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Can we talk for a minute about an obviously delicate subject?

by Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter
20 replies
No, that's not the headline from Mal's recent hemorrhoid copy.

We can bitch and moan about video "replacing" long-form sales copy, but aside from the controversy, does anyone have any good pointers on creating solid video copy? I have only written a few pieces and they were all for launches so my ability to test was limited.

I am curious if anyone has any in-depth knowledge to share.
#delicate #minute #subject #talk
  • Profile picture of the author MontelloMarketing
    Here are the basics...

    1. short video in a longcopy sales letter will almost always outperform video alone or long video in a shorter sales letter.

    2. The exception is the ppt video. And the basics on those are that the visuals should almost always just be the exact words the narrator is saying. Basically giving them the exact same message 2 different ways. Also... these videos work best when they are actually ppts made out of a real sales letter... not ppts that were written exclusively avoiding a letter.

    3. When putting a video at the top of a longcopy sales letter keep them very short. Certainly under a minute... under 45 seconds if you can.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jag82
      Originally Posted by MontelloMarketing View Post

      Here are the basics...

      1. short video in a longcopy sales letter will almost always outperform video alone or long video in a shorter sales letter.

      Hi Vin,

      Did you noticed that Eben Pagan and Frank Kern's
      sales video are usually pretty long? About 15 mins or more?

      I'm guessing that Eben and Frank is primarily selling to their
      lists who already know them well.

      Jag
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny12345
      Originally Posted by MontelloMarketing View Post

      And the basics on those are that the visuals should almost always just be the exact words the narrator is saying. Basically giving them the exact same message 2 different ways.
      Vin,

      I tend to disagree with you on this one point.

      If all they're going to do in the video is read to me, then they may have well just used print.

      If you're going to use video, then SHOW your prospect something you couldn't with print alone. For example, a series of pictures, an animation, or the product being used.

      Johnny
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      • Profile picture of the author PowerofWords
        Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

        Vin,

        If all they're going to do in the video is read to me, then they may have well just used print.

        If you're going to use video, then SHOW your prospect something you couldn't with print alone. For example, a series of pictures, an animation, or the product being used.

        Johnny
        I just read the video sales letter of Ryan Deiss, and even my husband (who detests long form sales letters) said it held his attention better with the audio too. So it can't be all bad.
        But I'm sure a few graphics and humour would not go astray (like the one some folks did of crazy Facebook stats).
        Why does everyone have to be so earnest and desperate sounding?

        - a regular copywriter & author
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        • Profile picture of the author Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter
          Originally Posted by ScoTech View Post

          Has anyone experimented with short videos strategically placed throughout a long copy letter? This might let people scroll through and read or watch only what they want to. Any thoughts.
          I think I would try this not as a bunch of videos on a page, but with videos that pop-over when someone clicks. Putting it in a sales letter with a link that says "to find out everything that you are about to receive, click here"--then a vid opens. Otherwise I think Paul is right.

          Originally Posted by AwesomePossum View Post

          IF YOUR SELLING 2k PRODUCTS, YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR MONEY.
          You would think so, but no. They are not. The emotional (physiological/psychological) payoff for most western customers is a powerful drug. Amazingly they are often so addicted to the high of buying a product in their area of interest--especially one tied to a niche celebrity--they will drop $2K without too much thought. It's not a strategic decision as much as an emotional one.

          Buying a high priced product can be even more of a high.

          Originally Posted by Johnny12345 View Post

          If all they're going to do in the video is read to me, then they may have well just used print.
          You may be right, but I would test this. It may be that just reading the sales letter into a video might work wonders. I suspect it would work better as an "advertorial" where the video "appears" to be about instruction, but it might work better with just a regular 'ol sales letter.

          Until we test we just don't know.

          Originally Posted by Jarrett View Post

          Sure, Ryan Deiss tells me I should make it boring, follow a 'formula', and just read 100% of the copy that's in front of me..

          but I don't wanna I'll have to do more testing on that approach, but I've been getting phenomenal conversion rates.. just doing what I do.
          Get back to us once you have tested alternates. I would be interested to see the results from a statistically significant sample.

          Originally Posted by PowerofWords View Post

          I just read the video sales letter of Ryan Deiss, and even my husband (who detests long form sales letters) said it held his attention better with the audio too. So it can't be all bad.

          But I'm sure a few graphics and humour would not go astray (like the one some folks did of crazy Facebook stats).

          Why does everyone have to be so earnest and desperate sounding?

          - a regular copywriter & author
          Welcome Jennifer, glad you could join us.

          I agree with you: lots of emotion about this topic when it is pretty much "shop talk" for me. "Which size drill bit should I use?"
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    Frank and Eben rely on sheer numbers...

    Not always the case. I know Eben is an avid tester.

    Regardless, you send a million+ eyes to an offer, you'll make money.

    And yes, they both have the rabid following. They could put up a "Buy Now" button, nothing else, and they'd still make bank.

    As far as I know, none of us here are Eben or Frank. We don't have a cult like status. So we're still subjected to the world of testing and finding out what works.

    -Scott
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter
    I'm pondering responses...

