Billion Dollar Sales Copy

[Mike Adams]

The article below is quoted as "The Most Successful Sales Letter In The World". It was written for the Wall Street Journal by Martin Conroy, and was said to be responsible for over 1 Billion Dollars in sales revenue.

Billion Dollar ?Two Young Men...? Sales Letter by Martin Conroy

[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

[raynman]

if it is responsible for $1bil in revenue, unless you can find one that is responsible for generating more, it has to be the best.

results are all that matter.

[Stephen Dean]

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

LOL. Why don't you ask John or Yanik what they think about that letter. It's famous. And proven.

Stephen

[Mike Adams]

Originally Posted by raynman

if it is responsible for $1bil in revenue, unless you can find one that is responsible for generating more, it has to be the best.

results are all that matter.

Exactly... all about the results.

[colmodwyer]

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

Ed, come on.

That's been a control for umpteen years. And unless it's changed recently, the "new" control is pretty much the same but for an order card change or something like that.

It's this that counts - $$$ - not opinion.

Colm

[Loren Woirhaye]

If I recall correctly the idea for that letter was swiped
from a letter from the 1920s.

As a result a lot of people put swiping on a pedestal as
if it were a magical key to writing great copy. It isn't,
because every situation is unique in timing and marketplace
context, but a lot of writers don't "get" that part and
it's partially why there are so many uninspired
"who else wants..." headlines going around.

You kind of have to, in my own experience, delve deeply
into the copywriting classics to understand the issue
and how to fix it - but that creates a competitive advantage
for writers who've done that reading, doesn't it?

[Dean Dhuli]

I love that letter. It has a kind of poetic feel to it.

[JesseM]

I'd bet Gary Halbert wouldn't with it being the best, unless I'm incorrectly recalling him having written the ad copy that landed him his wife or something?

But otherwise, $1,000,000,000 probably beats any other right now, but it took it 18 years. Who knows where the writings of the aforementioned or other writers could be in 18 years?

That sounded so lame. But it's true, right?

Anyway, don't flame me - I DID agree it's gotta be the best at the moment, lol.

[Kyle Tully]

Originally Posted by JesseM

But otherwise, $1,000,000,000 probably beats any other right now, but it took it 18 years. Who knows where the writings of the aforementioned or other writers could be in 18 years?

The letter only mailed for 18 years because nothing else beat it.

Most letters these days don't last more than a few months.

If any other letter deserved to be mailed for 18 years it would.

The letter is killer. It's been swiped in one form or another by every other copywriter mentioned in this thread.

[JesseM]

Originally Posted by Kyle Tully

The letter only mailed for 18 years because nothing else beat it.

Most letters these days don't last more than a few months.

If any other letter deserved to be mailed for 18 years it would.

The letter is killer. It's been swiped in one form or another by every other copywriter mentioned in this thread.

I wasn't trying to make it sound like it didn't deserve it, although I see how it could be taken like that.

Just trying to say, it may be the best now but it won't be forever. I hope.

[FitJerk]

uh... so, how exactly do I subscribe to the wall street journal?

[Kyle Tully]

Originally Posted by metalslug

uh... so, how exactly do I subscribe to the wall street journal?

"Simply fill out the enclosed order card".

[JesseM]

Originally Posted by metalslug

uh... so, how exactly do I subscribe to the wall street journal?

The Wall Street Journal

[colmodwyer]

If I recall correctly the idea for that letter was swiped
from a letter from the 1920s.

Yeah. Bruce Barton's - The Story of Two Men Who Fought In The Civil War.

Colm

[John_S]

As a result a lot of people put swiping on a pedestal as
if it were a magical key to writing great copy. It isn't,

Right up there next to "who else wants..." as monkey-see, monkey-do swipes ....except the monkeys usually do a better job of understanding why and how to use what they imitate.

As in other fields poor copywriters swipe, great copywriters steal.

The Case Against Knock Off Artists argues against fill-in-the-blanks copywriting when all you know about copy is what you're swiping made a lot of money.

A step-by-step analysis of how the swipe fails to correctly understand what was swiped. I've seen some rather poor examples of the WSJ letter swipe. I have yet to find a single swipe which made me think about the product being sold and not the original WSJ version of the letter.

The very laziness which motivates a knock-off practically guarantees these swipers won't put in the effort to understand how to successfully adapt the copy to what they're trying to sell. The vast majority swipe to get out of understanding copywriting. Many of the rest are swiping from a copywriter at a level beyond their ability.

Billion dollar copy? Perhaps your reach exceeds your grasp. While a swipe might even perform adequately, it's not going to even come close to what you hoped for.

It's like a penny ante car thief attempting to steal a fighter jet ...he's so far out of his league it's embarrassing.

[thelastmuse]

True, it's all about the figures. I wonder how much commission the copywriter received.

