All-In-One: The Copywriting Swipe File

[admin]

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All-In-One Threads:

All-In-One threads is something I'm starting here where we as a group try to list damn near everything known about the subject of the thread. When you see an All-In-One thread feel free to speak up. It can be a 'secret', just a technique you happen to use or even something you haven't used, just heard about - whatever. Feel free to join in.

Please do not use the term All-In-One anywhere on this board. It will be saved for these threads specifically so at some point all one will have to do is search for the term "All-In-One" and all these threads will be easily found. At some point these will become some of the most sought after threads on the forum so it might be a good idea to participate if you have something to say people are going to really like.

If you have a great idea for an All-In-One thread please send me a PM and let me know about it.

To Find All All-In-One Threads Just Click Here: http://www.warriorforum.com/tags/allinone.html

Thank you..
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Please list anything you know about here on the subject of Copy Writing. Swipe file material, articles you found, tips...anything at all...

Thanks!

Allen

[BrianMcLeod]

Easily worthy of an early slot in the swipe file:

How To Master The Art And Science Of Writing Ads And Sales Letters!

And Jay Abraham's 100 Greatest Headlines swipe is handy too:

Jay Abraham: 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written

And let's be sure to mention The Total Package too:

The Total Package

That's a fine start...

Cool thread.

Best,

Brian

[KenStrong]

And of course, don't forget The Gary Halbert Letter

and Gary Bencivenga's Marketing Bullets

Priceless information for free from two of the best copywriters ever.


There's also a good forum dedicated solely to copywriting at The Copywriting Board.

[JasonParker]

EDITED Because Ken Beat Me To The Punch on a couple sites:

Here's where to listen to a bunch of copywriting geniuses talk about copywriting:

http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/Copywriting.html

Here's where to learn from one of the best web copywriters today:

http://www.michelfortin.com/

Here's one of my favorite pieces of copy ever written:

Dr. V's Brutal Beyond Belief

Here's the copy for the best selling IM ClickBank product of all time (I think I heard that at least):

Commission Blueprint

[JasonParker]

Dang it Ken. You beat me to it

Originally Posted by KenStrong

And of course, don't forget The Gary Halbert Letter

and Gary Bencivenga's Marketing Bullets

Priceless information for free from two of the best copywriters ever.


There's also a good forum dedicated solely to copywriting at The Copywriting Board.

[Lance K]

Here are a few printed books that belong in every aspiring copywriter's library...

• Dan Kennedy's "The Ultimate Sales Letter" (approx $15)
• Joe Sugarman's "Triggers: 30 Sales Tools you can use to Control the Mind of your Prospect to Motivate, Influence and Persuade" (approx $40)
• Joe Sugarman's "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word: The Ultimate Resource on How to Write Powerful Advertising Copy from One of America's Top Copywriters and Mail Order Entrepreneurs" (approx $40)

[Jag82]

Here's a repository of classic best selling ads by
Gene Schwartz, Gary Halbert, John Carlton and more...

=> www.HardToFindAds.com

You will soon discover why it is such an amazing copywriting resource...

Jag

[drmani]

VERY (imho) useful copywriting resources:

American Writers & Artists Inc.
American Writers & Artists Inc.

Method Marketing by Denny Hatch
Amazon.com: Method Marketing (9781566251150):...

Secrets of Successful Direct Mail
https://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/st...order_sdm.html

The Robert Collier Letter Book
The Robert Collier Letter Book ~ Robert Collier Publications

All success
Dr.Mani

[Jason Johns]

Hello everyone,

To those people who want to learn copywriting, my best advice is to practise, practise and practise again. I was a terrible copywriter and I read a few books on copywriting, started writing copy for my sites and then split test / multivariate tested the sites to improve the copy.

I looked at other sites in my niches to see what was selling and used those as inspiration.

After about 60-80 sales letters my skills really improved and are getting better all the time.