    Follow up question: What options would you test?
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter
      Originally Posted by Paul McQuillan View Post

      If
      you Kevin were to make a video I would likely watch...
      because I like your personality.
      I like you too Paul. Can we be BFFs?

      The last test I did of a video on an opt-in page was a 3 minute video. The average person who opted in did so in less than 60 seconds. The average time on page was about 90 seconds.

      There you go...
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      • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
        Andy Jenkins used 4 videos... without a sales letter... to sell his Video Boss course. The first video was the shortest at about 19 minutes. The next 2 videos were content videos and ran about 25 minutes each. The final video was the "sales letter" video and that ran about 35 minutes. My guess is that after everyone who saw video 2 and 3 were foaming at the mouth to buy once video 4 was released.

        I didn't have a problem watching any of his videos. Personally I thought the content videos (numbers 2 and 3) were extremely well done. A screenshot of video 2 is below:



        As I recall, Jenkin's $2,000 Video Boss course sold out within hours of the release of video 4.

        Jenkins used Apple's Keynote to make his "PowerPoint" video. (Office 2010 being released in June or July should be able to do the same things Keynote does now.)

        As a side note, Deiss' "PowerPoint" video was so boring I barely got through one minute of it. (I did download it and then fast forwarded through it just to see what he had to "say" and to see if it got better... it did not.)
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        • Profile picture of the author Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter
          Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle View Post

          As I recall, Jenkin's $2,000 Video Boss course sold out within hours of the release of video 4.
          Which makes it hard to judge effectiveness, doesn't it? If you have a wide enough launch promoted by a wide enough group of people then it is virtually guaranteed to sell a certain number even with a bad sales process, right?

          Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle View Post

          As a side note, Deiss' "PowerPoint" video was so boring I barely got through one minute of it. (I did download it and then fast forwarded through it just to see what he had to "say" and to see if it got better... it did not.)
          Do you think that was a necessity in proving his premise--that crappy videos make sales?

          Edit: Wow, for some reason the above sounds like sarcasm to me when I read it. I am actually asking, not being sarcastic.
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          • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle




            .
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            • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
              Banned
              Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle View Post





              .
              Yes but the point is he already had a track record - and there was a pre-launch beat up. If Jo Blogger tried to do the same, I daresay it wouldn't work so well.

              You're right about the Deiss one. I found it straight out irritating. And it went on and on. Like a boring slide show - remember them? Perhaps you're too young. But I don't care how good the photography is...slide shows are boring.
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  • Profile picture of the author ScoTech
    Has anyone experimented with short videos strategically placed throughout a long copy letter? This might let people scroll through and read or watch only what they want to. Any thoughts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter
    Animated slide shows. Got it. Makes sense.

    Of course Andy was a video editor before he and Audrey started A2Artifacts and long before Stompernet. The boy has mad skilz.

    Now it makes me wish I had paid more attention when he was launching Video Boss. I would like to have grabbed those videos myself. Might have even popped for the $2K product.

    I just checked and, as I expected from Subtle's comment, Keynote only runs on Macs. It looks like there are a number of animation tutorials online for PPT, but it looks like a big hassle to me. I think I will hire someone to do this if I want it done.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
      Originally Posted by Kevin-VirtualProfitCenter View Post

      I just checked and, as I expected from Subtle's comment, Keynote only runs on Macs. It looks like there are a number of animation tutorials online for PPT, but it looks like a big hassle to me. I think I will hire someone to do this if I want it done.
      Go and download the Microsoft Office 2010 beta. It's a full working copy of the new Word, Excel and PowerPoint. NOTE: the license expires in October.

      The new 2010 PowerPoint will do (most of) the neat stuff Keynote does.
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  • Profile picture of the author AwesomePossum
    I like Mr. Subtles idea. It's brilliant because it uses more senses which keeps the customers' focus.

    Animated powerpoints are great...thx man

    And all this nonsense of...yeah well they have millions of visitors....get over it. How did they get a million visitors? Did they just pick up one day and go...ok. Let's spend $3502944 to get our business started and then go from there....

    no no no...they started from scratch. What they do works for their TARGETED market and customers. They bust out 20-50 minute videos all about their products so the customers know exactly what they're getting with their money. That's what it's about. Knowing your customers and what they want to see. IF YOUR SELLING 2k PRODUCTS, YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR MONEY SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEY'LL FORK IT UP. GIVE THEM REASON TO BUY.

    My advise would be to adjust the length of your content to the customers you're selling too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jarrett
    Banned
    There's alot of great points here.

    I do vids. Many times long ones. I add effects, pizazz, bells/whistles, and don't just read the words on my screen like a powerpoint.

    Sure, Ryan Deiss tells me I should make it boring, follow a 'formula', and just read 100% of the copy that's in front of me..

    but I don't wanna I'll have to do more testing on that approach, but I've been getting phenomenal conversion rates.. just doing what I do.

    I got over 15% conversion rates on Easy Cash Gettin' System
    and 60% took the upsell which were both strictly video:
    Traffic Juggernauts

    Besides, there's already enough guys trying to emulate.. the world doesn't need another.

    I think Paul nailed it with personality being one of the big selling points in video. Be yourself, have fun, and of course.. have good copy! If the words you are saying don't sell.. your video won't either.
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