[Harlan]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

If I recall correctly the idea for that letter was swiped
from a letter from the 1920s.

Yeah, that's correct. I found the original and it's in the beginning of Steal This Book.

It's a formula and it works.

[AndyMi]

Would you guys be able to recommend some top notch copywriters for sales letter copy?


Thanks
Andy

[Mike Adams]

Originally Posted by AndyMi

Would you guys be able to recommend some top notch copywriters for sales letter copy?


Thanks
Andy

Just made a post for you... Hope it helps.

Clayton Makepece: The Total Copyrighting Package

If anyone needs anything else, let me know.

Thanks

[AndrewCavanagh]

First of all there's no such thing as the "best sales letter in the world".

Each sales letter is a specific sales presentation for a specific product or service so it's impossible to compare sales letters written for different products or marketed to different lists.

The Wall Street Journal Letter is an interesting letter.

It was actually swiped from a sales letter written by copywriting and advertising pioneer Bruce Barton in 1919.

This original sales letter was promoting the Alexander Hamilton Institute's Modern Business Course and began with the title

The Story Of Two Men Who Fought In The Civil War...

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[JaredKels]

It's definitely not the money that counts!

[Mike Adams]

Originally Posted by JaredKels

It's definitely not the money that counts!

?

If you say so...

[FreelanceSally]

If I were able to write sales letters that were that effective, I would be the richest copywriter in the world.

[AlanCarr]

The best? No.

Most successful? Yes.

An ad for the WSJ is always going to outsell the salesletter for your ebook on pet rock collecting. Getting people to buy rocks is genius, getting them to carry on buying the Wall St Journal; not so much.

It's a snap-together match for the intended market and very well done but really the best sales letter is...

The one that brings YOU a great income. Self-centered benefits, remember


B.

[OnlineMasterMind]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

If I recall correctly the idea for that letter was swiped
from a letter from the 1920s.

As a result a lot of people put swiping on a pedestal as
if it were a magical key to writing great copy. It isn't,
because every situation is unique in timing and marketplace
context, but a lot of writers don't "get" that part and
it's partially why there are so many uninspired
"who else wants..." headlines going around.

You kind of have to, in my own experience, delve deeply
into the copywriting classics to understand the issue
and how to fix it - but that creates a competitive advantage
for writers who've done that reading, doesn't it?

Gosh, if you want to make a case against swiping that's fine. But to point out that one of the most mailed letters of all time was swiped... I don't think that's exactly the best arguement LOL

[MikeHumphreys]

That letter is the Jack Nicklaus of copywriting: classic winner that had many years of success.

Sure, there will be other sales letters that come along that *MIGHT* make more money. But there will be very few that will be successful so long.

Take care,

Mike

[lorrainelim]

Originally Posted by raynman

if it is responsible for $1bil in revenue, unless you can find one that is responsible for generating more, it has to be the best.

results are all that matter.

I couldn't agree more

[digitalpimps]

well theres a reason people use swipe files, no need to reinvent the wheel is there.

[Woody C]

Originally Posted by MikeHumphreys

That letter is the Jack Nicklaus of copywriting: classic winner that had many years of success.

Ha! So we're just waiting for Tiger to come around? Until then this letter is the best.

Also, while comparing one decade to another, I wonder how much that letter would have made if inflation was taken into consideration and everything was on an equal playing field.

[Mr. Subtle]

Originally Posted by Onslaught

We may have written it differently, Gary may have written it differently, Ted Nicholas may have written it differently... but would it have still made a billion dollars?

Here's how Carlton would have set the letter up...

marketingbrainfarts.com/wsj.html

You'll have to copy and paste the url since I do not have enough posts for urls to work.

[Ken Strong]

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

You'll have to copy and paste the url since I do not have enough posts for urls to work.

Sorry about that, newbie.

Here it is:

marketingbrainfarts.com/wsj.html

[drewanderson]

The significance of that sales letter is what makes all our capture pages and sales letters work! I love that stuff.

[eBay_Mastery]

Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh

First of all there's no such thing as the "best sales letter in the world".

Each sales letter is a specific sales presentation for a specific product or service so it's impossible to compare sales letters written for different products or marketed to different lists.

The Wall Street Journal Letter is an interesting letter.Andrew Cavanagh

Excellent point Andrew. Giving this the title of the "best sales letter in the world" is a misnomer. It would more aptly be described as the "most successful sales letter in the world." There are numerous sales letters, magalogs, postcards, infomercials,etc that are extremely good maybe even the best at what they do. But you have to take into account, audience, the times we are living in, the product, the price point, everything. There are excellent sales letters, controls that just do not have the duration or longevity in the market place to go on for year after year after year with out having the control beaten. That is is the real subject here not whether this is the best sales letter ever written but how successful it was taking everything into consideration. After all it would be a lot easier to have a billion dollar sales letter for a product that sells for $100,000 than one that sells for $50. I could go on but I think I've made my point.