I would also recommend writing a sales letter in a single sitting. Taking breaks and writing it over a few days I found causes me to lose the flow. When you get into the "zone" for writing copy, you don't want to have to stop as it will take you a while to get back in to that zone.

Summary : Don't give up writing copy, read a few resources, practise and you can easily write half decent copy yourself.

All the best

Jason

p.s. I am not a salesman nor have I ever been a salesman ... I came from a technical background so salespeople were those people that took you to lunch whilst waffling on about some product or other.

[Marc Rodill]

Gary Halbert Swipe File Package by Jason.

He's bad ass. Oh, and so is Jason.

Haha.

PS. If you want to get good at copywriting, write out all the best sales letters and ads my hand. Most of you won't do this, but those of you who do, you will see some crazy good results. Peace.

[ramkarthik]

Nice resources

I'd also suggest you to read this famous copywriting blog
Copywriting Tips for Online Marketing Success From Copyblogger | Copyblogger

[ezine ads]

Make Your Words Sell! - The Simple Art of e-Persuasion (free 250 pages pdf ebook, no signup required): http://myws.sitesell.com/ (the download link is close to the bottom of the page)

Enjoy!

[Dave777]

Here's some Quick picks & Golden nuggets including a few direct links well worth adding into your swipe files and applying to your businesses...

7 Breakthrough Info Marketing Offers, 127 Winning Advertising Headlines, 6 Consulting Rules To Break in 2008, 100 Good Advertising Headlines…And Much More!
Eugene Schwartz Copywriting Swipe File

Craig Garber
FREE Marketing & Copywriting Articles For You
FREE Marketing & Copywriting Articles For You

Archives | The Total Package
FREE Swipe File | The Total Package

7 Free Copywriting And Marketing Websites Nobody Talks About

Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Early Advertising Publications (1870 - 1925)

Jack Forde's "Learn to Sell or Else..."
http://copywritersroundtable.com/

Nick Usborne
http://www.excessvoice.com/archive.htm

Bob Bly
Copywriter - Bob Bly - Copywriting Services
Bly.com Newsletter Archives

David Garfinkel
World Copywriting Blog

Joe Sugarman - Writing Sales Copy that Sells...
Internet Archive: Free Download: Joe Sugarman - Writing Sales Copy that Sells

Great copywriting resources are endless! Much of it Free if you dig deep into Google...

Dave

[Jag82]

How about this superb copywriting swipe blog
that even had Mark Joyner (and me too) raving:
=> 7 Breakthrough Info Marketing Offers, 127 Winning Advertising Headlines, 6 Consulting Rules To Break in 2008, 100 Good Advertising Headlines…And Much More!

Opt in and get his Gene Schwartz winning headlines swipe.

Jag

[winebuddy]

Ben Hart's material - he has tons of free copywriting info on his site and it's what helped me to finally start making sales...

www.BenHartMarketing.com

[Amanda Craven]

Two more to throw into the mix:

The brilliantly quirky Copywriter Underground The Copywriter Underground

And Nick Usborne's blog: nick usborne's blog

[Jay Truman]

Welcome to Agora Financial

Daily Reckoning

Fool.com: Stock Investing Advice | Stock Research

Dating Advice For Men | How to Attract Women and Use Pick Up Lines

[TiffanyDow]

Okay this is going to sound weird, but it's true.

I read a book when I was learning some "normal eating habits" called Mindless Eating - Why We Eat More Than We Think. It actually gave me a ton of insight into copywriting because although it's about the food niche, it can be applied anywhere.

People's reaction to products often relies on their first impression - the name of it, how it's advertised, etc. I found myself reading this book and instead of thinking about my weight, I was always saying, "Hey that would work for ____ product!"

Here's a non-affiliate link to it: Amazon.com: Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than...
Tiff

[bf68]

The wealth of expertise (if you follow the links) and shear value in this thread is priceless...

