Copy That Makes Me Want To PUKE

Emma,

sad thing is that stuff sells...

even with 40% refund rates.

so... as a marketer, i study what works... and try to figure out why... knowing this, i know there's some aspects of these things you/we can learn from and apply in our marketing (in a good way, not sleazy)

I agree with you on this, good "rant"!
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers

high gravity because there are a TON of people selling to the 'make money online' crowd.

its not uncommon for a launch/release to get 400-900 affiliates making sales... do the math on that. its mind boggling.

its not about what kind of marketer i am or am not... I am a direct response marketer... i make money with more conversions etc.

so for me, in this business, its about understanding why something works the way it does.

why its effective, and then figuring out if/how you can apply it to *your* business (however you decide to run your business).

i thnk you have a bad misconception of blind copy because all you've seen from it are offers with crap products that fail to do anything and suck bad.

if the product was really good, and the blind copy got a lot of customers... and they loved the product because it helped them... whats the problem there?

to me thats a win-win for everyone, no?

Offline big corporation are notorious for this kind of headlines that are sloppy and incomprehensible. You just need to open any Newspaper, drive along the highways dotted with billboards or watch TV to marvel at how money is wasted in the name of marketing. Unfortunately some marketers are transferring this unthinkable marketing online.


So don’t puke…just be thankful that you are blessed with direct marketing skills that most marketing university professors have not even heard of.

Here's another way to look at it Emma...

The more BS and hype there is out there, the greater the contrast against more ethical marketing and products. Those that see past the hype or tire of it, will find it even easier to discern between the two and be more appreciative of it. In sales and marketing, contrast is a wonderful thing.

As Dave says unfortunately, the stuff sells.

Magic pills are seductive. Who doesn't want quick and easy? Few appreciate the hard and long route to anything when the alternative is on offer. When was the last time a lose 30 lbs in 12 months, with the 60 minutes a day, 6 days a week, exercise and diet program offered? No, they all want to take a pill and wake up thin.

Agreed, Great Rant!

Wait... what? I thought...oh damn, and that was my last 19 bucks, too.

I read someone's post on here who mentioned copy with doped up headlines actually sell like mad, even with crazy high refund rates. Sad, but true, especially on Clickbank. People love that stuff and fall for the "fantasy" over and over and over... believing SOMEONE had to actually "get it right".

The day that someone invents a push button for instant cash will be the day the world will turn in on itself... just saying lol.

False hopes sell... but they don't tell u about the refunds

You tell it Emma! I agree that the blind copy really makes me angry. I also hate it when someone tries to hide the price of the product until you click through several pages. This especially astounds me when they do this even when its a good price! The price should be right there in front of you and explained.
Frith,
Kayla

the copy that makes me puke is on the television.

Just thought I should add that price is not necessarily synonymous with value. I've come across plenty of garbage products that are ridiculously expensive, while there are products that that are really invaluable but are sold at a low-decent price. Seems like the main thing to be aware of is to buy things from reputable sources

The snuggie's one of the good ones. Not only does it implement direct response, but it also goes through a sales process, with a strong sales message.

Before you tease consider this...
1) How long did those commercials run? When those commercials run there's somebody on the other side watching the orders come in, and at the end of the day it was either profitable and they run it again, or it wasn't and they don't. (Or it's back to the drawing board). So when you see commercials run over and over again, especially when its direct response, AND it buying long lengths of t.v. time. They're doing something right.

2) I know I'm not the only one with a "friend" who has one of these. Or wants one.

3) These are in Bartell Drugs, and probably a series of other generic grocers, looks like they're doing something right.

4) Did you know they have Snuggies in cheetah print? (I think my mom has one) And college snuggies - for example they have University of Washington snuggies for people in Washington. (Aren't these just perfect for long hours studying on a couch?)
Next, there will be snuggies for major sports teams. Did I say next? Because that's probably already happened.

5) Blankets with arms? Genius! I know it's only a backwards robe, but I don't want to wear my robe as a blanket. That would be weird.

Suddenly, Snuggies are everywhere, and a part of our daily lexicon. When a product shows up, explodes, and flourishes, gets made fun of on SNL, etc - And they do this using commercials that directly tracked. You should be slow to mock and quick to take notes.

The commercials I'm referring to are ones like these...

As a business man all it takes is one lie to ruin a relationship. How many marketers do you follow that have ever lied to you. Yeap exactly.. amuture marketers haven't realised the secret to honesty

Emma,

if the product is good (i.e. works and helps people), who cares how you sell it.

your whole argument is based on the fact you believe ALL blind copy offers are crap and scams, therefore everything you see as blind copy, you immediately think what? scam.

what if the product is good, and you use blind copy to sell it because it works better

something for you to think about.

the problem here emma, is your *only* association for blind copy is negative... so of course you're going to say its 'not ethical' and whatnot to others.

unfortunately, your example is like apples to oranges...

if you have a great product, as jay abrahams says, its your duty to do everything possible to get it into the hands of people who need it and can benefit from it.

if blind copy is the best way to do so, then so be it.

again, you must have a good product/service that will add value and help those who use it.

the problem is, shysters and scam artists have used this style of writing with really bad products and given it a negative slant.

I kinda agree with Dave :-O

You are absolutely right! No product that is worth it ever needs to be hidden behind words. As a matter of fact the greater it is more clearly it is explained how and what it does. Take the example of white smoke. I haven't seen any one trying to hide what it does.

ya, i TOTALLY get that....

i'm sure some of the copywriters in the copywriting section would be able to point out good blind copy examples -- with good products, not the crap ones we've been seeing... nothings coming to mind at the moment... brain fart :-)

think about it this way...

say you were interested in the topic (whatever it is)

and say the offer didn't tell you much.... but told you just enough to get you interested... and you wanted it.... the price was right for you... then used it and either lost weight/made money/got solar energy/gained muscle/got your ex back/met your wife/husband...

would you really care the copy didn't tell you exactly what you're getting?

are you gonna send the product back?

Emma - I feel you. I'm committed to ethics myself - for a long time I stayed away from all marketing writing because I thought it was necessarily lies & gross bull****.

I've finally changed that misconception and now think it is possible to genuinely influence people in a positive and honest way - but the use of language in our society is generally set on "complete lie" mode.

Politicians, corporations, the mainstream news - I hate to sound so terribly cynical, but that's just what's going on. It takes a lot of willpower and determination to adhere to principles, especially when it's obviously easier to make a living by grossly bending the truth.