[vistad]

Originally Posted by raynman

if it is responsible for $1bil in revenue, unless you can find one that is responsible for generating more, it has to be the best.

results are all that matter.

Remember it was published in the Wall Street Journal not in the New York Post. (not Times).
The placement makes a lot of difference.
Total sales cannot be the only criteria for the 'success' of a sales letter.

[Daniel Scott]

Originally Posted by raynman

if it is responsible for $1bil in revenue, unless you can find one that is responsible for generating more, it has to be the best.

results are all that matter.

Problem is, results are complex. The most amazing salesletter in the world won't sell anything if no one sees it.

If you throw enough eyeballs at anything it'll sell a lot of stuff.

Now, I'm not saying this letter isn't amazing. Clearly it is. Just pointing out that the whole idea of a "best" letter is ridiculous.

-Dan

[Daniel Scott]

I found it interesting that this letter did so well, considering how it basically ignores a lot of the "rules" copywriters have.

For example, no headline! That one really amazed me. And the subheads are kind of ambiguous, as are the benefits for the reader, IMHO.

Yet it still has credibility, a guarantee, and describes the product.

Perhaps some more experienced copywriters would like to chime in and point out WHY they think this ad was such an amazing success (or link to someone who has already done so?)

-Dan

[John_S]

chime in and point out WHY they think this ad was such an amazing success

It has a headline, of sorts. The letterhead of WSJ. That gets you a certain level of credibility and attention most swipers can't copy.

(There are ways. But I'll not reveal them here.)

Next, the product is high quality. And most product -- despite the opinion of their creators -- aren't. A gifted product is mightier than a gifted pen.

The swiper mentality usually skews to thinking they can sell anything with the right copy trick.

The story structure has a good flow and important "moral." It plays up the insiders know what outsiders don't angle. What's more, the story plays into a world view about Wall Street Journal readers, and few products or services have established any position with anyone's mind but the developer's.

Successful people read WSJ. That's an accepted belief the letter doesn't have to forge from a cold "I don't know you" start.

Finally, expert list selection. Nearly unheard of in the Internet spam everyone and let the inbox sort it out mindset. Or the "everyone needs what I'm selling" inventor's delusion.

All factors which most swipers neglect to take into account. In other words, the Wall Street Journal can do things and be (amazingly) successful that you can't.

[Daniel Scott]

John,

Do you know where this ad was placed? If it was in the journal itself or placed in other magazines, or what the deal was?

Also, would you mind expanding on this statement:

"In other words, the Wall Street Journal can do things and be (amazingly) successful that you can't."

Do you mean that because the product is so established, and the people reading the ad are so targeted, that all it really needs to be is a gentle reminder and, essentially, outline of the offer?

-Dan

P.S. Your posts always rock!

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

If I recall correctly the idea for that letter was swiped
from a letter from the 1920s.

I know that mines would not be the popular view, but when
have they ever been?

But I would like to suggest that the IDEA behind this letter is
as old as humanity-- Cain and Abel--two brothers their choices
and the consequences, and the story used to show how to make
the right choice.

There are a TON of stories in the Bible about two people and
their contrasting choices and results.

-Abraham and Lot
-The Prodigal Son and his brother who stayed at home.
-The man who built on the rock versus the sand
-Mary and Martha
-Orpah and Ruth
- Peter and Judas
-Esau and Jacob

You get the idea. This may explain why the letter did so well.

The idea is Biblical.

-Ray Edwards

[John_S]

I'm sure I don't know all the placements. Chiefly it's a sales letter format sent through the mail.

As for expanding on the they can do stuff you can't comment, you have to take a look at the context of the situation to understand results, what factors which are not readily apparent contribute to success, and what is easily swiped and what's not.

WSJ has name recognition a lot of people swiping the letter don't. WSJ has a reputation a lot of others don't (they might not have a bad reputation, they're unknowns).

Let's just take plain common sense. The story unfolds over something like 25 years. The people who've been in business three months using this letter ...not exactly thinking things through.

I completely missed my three-month school reunion. How about you?

[Daniel Scott]

John,

Thanks for taking the time to help me understand things a little better. I really appreciate it.

I guess what you're saying is that in order to swipe a letter, we have to look at the context in which it was written, right? You're saying that the actual letter itself, existing in a bubble, doesn't tell us much - it's how the elements of the letter "interact", if you will, with other factors.

I can only assume most "swipers" don't try to figure out WHY something works in a particular capacity.

Thanks again for helping me raise my understanding and awareness of copywriting.

-Dan

[docsulo]

Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh

It was actually swiped from a sales letter written by copywriting and advertising pioneer Bruce Barton in 1919.