But the list wouldn't be complete without John 'Frosty' Carlton's stuff

Self Defense
Golf

[AndrewCavanagh]

The most important thing that many people forget about effective copywriting once they start learning all the strategies and tricks of the trade is:

It's really just about persuading a real live person to do something (buy a product, give their email address for a free report etc).

The better you get to know the person you're trying to persuade and the better you get to know the specific benefits and emotions that person will experience from what you're offering them the better your copywriting is likely to be.

Good copywriting is always about people and what they want.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[RobinSkeen]

I find this tool very handy in helping me come up with snappy headlines:

Advanced Marketing Institute - Headline Analyzer

[rapidscc]

For those who like to use software as a guide to writing landing pages here's one:

Page Gorilla, Create killer sales page using this freeware wizard sales page generator software

enjoy!

Omar

[Tsnyder]

This isn't a resource but is very high on my swipe file list...

This is one of the best sites I've ever seen...

Origami Boulder Company -- Original Origami Gifts!

Tsnyder

[TimGross]

These are biggies:

Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion - Robert B. Cialdini

Scientific Advertising - Claude Hopkins

[Andy]

\ouse guys is just too well red.

Maybe I read too fast but if not, I'm surprised no one mentioned our own Paul Myers

His talkbiznews is a must read IMO. He offers a special report “Why Johnny Can’t Sell” I think is excellent. The above link is a direct download to my copy. Paul, if you want to post another copy, I'll remove this link.

In addition Paul Hancox's (though I stopped reading his posts because I find his avitar too disturbing) 10% Conversion is another must read. Don't have a link but there is a link to it in Paul's report above.

Also Sean D'Souza's psychotactics is a great resource: Psychological Marketing Business Tactics: Big And Small Business Ideas

I'm sure there's more but this is a great start.

God bless,

Andy

[MarkAndrews IMCopywriting]

You'll find a lot of excellent information on the
website of Clayton Makepeace, but for now,
let's start you off right here...

The art and science of writing bullet and fascination copy | The Total Package

Check out the Screaming Eagle PDF for
starters.

You can access a lot of the advice of the
copywriting god's by visiting this link...

FREE Swipe File | The Total Package

Interview's with America's top direct marketing
copywriters...

Interviews with Top Copywriters | The Total Package

As you may have gathered by now, this one of
my favorite sites, here is the link to Clayton
Makepeace' more 'general' copywriting category...

Copywriting | The Total Package

I hope that this also helps a few of you
Warriors to learn more about this essential
craft, if you are involved with internet marketing
or direct marketing.

Best regards.


Mark Andrews

[Michael Lee]

Some hard copy books every serious copywriter must have:

1) Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso

2) Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

3) How To Write A Good Advertisement by Victor Schwab

4) Start And Run A Copywriting Business by Steve Slaunwhite

5) Architecture of Persuasion by Michael Masterson

[Matt Jutras]

Here's a quick sales letter template, for those who need a basic formula:

Headline

Product Story/Body

Introduce Product

Bullet Benefits

What You Get

Bonus Offers

Testimonials

Guarantee

Close/build urgency/scarcity

Price/Call To Action

Signature

PS

Also, this is an incredible video of Jay Abraham explaining "Amazon Copywriting". I've used this technique a couple of times now and the clients were extremely satisfied with the results:

Jay Abraham School of Copywriting

And remember: it's important to keep your sales letters at a 6th or 7th grade reading level, and this site will help determine your readability score:

The Readability Test Tool

[Don Schenk]

I wanted to collect successful salesletters written by some of the world's best copywriters to keep as a swipe file...

... then I found Michael Masterson's Early To Rise newsletter. It is more of a collection of great salesletters with each issue than it is an actual newsletter.

I seem to come out 2 times a day with links to anywhere from 3 to 6 great salesletters.

I've been saving them for 6 months. Wow! What a collection.

Try it. I'm not advertising his newsletter, I am not an affiliate, it's just a great source of very current letters that are selling.

