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Question regarding John Carlton's page for SWS.

by Mike Schwenk
10 replies
So I was reading over John Carlton's sales page for his well-known course The Simple Writing System, and one thing kept sticking out.

Throughout the entire page, he is very persistent with his use of ellipsis (...). At first it was irritating, but I figured there was good motive in it.

However, what would be the reasoning behind using them so much ?

Generally, they are intended to show an ommision, but I'm guessing his intention was to help lead people's eyes to reading the next part of the text, to encourage them to continue reading.

Thoughts ? Something I'm missing ?
#carlton #john #page #question #sws
  • Profile picture of the author Moolah_Copywriting
    I am an ellipsis addict myself -

    In my experience they tend to pull the readers eye to the next line. A dash (-) would work but it creates a mental pause that sometimes defeats the purpose.

    Of course you can go over board but I love the flexibility of this p-mark...

    Stan
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    I use them a lot too. Technically they do mean there's an omission. Psychologically they're perceived as "keep reading".

    -Scott
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    Over $30 Million In Marketing Data And A Decade Of Consistently Generating Breakthrough Results - Ask How My Unique Approach To Copy Typically Outsells Traditional Ads By Up To 29x Or More...

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    • Profile picture of the author camalus1026
      Then I suppose I was correct in my assumption posted above. Just wanted to clarify. :rolleyes: Thanks to both of you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
    I love ellipses for the reason you mentioned. Everyone keeps reading after an ellipse. But like all good things, use in moderation. In the letter you mention they are overused. That's the least of that letter's worries though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jag82
    I use ellipsis...but in moderation.

    I like the effect of "pause" that it creates.
    Keep the suspense going.

    That said, there are people that frown upon
    the use of ellipsis in B2B copy.

    Because it's not deemed as professional.

    That's the feedback I've got. And I think
    there's a point there.

    So something for you to think about.

    Jag
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    • Profile picture of the author MarkAndrews IMCopywriting
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      • Profile picture of the author Jag82
        Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting View Post

        Words are their to inspire, to grab hold of by the throat,
        shake up like an artists pallette and sometimes to throw
        caution to the wind.

        Your canvas can be a great piece of art... is not about
        following set trends, copying everyone else to some
        preset 'formula'... it's about daring to be different.

        Setting a standard by which others follow.

        Passion my friend, passion!

        Not professionalism just for sake of it...

        Mark,

        By and large, I agree with you.

        B2B is a slightly different beast though, where
        the target audience is not the everyday
        consumer. I'm talking about high powered executives,
        CEOs, decision makers and the likes.

        In certain niches, the audience expect a more
        "prim and proper" style of writing.

        If you look at Bob Bly's corporate copy, they
        are written in a more serious, corporate and
        in less "hype" language.

        Nothing like the copy he writes for his IM list.

        I remember I wrote a copy that is filled with ellipsis,
        and I got it thrown back at me. And they told me
        they prefer a more "professional" style. I was taken
        aback. But that's how they perceive it.

        There is a difference between the copy
        written for the average consumers and the
        one written for corporations.

        Of course, it is also dependent on the
        specific products being sold too.

        The target audience do matter.

        Best,
        Jag
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