.S. by ignoring or trashing anything that remotely looks like an ad.

So what’s the solution? How do you get through?

Advertorials!

An advertorial is simply a promotion that looks and feels like a self-help magazine, special report or booklet – and that begins just like they do: With a headline, deck and opening copy that offers to bring value to the prospect’s life for free – simply for reading.

The copy then proceeds to deliver on the headline’s promise by giving the prospect valuable information – stuff that empowers him to assuage a fear, end a frustration or fulfill a desire. "

I believe Clayton mainly writes real direct response letters and
magalogs. But seems this is something we can adapt and
incorporate into online letters. In fact, I have an assignment
right now, and I think I've done a pretty good adaptation of
this in the letter. We'll see.

Thanks...

[The Copy Nazi]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

In this excerpt, Clayton gives his solution to the apathetic
reaction people have when they read 'yet another' benefit
driven headline. Of course their reaction is worse if the
claims are over the top.

Like some of the headlines currently in the WSO section. Like this one - "SHOCKINGLY EASY Blueprint GUARANTEES To Make You $1000-$2000 In 24hrs Or LESS"

Note the "guarantees" part. Its only $5. I bought it. Sucked in like 900 others. And guess what? Yeah - you got it. I'd give my opinion on it but the last time I did that they banned me for a week for "Trying to ruin a WSO" or however they put it. But really, that section is an absolute cesspit and it's getting worse. You run a WSO lately? You're lucky if it stays on page 1 for 4 hours. And page 2 for a day. At $20 a throw it starts to get expensive.

[Scott Murdaugh]

But seems this is something we can adapt and
incorporate into online letters.

Some of Makepeace's online copy... Dr. Sinatra Newsletter Offer: Medicine Chest Murders

Ben Settle called it a "webalogue".

I think it's pretty cool. No idea how it converts.

-Scott

[Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter]

Here's what I use to get the attention of distracted, disinterested, etc. consumers:

[The Copy Nazi]

Originally Posted by Scott Murdaugh

Some of Makepeace's online copy... Dr. Sinatra Newsletter Offer: Medicine Chest Murders

Ben Settle called it a "webalogue".

I think it's pretty cool. No idea how it converts.

-Scott

Brilliant headline and associated graphic - "The Medicine Chest Murders"

[Nathan Alexander]

That guy in the picture kind of looks like a girl.

[Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter]

Originally Posted by Nathan Alexander

That guy in the picture kind of looks like a girl.

Yeah, that's the wife. She's somethin', huh?

[Nathan Alexander]

Originally Posted by Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter

Yeah, that's the wife. She's somethin', huh?

Oops.

(Don't tell her I said anything.)

[Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter]

Well this is interesting...

"someone" thought they had greatly offended my wife with a comment above...

Just for the record, here is my REAL wife:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...FNzDjAS7RjXPHg

It was a joke--I am not married to a man beast.

The she-man in the picture above is not my wife...




she's my sister...

[Ken_Caudill]

Leave mom out of this.

[pearlydean]

that's my girlfriend...and my sister...as Borat would say!

[Jordan JD]

Is That An Affiliate Link?

Is That Allowed?

[Jordan JD]

I guess I missed the part that says "non-affiliate link follows"

[wordwizard]

Looks like all the $1.46 copies are gone

[The Copy Nazi]

Originally Posted by wordwizard

Looks like all the $1.46 copies are gone

$4.78 too rich for you? 20 left.

[Nathan Alexander]

It is a great book. Got it in the mail yesterday and will be taking several bathroom breaks to enjoy it (if I'm not in the bathroom, I'm watching a little 17 month old - bathroom is reading time)

[Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter]

Originally Posted by Metronicity

$4.78 too rich for you? 20 left.

My copywriting WSO where I was charging $4 per sales letter only made one sale, so, yeah, it's a bit steep. Why do these people make these resources so expensive? It keeps the average guy from being able to succeed. Next thing you know people will be expecting you to have a whole computer just to write copy for them. The one at the library works just fine for me--and my taxes pay for it. That is, my taxes would pay for it if I made enough to owe taxes.

Can I pay for it with my food stamps?

[RickDuris]

Hi all,

You guys are so on a roll today. I have tears in my eyes! ROFLMAO

If you guys are as good with your copy as you are with your comedy, my guess is you all are frickn' millionaires many times over.

- Rick Duris

[Loren Woirhaye]

I ordered the book. I'm a dork that way.

You could tell me all sorts of stupid books were worthwhile and I
would go out and try to read them.

[Bruce Wedding]

Its a great book. It was great when I recommended it 3 years ago

[Mr. Enthusiastic]

cool story bro

kthxbye

[Charles Harper]

Good WF Stuff. Thanks everyone. This kind of thread makes this community very special.

CT