:-Don

[Brent Turner]

Some short tips:

• Keep paragraphs short - try not to go over 3 lines per paragraph. If you do break it up with a one line sentence.

• Black and red (#cc0000) have been known to pull the greatest response for headlines.

• Use sans-serif fonts on your salesletter - these are easier to read on-screen. Sans-serif fonts are the fonts WITHOUT the little arms and legs. They consist of Verdana, Arial and Tahoma (plus many more...). Where as serif fonts are your Times, Georgias etc.

• Make sure you have at least 25 (I prefer 30 - 35 pixels) pixels of whitespace between your copy and the edge of your salesetter.

• Use eCover graphics to boost perceived value.

• A winning font combination I use is this (css code included):

For paragraph <p> tags:

p {
font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size:14px;
line-height:21px;
margin-top:21px;
}

For headline <h1> tags:

h1 {
font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Arial;
font-size:33px;
font-weight:bold;
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
line-height:42px;
color:#cc0000;
}

Hope this helps someone!

Brent

[SamKane]

Lawrence Bernstein's
InfoMarketingBlog is a great source for hard-to-find ads in a simple PDF format.

You can get a strong copywriting education by simply re-writing these ads 'by hand'.

Most of the greatest copywriters recommend this.

[KenThompson]

I could spend the rest of the year reading everything listed
in this thread. This is beyond fabulous. So in the spirit...

Repository of unusual facts for grabbing some attention:

Did you know? | Fascinating Facts

Interesting ad psych stuff with links, etc:

Seducing The Buyer: Hypnotic Patterns That Really Sell

[michael_nguyen]

I just started writing my first proper sales letter and came across this:

Anatomy of a Sales Letter - the mouse terminator

Very good for beginners

Michael

[zapseo]

Understanding how people process stuff is important.
Finding out what is important to people is important -- and finding out what order it is important to them.
Exploring how people "know what they know" (a fascinating branch of philosophy with truly practical uses called epistemology. I learned that word when I was about 35 from a guy named John Grinder and my life has never been the same since.)

So, for the knowledgeable among you, you will recognize the name John Grinder. He helped found this rather odd field of knowledge known as Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Try "Structure of Magic I & II." Even though copy is ostensibly about words, the non-verbal stuff is important, as well. The non-verbal stuff is what happens BEFORE the words. People see the red in the headline, see where it is, get a gut impression of esthetics or liking long before they process the words in a headline.

It's TRUE.

Mouhahahaha.

NLP can be more mind blowing than drugs.

Live JoyFully!

Judy Kettenhofen, Copywriter, Marketer's Geek and general troublemaker

PS if you like Lawrence Bernstein's Blog, you might also like his "Ultimate Online Swipe File." Bit on the pricey side.
If you like Bencivenga's Bullet's you might also like his Bencivenga 100 Retirement Seminar product (ALSO not cheap.)
Did I see Joe Vitale mentioned? Harlan Kilstein? David Garkinkel's Copywriting Templates? Bob Bly?
Jay Abraham? Dan Kennedy?
A good course in "gestalt" (not Fritz Perls) psychology, on perception, can also be handy.
Even though I have a BA in Psych, I also think working at Apple helped, too. Apple's a GREAT marketing company.

[David Raybould]

Great idea,

Thanks for this Allen.

Some great suggestions so far, but how
come everyone missed out the main man?

For scathing insights into copy, you need
John Carlton's blog.

Even if you've only a passing interest in
writing, this is a must read.

www.john-carlton.com

Enjoy.

-David Raybould

[zapseo]

You're right, David, reading John's blog is good.
I was a long-time subscriber of the Rebel Rant -- but now I can read his blog for free!

He was mentioned, though, in a couple of the previous posts -- #7 & #19 -- with links to a lot of John's copy ... ("don't do as I say, do as I do"? No, seriously, John is great teacher, too -- but nothing brings home the lessons like seeing how the master applies them...)

Live JoyFully!

