Do you just wing it, or do you follow a consistent routine to write sales copy?

I'll expand on this with a couple of examples.

Say in the investment newsletter market.

Somebody could go in right now and be the voice to the retiree who has lost money in the markets, has turned to panic and higher risk investments to recover.

He then becomes a easy target for the extremists, on one side the end of America is coming and on the other end is the boom time created by the turmoil.

The new voice can come in and say "you've swayed by the siren song of fear and greed and look it's got you further in the hole.

It's not your fault because schesters prey on people like you.

Come on over to this safe haven where modest gains take place and risk is so low it's minuscule."

Then in the trades servicing you have 2 ever present frustrations consumers have with them, they turn up late and don't clean up after them.

Virtually any trade in any city, any state, any country
it will be as rare as hens teeth a tradie guaranteeing that will never happen,
let alone saying there will be a cash payout if it ever did happen.

Those are 2 examples of ripe pickings in mature markets right now.

Best,
Ewen

Thanks Joe. I guess where you get your research from would depend on the market you're working. I'm assuming that would include material from the client, forums, search engine findings, books, competitors, industry newsletters ... am I missing anything obvious or highly valuable?

@Ewen - Thanks for the additional examples. I was going to cite one of my own but just realized it's how late it is, so I'm going to hit the rack. I appreciate the extra time you took.

Once I have a paying client (beyond the Skype chat prospecting phase, etc), I will get them on the phone and have them talk. I don't care if it takes an hour or three hours, or 4 different conversations. Simply asking a few pointed questions about their business and what their goals are...Who their competition is...What is it about them or their business that makes them so special?

Those simple conversation starters can really lead to some interesting places if I'm asking the right questions and know when to shut up.

I like to break through the "business" part of the conversation to where I can get a client to share their genuine excitement for their product or service, where they will let down their guard and begin to share their true feelings and passion for what they are doing.

I've found many a direct quote from a client can actually make it into a sales piece once they begin to open up and share their excitement and ideas. If they're engaged in the conversation they are going to be more openly creative and free in their expression, without allowing the critical mind to stop the flow of ideas. There's some real good info to be found there.


I also like to ask tough questions during this phase. I will push folks beyond the comfort zone sometimes to discover that they sometimes don't have answers for some very important questions. It really helps to get the creative blood flowing both on my end and the clients.

From this I'll begin working on the USP for the copy...Based on my discussions and interviews, what is the obvious takeaway that is going to form the basis of the "hook" for the sales piece. And how will that be shaped and developed into something unique?

From there I will also have a lot of jumping off places for research. If I've done a good job, I know about their market, their competition, what makes their prospects tick, and what the client can offer that they can't find anywhere else. That's when I'll hit the web and start doing the research....If it's a new niche I'll try to break down the product/service into simple and basic concepts.

Then I just start plugging all that information and research into the sales letter format...Editing as I write, then going back and revising a first copy...Usually taking out large paragraphs that are superfluous, and rearranging some concepts and ideas as well.

That's the process I use for sales letters and emails. The approach website copy (home page stuff, etc) is of course much more basic but still involves discussion with the prospect early on to nail down their goals and develop a USP for the site. I get much more information for simple website copy from my questionnaire than I do for direct response copy.

EDIT: I think as with a lot of writers, the above comprises about 80% of the work. I've found the actual "sitting down and writing" phase takes no more than 20% of the time on a sales project...For website copy, that ratio is more evenly split though.

You're welcome.

Again, the trick is to read the well written angry ones. Those are real.

They'll contain every possible screw up in the book.

You as the copywriter just need to thread in how you completely avoid those issues with a Superior process or internal control, or whatever.

Plus, you can interview them, for free. Again, pissed off people LOVE to talk.

Adam

Thanks Dennis! You may believe that you know everything about your own product or business, but I would definitely recommend posing yourself the same questions you would ask if you were a prospect...Continue probing and see what you can find...You may discover that some of the assumptions or beliefs you held about your own business need further development, or lead yourself to some important revelations you may not have even realized!

I was my own first "client" for many years, and before I really began to study copywriting I would assume an awful lot in my own writing. It wasn't until I began writing for others that I realized how narrow my scope was when I was writing for my own business, and I began to make a conscious effort to treat myself as a client when I sat down to write for my own business.

The differences between my own first sales letter to my second, to the new one I'll be running with later this month are so vastly different in scope...and I attribute a lot of that to understanding what it's like to be a client and asking myself the same sort of questions.

-Jeremey