Throwing Bricks Through Windows. . .Barely Legal

11 replies
Let me ask you, when you're online
how many tabs do you have open?
How many things are you doing all
at once?

Are you checking your Facebook
notifications, are you tweet watching,
are you scanning through your emails,
are you on some game site, are you
on this forum reading through several
threads and the special offer section,
are you on instagram straight flexing,
GRRR, all at the same time?

Well if you answered yes to more
than two of these questions, then
you have ADD.

Yippy-Ki-Yae Hee-Hooo, let's go on a
quick ride partner.

I want to breakdown what I'm getting
at here. . .

You see doc, you are doing a thousand
things at once when you're online, so
can you even imagine what your
potential customer is doing?

They are not concerned with your
sales message, they are not checking
their email to see if you sent them
another offer to spend money on.
No they are stuck in this zombie
mode and multi-tasking.

Yes, their attention is distracted by
everything that they see online. So
your goal with your sales letter is to
get their attention, right?

Right!

Now how in the flipping flop do you get
them to stop look listen and read just
what the fudge it is that you have to
say.

And simple enough, the best way I've
learned how to do this is by. . .

Throwing a brick through their living
room window!

What would you do if you were at home
sitting on the couch, and glued to the tube.
When all of a sudden, you heard the glass
shatter, and you saw a giant brick soaring
from the outter world into your inner world?

You'd probably be shocked and ready to
sh*t your very own brick. The point is,
your attention would then belong entirely
to that brick and trying to figure out just
where the damn thing came from, and who
on god's green earth threw it...

This is the ideal situation that you want to
create when marketing your products online.
Once you can get their full attention, then
it will be much easier to get them to take
action and buy your product, or opt in to
your list, or register for your special offer,
or whatever you're looking to do.

Gather your bricks bucko, and get ready,
aim, and throw bricks through your
prospects windows!

High-Ho-Silver! AWAYYYYYY,

Michael
#ad copywriting #barely #bricks #copywriting #legal #marketing copy #throwing #web copywriting #windows
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
    Banned
    Hmmmm.....
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  • Profile picture of the author Ross Bowring
    Lively writing my friend.

    I like your article and it actually states some truth amidst the mixed metaphors.

    You do have to shake people up.

    I concur!

    --- Ross
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  • Profile picture of the author Corey Geer
    Alright hand it over. You've apparently got the good stuff.
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    Skype: Coreygeer319

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    • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
      Haha...I enjoyed the creative substitutions for swear words. Agree with Ross - I liked the visual imagery, though someone throwing a brick through my window could hardly sell me something despite getting my undivided attention. Thanks for the smiles
      Signature

      Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.

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  • Profile picture of the author Pusateri
    A writer not afraid to be different. Endangered species around here. Hope you'll stick around.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shadowflux
      What you say about internet ADD is true. Right now I have 6 tabs open, I'm checking my Tumblr, listening to music, talking to at least 4 people online and have a chat window and Photoshop open. Oh, and I'm posting in this thread and checking my phone. All at the same time.

      My theory, however, has always been that it might be better to gear your marketing to what already captures people's attention rather than trying to fight such a large amount of other things fighting for said person's attention. I try to create less of a distraction and more of an addition if that makes sense.

      Good thought though.
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      Native Advertising Specialist
      Dangerously Effective
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  • Profile picture of the author lotsofsnow
    Nice string of words.

    No, really nice writing.

    Only problem: You ain't gonna make a single sale with this.

    Attention is one thing. Another thing is favorable attention.

    Throwing bricks for sure gives you attention but it's not the
    type of attention that brings you friends or business.

    To stay with your frame of reference:

    If you would manage to place a Post-it note on the persons
    living room window from outside you would get their attention
    for sure and you might have a chance to sell them something.

    You might still make a few angry but I guess for the most part you
    would get admiration. Especially if it would be near impossible
    to place the sticky note as the dog should have eaten you.