Joyful Copywriter & Marketer Geek

Judy Kettenhofen

A Proud Member of "Warriors For Hire"

[Michael Oksa]

Hi All,

Here is a bit of my personal (and very incomplete) swipe file.

Please use in any way you see fit.

$XXXX NOW!
20 Bucks a month.
act fast to lock in this price
Become a _____
be sure to include the (add on)
brimming with
call now
call right now
Can you pay your Bills this month?
CASH FOR YOUR _____
create true financial freedom
dazzle you with digitally enhanced video
Debt Relief
direct access to experts
DO YOU NEED MONEY?
Ever had a bad day at work?
Experience _____ in _____ - Free !
GET A _____ EVEN IF _____!
get everything you need to _____
get the house you deserve
Get the _____ you've always deserved!
Get the _____ you've always wanted!
Get your _____ with Participation!
Have a bad day at work?
it's for those who _____
it's the best buy on ____ bar none
keep the first one, then about every other month we'll send you a new...
learn how to do it risk-free
learn how you can also get...
Less than a month remaining for _____
Like to _____? Make sure you get this _____.
MONEY FOR _____
One time discount
only available through this special offer
real people - just like you...
retire in comfort
simple strategies
Somebody could be looking for you! ...but who?
Tested and Proven Effective.
The secret to free _____
this is your last chance to order so act now
try it in your home for ____ days
Up to $XXX in 1 hour/day/week
what would you rather do
Why keep paying too much for _____?
XX deals from _____
YOU CAN GET A _____ NO MATTER WHAT YOUR _____ IS!
you can only get from
you could _____ for days and never see/find/experience _____ like this
You NEED to see these _____
you won't pay X, we'll take off X
_____ is waiting for you to _____
_____ would like to make you aware of_____


BONUS TIP: To give your headlines an active voice, try starting them with a verb.

All the best,
Michael

[Raydal]

Some people have found my copywriting blog useful:

http://www.webcopy-writing.com/blog/

Cheers!

-Ray Edwards

[James Pateman]

Some useful stuff here:

(Disclosure: I have no commercial interest through these links)


Online Copywriting 101: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet | FutureNow's GrokDotCom / Marketing Optimization Blog

10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work | Copyblogger

How To Write Great Headlines

The Sexy Art of Writing Headlines that Kill – FreelanceSwitch

A List Apart: Articles: Greatest Copy Shot Ever Written

regards,
James Pateman

[Sean Ski]

Some crazy good sales letters:
site:isecureonline.com/Reports/ - Google Search

Some good headline tips:
Warning: Use These 5 Surefire Headline Formulas at Your Own Risk | Copyblogger

[Michael Oksa]

Here are several more phrases you can use to spice up your copy...

All you have to do is _____
And I didn't even mention
And I guide you every step of the way
And now
And that's just the start
Announcing...
Are you ready?
As you can see
Attention:
Available for a short time only
Because by the time you've _____ you'll know _____
better results
But, you'd better order quickly...
But look
But Wait!
Can you see why _____
Did you know that...
Discover The Most Effective _____ In Existence
Doesn't it make sense to...
Don't let it happen to you
Don't you agree that _____?
Faster than anything else
Finally, You can...
First...
For limited release
Get the best
Guaranteed to work even if _____
Guess what happened?
Here's a perfect example...
Here's Where Things Start To Get Good
I dare you to _____
I don't care who you are, that's _____
I don't know about you, but...
If You Act Right Now, you'll
If you want to _____ then this is _____
I just wanted to share this it's helped Me a bunch..
I know what you're thinking...
In case you missed it
In fact...
In no time at all
In the next (AMOUNT OF TIME) I will show you _____
I promise you now
It's as simple as that
It's so easy
It's the easiest way for you to _____
It's Time To Finally...
It's up to you to...
It really is that simple
It works
I will give you
Just imagine
Just take a second to _____
Let me tell you...
Make it available to you
Maybe you're in that same position...
More on that in a moment.
Newly Discovered _____ Allows You To _____
Nothing is left to chance
Now you can...
Once you _____
Out of ##### only ## _____
Picture yourself...
Plain and simple
Read what others have said about...
Remember
Step-By-Step
Stop listening to _____
Take a look at _____
Tap Into The _____
That's Not Even The Best Part!
That's what we all want isn't it?
The Cold Hard Truth Is...
The first ## people who _____ will _____
There's one thing you must know
The simple fact is
They couldn't be more wrong.
Undeniable proof
Watch over my shoulder
What if there was ____
Without A Doubt
You'll be glad you did.
You'll Have Instant Access To...
You're About To
You're going to see
You are About to _____
You are sure to
You can literally _____
You deserve _____
You guessed it
You have nothing to lose
You read that right.
You will never have to _____
_____ is dead wrong.
_____ is Easy!

