Is This Ethical?
I closed a deal with a new client to write a VSL for him that loosely follows a VSL he wanted me to model from another company.
I asked him if he wanted to start out the VSL with testimonials, like the other company's VSL did. And he emailed me back:
"Yes it will start with testimonials in the same way, but you can word the testimonials differently with more impact." I thought he already HAD real testimonials he was going to use.
It gave me the impression that he would be hiring actors to recite them in the VSL, since the one he gave me to model after had the "actual people" giving the testimonials from their "webcams at home".
The thing is, this is a guy who has a lot of credibility, pictures with Richard Branson, testimonials on his website from credible people in the IM space (and I'd assume if he made THOSE up they'd be found by said credible people's teams... and he'd be forced to take them down). So he doesn't appear to be some random scamster.
So part of me wants to email him back and make sure he's being legit. But on the other hand he may know what he's doing. It may be legal to do that as long as the fake testimonials are also coming from "fictional" people... and you're not claiming a real person said something they didn't. It DID strike me as a BIT sketchy at first though.
But I realized--a lot of classic sales letters involve speaking in a "fictional" character's voice... so where is the line drawn there? Is it unethical when they're presented as testimonials?
What are your thoughts on this?
Kick-A$$ Eight-Figure Producing Copywriting Gun For Hire | Marketing & Copywriting Blog
My review of Flamboyant Nipples: The Site That Supports KKK Anti-Gay Terrorist Crimes
Info on my Novels is HERE. History of Stephen King's Thinner Gypsies is HERE.
Learn to sell like a pro through Web Synergy's marketing blog.