    So, you managed to get around that dog in the front yard and placed a
    sticky note on the window: Now you have intruded but you
    have earned the respect and admiration of that couch potato.


    HP
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    Delivering the highest quality leads in virtually all consumer verticals.

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  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    ABC Window Co. sales rep throws brick through huge window not noticing the NRA sticker in lower corner.

    Then he knocks on door and a Charlton Heston look-alike answers.

    Salesman sez:

    "Sir, I couldn't help but notice you have this broken window and I just happen to have this piece of plywood you can have for FREE until we get a chance to replace your window, would you prefer we fix it now or this afternoon?"

    NRA member replies, "Just a moment."

    Salesman hears some noise, sounds of plastic being shaken.

    Then he hears an "OK, come on in."

    He enters house and sees he is standing on big blue tarp. Hears the homeowner practically screaming into his cell phone...

    "Help, send police...my home is being invaded. PLEASE..PLEASE"

    Then he locks and loads and empties the AK-47 magazine into Window Salesman, making sure the bullet ridden body stays in the house.

    Police, DA and all friends and neighbors are ALL very sympathetic to home owner. ABC changes it's sales training program to yellow post-it notes and reduces casualties but increases litigation.

    END of Window Story.

    At the movies, guy behind me answers cell phone and starts explaining what he's seeing. ALWAYS gets my immediate and personal attention.

    A couple of answers to your questions. I've got 2 tabs, one mail the other for the place I'm at. What you describe is true, however, those ADD ers are not my target market.

    OP says;

    So
    your goal with your sales letter is to
    get their attention, right?

    Right!


    WRONG. My goal with a sales letter is to make a SALE.

    I want the attention of someone who is on a track coming toward my product or service, some looking for what I have, not some random ADD guy just doing his thing....

    I don't want his attention, why would I?

    They stop, look and listen when they come across what they are looking for, or at the very least when presented with an idea which resonates with them.

    Throwing bricks and gaining attention is far from the ideal situation, in my 35 years of experience, however, yours obviously varies.

    And BUCKO, since you went all Halbert on us, I'd much rather find a starving crowd and build my food stand there...than to throw bricks through windows...

    When a hungry person WANTS to eat...there isn't much need to get his attention...just cross his path before he finds a different place to eat...and make MOOLAH like you can't believe.

    gjabiz
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    • Profile picture of the author Pusateri
      Why is everyone reading so much into the brick through the window metaphor?

      All he's saying is your message has to be mentally intrusive if you want to break through the noise and command attention.

      No attention = no possibility of a sale.

      Or as Alan Odell would have said it:

      He who has a thing to sell
      and goes and whispers in a well
      is not as apt to get the dollars
      as he who climbs a tree and hollers
      BURMA SHAVE
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      • Profile picture of the author max5ty
        Originally Posted by Pusateri View Post


        All he's saying is your message has to be mentally intrusive if you want to break through the noise and command attention.
        True. And most of the stuff today isn't breaking any windows. It's bland at best.

        A copywriter needs to get out of their comfort zone if they want to be good. They've got to be willing to push the envelope...pi** some people off...stir up some suppressed emotions, make people squirm, etc.

        Lots of times when someone posts something and asks for a critique, I think about something a great copywriter said. I'll paraphrase: You don't want someone to tell you it's good...you want them to rush in and ask how they can get the product you wrote about, that's when you know you've got a winner.

        If someone is reading your work, and they're thinking to themselves how good it is...you haven't done your job.

        Oh well, I've gotta go, I've got stuff to do.
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  • I liked all the metaphors.

    Some will rightly say - if you don't get the attention you're doomed.

    Others will rightly say - if you try too hard to get attention you're also doomed.

    We just need the right metaphor explaining that copywriting is all about creating the perfect blend.

    Saying...

    Get the attention of your beloved target audience without upsetting them - so they don't go click and vanish forever.


    Steve
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