All the best,
Michael

[timmywf]

Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh

The most important thing that many people forget about effective copywriting once they start learning all the strategies and tricks of the trade is:

It's really just about persuading a real live person to do something (buy a product, give their email address for a free report etc).

The better you get to know the person you're trying to persuade and the better you get to know the specific benefits and emotions that person will experience from what you're offering them the better your copywriting is likely to be.

Good copywriting is always about people and what they want.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

Well said, I couldn't agree with you any more.

[JonathanBoettcher]

The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers & Boost Your Sales by Dan Kennedy

It's worth a read

[jjbalagosa]

One of the best ideas I've heard (and used) was to look at magazine covers for headlines. These are usually written by top notch authors and have the sole purpose of getting your attention enough to by the magazine. And you can "Rip Them Off" freely by just taking a stroll through your favorite bookstore.

You can even find covers of your favorite magazines on Google images. I look them up all the time and add them to my own ever-growing Swipe File/IM Knowledgebase.

This thread is fantastic, btw! My favorite part of IM is Copywriting.

[dbarnum]

Here's a popular tip sheet from my own website to share:

Tweak Away with These 20 Copywriting Tips & Tricks

To help increase your sales, take a look at your copywriting and see if you can make improvements. Often small improvements can result in a much better conversion rate.

In short, as this quote from successful businessman David Ogilvy says, “If you're trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language in which they think.”

So go over these tips and see where you can use better language: revise, tweak, edit and otherwise improve your sales efforts.

1. Evaluate your copy. Evaluate repeatedly, over again, until you have it nicely polished, and ready to print. Ask a business contact to read it while in exchange, you read his or her copy.

2. Use shorter words for longer ones.

3. Insert facts, quotes and statistics where possible. These often have more impact than information.

4. Steer clear of witty or obscure phrasing. You want the reader to have clarity of understanding what you mean, rather than to keep them guessing. Say what you have to say in the simplest or most direct of terms. Be concise and to the point.

5. Use straightforward paragraphs and short sentences. Take care to state facts and real figures. Choose not to talk in percentages, but rather state real sums of money.

6. Focus on the advantages and benefits your client will receive from their purchase.

7. When copywriting, do not be overly concerned about the number of words you use while writing. Studies have shown that longer copy sells more products than short copy. Start with short copy, if you like, then add more pages, more depth to your communications.

8. When writing copy, make your words talk with the ease of presenting one-on-one; speak to the customer in their language. In other words, when you are sitting there trying to figure out what to say, just imagine you are sitting there talking to a trusted family member or friend about the product, this should put you right at ease.

9. Copy writing is much easier if you can visualize your audience and then just write to them.

10. Good copy has a sense of quality that is childlike because of its simplicity. Write so anyone can understand your copy and it will come across so much clearer.

11. Read and study the masterpieces of writing by famous advertising authors whose work has paved the path for you and other copywriters.

12. Test everything that comes to mind; write it out if it comes to in a flash or in a simple wave of clarity. Use the positive tested phrases in your copywriting.