I keep reading that the 1919 Civil War Two Men letter was written by Bruce Barton. Where did this info come from? Bruce Barton did write for the Alexander Hamilton Institute. In fact it's certain he wrote the ad that started "THE YEARS THAT THE LOCUST HATH EATEN-.."
However, I have yet to find anything definitive about him writing the 1919 ad.

The 1919 Civil War Two Men ad is also not the only ad that Martin Conroy could have used to swipe for the Wall Street Journal Letter - it's just the one that I told Harlan and a couple of hundred other people about in 2003 when I transcribed it for my sales and marketing list at that time.

If you'd like to see the history, the most probable swipe file ads and find out the BOOK that Conroy most likely used then check out: The Greatest Ad Swipe Ever – Martin Conroy’s Inspiration | Covert Communications

[docsulo]

Originally Posted by Andrew Harris

Is that the letter?

Is what the letter?

The ad pictured on the site The Greatest Ad Swipe Ever – Martin Conroy’s Inspiration | Covert Communications is ONE of the many ads that Martin Conroy could have used as swipes for the "Two Young Men" Wall Street Journal Letter. It's the Civil War ad from 1919 that people put on their blogs and in their products even though there's a very good chance they have never seen the original ad (until yesterday). You can read the beginning of some of the other ads he may have used in that article too.

In a few days I'll be releasing a complete PDF swipe file of ads that Martin Conroy might have used (plus a few extras including my notes). The top 5 commenters on the above post will be getting a copy of that PDF for FREE before it's released to the general public.

The Greatest Ad Swipe Ever – Martin Conroy’s Inspiration | Covert Communications

[gjabiz]

docsulo,

Big Fan here.

We can see the "whisper" game in motion on the Internet. And there is so much MIS information, especially regarding the "early" years of direct response.

Somewhere buried in the old Seeds of Wisdom archive are posts of my research over a summer spent going through publications from the Civil War into the "modern" era (of around 1890)...

IF anyone really gets their hands dirty and looks at the work from the period, you'll be skeptical regarding the so and so did this and so and so did that...which is mostly someone's memory from their second hand hearing of it.

I've read no less than 10 different accounts about the "Kennedy" invention of the "SECRET" of copywriting...salesmanship in print.

Truth is, we don't know how it went down and who actually said what to whom and when it was said. Even reading the "old classics" of Caple et al, you come across different versions of the same story by the guys, who supposedly, were there.

Being "there" often produces variations of the same story, consider witnesses of crimes or accidents.

The direct response BOOM began with War Surplus, and an ad for surplus binoculars has been running almost UNTOUCHED (the copy) since then (1864).

As I'm sure you're going to show us, there could have been several sources for the "original" two man copy. It was used extensively in the 1880's for a wide variety of products.

The subscriptions boom began around 1870 with another BOOM after WWI, around 1918.

And "direct response" ads were run in these publications with copy written by many an UNKNOWN writer who laid the ground work for the "professionals" who followed and formalized the business in the early 20th century.

OK. OK.

All that being said...TIMING plays as much of a role, often times, as does the copy and the offer. Looking forward to seeing some of your "research".

gjabiz Gordon Alexander

[Hugh Thyer]

The most successful sales letter in the world...




...and it doesn't even have a headline.

[TJComer02]

Originally Posted by raynman

if it is responsible for $1bil in revenue, unless you can find one that is responsible for generating more, it has to be the best.

results are all that matter.

Yep. SImple as that. I could care less which one of my sales pages looks better if another is making me more money!

[lazersgopewpew]

Originally Posted by Hugh Thyer

The most successful sales letter in the world...




...and it doesn't even have a headline.

That's not surprising to me. I often wonder how many people actually read them. Most headlines read like bizarre run on sentences for some reason.

[docsulo]

Originally Posted by snowtiger

That's not surprising to me. I often wonder how many people actually read them. Most headlines read like bizarre run on sentences for some reason.

Normally -LETTERS- don't have headlines. -ADS- have headlines.

The bizarre run on sentence headlines are a result of a certain set of copywriters that dealt with high-testosterone markets and then began teaching a new generation of copywriters - who - not surprisingly - were (are) high-testosterone themselves.

It certainly works in certain markets.

[Daniel Scott]

Originally Posted by docsulo

Normally -LETTERS- don't have headlines. -ADS- have headlines.

The bizarre run on sentence headlines are a result of a certain set of copywriters that dealt with high-testosterone markets and then began teaching a new generation of copywriters - who - not surprisingly - were (are) high-testosterone themselves.

It certainly works in certain markets.

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

And that's where a lot of successful ads appeared.

Granted, letters don't have headlines...

...but most people know what they're opening is an ad anyway. Our job is to make them want to find out more about it.

-Dan