Billion Dollar Sales Copy

[docsulo]

Originally Posted by Daniel Scott

What about newspaper articles or magazine articles? Those have headlines.

They have headlines and they're not letters. The closest thing to a letter with a "headline" is an email in my opinion.

And I'm not saying a letter *can't* have a headline. Obviously they can and many have been mailed - but - I think a big distinction between ad and letter is FORMAT. Formats can certainly change but small cues trigger the mind's ability to sort one thing from another - and create instant invisible filters through which our message must sift through.

Would you write a letter to your mom with a headline?

[RickDuris]

Originally Posted by docsulo

They have headlines and they're not letters. The closest thing to a letter with a "headline" is an email in my opinion.

And I'm not saying a letter *can't* have a headline. Obviously they can and many have been mailed - but - I think a big distinction between ad and letter is FORMAT. Formats can certainly change but small cues trigger the mind's ability to sort one thing from another - and create instant invisible filters through which our message must sift through.

Would you write a letter to your mom with a headline?

In a letter, you can consider the "Re:" as the headline.

If you choose not to have the "Re:", the first paragraph of the letter is the headline. And if you're astute, that first paragraph should be just one sentence. For instance:

"If you're a copywriter, this is probably the most important letter you'll ever read."

Or...

"I've attached a penny to this letter for a reason."

Or...

"I've got to get something off my chest before I explode."

Or...

"I'm red faced and embarrassed..."

What? No benefits you say?

That's right, curiousity is just as provocative as pointing out benefits and in the context of letter writing, it slips quietly under the radar. Total stealth.

- Rick Duris

[Jag82]

Originally Posted by RickDuris

"I've attached a penny to this letter for a reason."

Ahhhh....the good o' coin/dollar technique that Robert
Collier and Gary Halbert use to deadly effect.

One of the best ways to grab attention by the balls...

- Jag

[BrianMcLeod]

Originally Posted by docsulo

Would you write a letter to your mom with a headline?

It's really good to see you here participating, Chris.

I hope you'll stick around.

Best,

Brian

[RickDuris]

Originally Posted by docsulo

They have headlines and they're not letters. The closest thing to a letter with a "headline" is an email in my opinion.

And I'm not saying a letter *can't* have a headline. Obviously they can and many have been mailed - but - I think a big distinction between ad and letter is FORMAT. Formats can certainly change but small cues trigger the mind's ability to sort one thing from another - and create instant invisible filters through which our message must sift through.

Would you write a letter to your mom with a headline?

"Mom, I have never told you this before."

- Rick Duris

[docsulo]

Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod

It's really good to see you here participating, Chris.

I hope you'll stick around.

Thanks Brian. There's a lot happening on this forum.

[docsulo]

Originally Posted by RickDuris

"Mom, I have never told you this before."

- Rick Duris

Ha! Funny.

But I doubt you need to put that as a headline to get your mom to read a letter from you - which is my point.

A headline is used to grab someone's attention. Sometimes just "who you are" can get someone's attention. Having my name and return address on an envelope would get my mom's attention in a heartbeat.... and she'd read every word of the letter inside that envelope - no other hook , headline, or appeal necessary.

I think some marketers fail to understand the significance of this "who you are" thing.

For example, I get a 53% click-through rate on e-mails to my persuasion and influence list. I don't know what the open-rate is because I send text only. I imagine it's higher than the click-through rate. My email subjects aren't creative, aren't catchy and aren't "killer copy." They do appeal to my list.

But I imagine - and I'm only guessing - but I imagine that people look at their e-mails when they come in and BEFORE they look at the subject line... they look at WHO is sending the e-mail. And if they like that person and like what that person sends then they open it and read it. That's just my hallucination - but hey - why don't you watch yourself and see how sort through your Inbox. I think you'll agree the "WHO" is more important than the "WHAT."

To me that is one of the big distinctions between a letter and an ad.

Sincerely,
Christopher Tomasulo

[lazersgopewpew]

Originally Posted by docsulo

Ha! Funny.

But I doubt you need to put that as a headline to get your mom to read a letter from you - which is my point.

A headline is used to grab someone's attention. Sometimes just "who you are" can get someone's attention. Having my name and return address on an envelope would get my mom's attention in a heartbeat.... and she'd read every word of the letter inside that envelope - no other hook , headline, or appeal necessary.

I think some marketers fail to understand the significance of this "who you are" thing.

For example, I get a 53% click-through rate on e-mails to my persuasion and influence list. I don't know what the open-rate is because I send text only. I imagine it's higher than the click-through rate. My email subjects aren't creative, aren't catchy and aren't "killer copy." They do appeal to my list.

But I imagine - and I'm only guessing - but I imagine that people look at their e-mails when they come in and BEFORE they look at the subject line... they look at WHO is sending the e-mail. And if they like that person and like what that person sends then they open it and read it. That's just my hallucination - but hey - why don't you watch yourself and see how sort through your Inbox. I think you'll agree the "WHO" is more important than the "WHAT."

To me that is one of the big distinctions between a letter and an ad.

Sincerely,
Christopher Tomasulo

Well said. And I think that's the main reason why guys like Frank Kern have such excellent open rates.

[PaulMartinezCopywriting]

Originally Posted by Edward Green

Hi

I dont know about the "Best Sales Letter In The World" title. It's ok, It tells a good story and it hooks up well with the offer but not the best for me.

That bloke should read some of the Gary Halbert, John Carlton, Yanik Silver Sales Letters.

I love story telling sales letters so yes I liked it, but the worlds best, Nah.

Just my opinion

Ed

This is sarcasm, right?

[PaulMartinezCopywriting]

Originally Posted by docsulo

They have headlines and they're not letters. The closest thing to a letter with a "headline" is an email in my opinion.

And I'm not saying a letter *can't* have a headline. Obviously they can and many have been mailed - but - I think a big distinction between ad and letter is FORMAT. Formats can certainly change but small cues trigger the mind's ability to sort one thing from another - and create instant invisible filters through which our message must sift through.

Would you write a letter to your mom with a headline?

I think this is an issue of semantics and context.

A sales letter is an ad. It's just a very specific type of ad, written with a very specific purpose in mind: an immediate sale of a product or service and/ or the generation of a viable lead for a future sale.

Sales letters have very little to do with the letter you would write to your mom. Unless of course you're asking her for money...and now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure I wrote a few of those in college.

Some sales letters do fantastically well with no headline. But those letters tend to be blatant offers. The guy who gets an envelope from the WSJ knows it will likely be a solicitation to buy a subscription. And he opens it anyway, either because he's already somewhat interested...or because there's some good teaser copy on the envelope. I think this letter is in Million Dollar Mailers, but I don't remember if the envelope is included.

Anyway, IMHO if you've already got a prospect who knows who you are and what you're selling--and he already has some interest in it--you don't need a headline. After all, the purpose of a headline is to grab attention. And the guy opening the WSJ envelope is already there. The name of the newspaper alone may get his attention.

But in most situations, you need to grab the reader with a strong, benefit-driven headline. And those headlines don't need to be long or chock-full of testosterone. One of the most successful headlines of all time reads:

"Are You Making These Mistakes in English?"

No hype, no underlining, no run-on sentences. But man, it hits some real hot buttons. Fear. Desire for social status. The need for acceptance. They're all there... in just 7 words.

Of course, a killer lead sentence is key, too. But there's a reason why every great copywriter spends so much time on their headlines: the headline is what makes money. Everything else is secondary.