13. Write and write, then re-write. Practice does make perfect.

14. Be open to refreshing concepts and ease them into your copywriting while not upsetting the flow of writing.

15. Employ the use of bullets or check lists while copywriting, do not be afraid to use plenty of bullets or check lists.

16. Remember use of FREE, NEW, SECRET, GUARANTEE, PROFIT and YOU are all eye catchers. Heat up your copy with words that reach and grab the reader's attention.

17. You have to place a call to action in your copy to motivate the customer to act, if the customer is not drawn to act on your call, sales may be lost.

18. Gather up some testimonials for use in copywriting. Studies have proven that testimonials grab more reader attention than any other factors combined. Testimonials set the stage for credibility.

19. Always remember in copywriting that you've got almost as much pull with the ending P.S. message for sales attraction as you do with coming up with a killer headline. Your P.S. copy should sum everything up nicely so readers are immediately drawn to answering your call for action.

20. Know your product.

“Good copy can't be written with tongue in cheek, written just for a living. You've got to believe in the product,” David Ogilvy.

So give your copy a good inspection and make improvements where you can. Then put your best sales copy foot forward and get back out there and sell!


@ Moving Ahead

[glengarry4]

Two GREAT courses that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet are:

Shortcut Copywriting Secrets by Scott Haines

and

Advertising Magic by Brian Keith Voiles (alot of people have a license to sell this one. I got it for like 100 bucks off of Ebay).

[colmodwyer]

Awesome thread!

Here's a few websites I use to climb inside my prospects head, maybe they can help others too...

#1. Amazon.com Bestsellers: The most popular items in Books. Updated hourly.

Select the category that matches your market and you're in business!

Great way to see what's working now... What's on your prospect's mind? What's clicking your prospects hot buttons? What information your prospect's are paying for? And so on.

Gives you some good headline brainstorming fodder too.

While you're at Amazon, check the COMMENTS section of products too.

#2. Digg.com

Works a lot like Amazon bestsellers (but for articles). See above.

#3. Big-Boards.com

This is basically a directory of forums. So pretty easy to find forums catering to your market.

Forums essentially let you spy on your prospect. See what they're chatting about, what kind of people they are and that kind of thing.

You might pick up some useful lingo you can use too (empathy, rapport etc).

Check out "newsgroups" on Google too.

#4. Scam.com

A lot of folks actually share reasons why they're buying shoddy products. For example: "I bought product X because it said in the sales letter it's make me a millionaire tomorrow. But it's BS!"

PRICELESS (assuming your product can deliver).

Good for handling objections too.

#5. Yahoo! Answers

Find out what questions your market is asking, then promise to answer them... For $47...

There's a few more market specific websites I use, but these should get you off to a good start and give you an idea of what else you should be looking for.

On top of these, testimonials are priceless for mind-reading your market.

Better still, get out into the world and speak to your prospects face to face.

Word of warning though... What people say isn't always what they really mean. For example I've seen a lot of customers for the company I work for complain about our aggressive marketing and how everyone hates it.

They conveniently forgot how they were converted I guess.

Colm

[Johnny]

2 great products:

Steal These Secrets | The Total Package
Steal These Secrets: Volume 2 | The Total Package

[Readygo]

Whats the difference between maria veloso's
web copy that sells (2004 original) and the new edition she just came out with in 2009 ? just buzz or what?


also what do you thing about presuppositions, nlp, hidden comands, mumbo jumbo or fact it works ?

[tomw]

There are so many great copywriting resources out there, but a few from fellow Warriors deserve a mention,

By Brian Kumar:

• Beyond Storytelling
• Marketing Secrets of Seduction Masters
• Advanced Seduction & Manipulation Techniques
• How to Create Profit-Producing Sales Letters by Getting Inside Your Customer's Head

By Paul Myers:

• Creating Killer Content
• Why Johnny Can't Sell

Harlan Kilstein's stuff is also great.

If I'm not mistaken, Allen has a thing or two to say about copywriting.

Tom