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[Analyzing Great Adverts] - What Was Your Methods

by john 79
11 replies
Hey, guys got a question I hope can get answered.

I've been analyzing some ads on swipe.co but not quite sure if I am doing it correctly or maybe even over analyzing. I am a fan of Gene Schwartz just now. I listen to his words and read his stuff and try and take-apart his adverts.

What do I do?

Ok, I look at the number of benefits (does's as he puts it) he uses and what he repeats again (maybe in a different way). I also look at the amount of authority/trust he sprinkles in his copy to reassure the reader that this is more than worth the risk etc, the words he uses to instill fear to the reader and the number of times he adds instant gratification in the copy or wants to get the reader to imagine, use a past experience or remember seeing something in the past to agitate a problem.

If you have ever analyzed anyone's copy what do or did you look for to understand it better, this would help me and my own learning improve?

Thanks
#adverts #analyzing #great #methods
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  • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
    Originally Posted by john 79 View Post

    Hey, guys got a question I hope can get answered.

    I've been analyzing some ads on swipe.co but not quite sure if I am doing it correctly or maybe even over analyzing. I am a fan of Gene Schwartz just now. I listen to his words and read his stuff and try and take-apart his adverts.

    What do I do?

    Ok, I look at the number of benefits (does's as he puts it) he uses and what he repeats again (maybe in a different way). I also look at the amount of authority/trust he sprinkles in his copy to reassure the reader that this is more than worth the risk etc, the words he uses to instill fear to the reader and the number of times he adds instant gratification in the copy or wants to get the reader to imagine, use a past experience or remember seeing something in the past to agitate a problem.

    If you have ever analyzed anyone's copy what do or did you look for to understand it better, this would help me and my own learning improve?

    Thanks
    Unless you know the RESULTS of the ad, how do you know which ones to analyze? Even Gene (and Gary, et al) had their flops, losers and ads which did not work.

    So, first, you want to look for known winners, THEN, you find out where the ads ran.

    Was it a direct mail piece, newspaper or magazine ads? The same ad in different media could of had vastly different results.

    Almost all of the acclaimed writers had books, so what do you want that Schwartz hasn't already told you about?

    The things which will help you understand successful copy better is:

    Knowing who the target market was?
    How was the target market reached (what media)?
    The results.

    The product itself.

    Don't forget, many of these old world writers, needed only very small % of buyers to produce a winner, often a 3% response to either a cold list or a newspaper ad would be great, and often...maybe the ad was a loss leader to sell more backends.

    All of this information is mostly available at one of 1001 copywriting web sites. I think, if just starting out, you look at what is going on today, and try not to fall in love with any copywriting guru's methods.

    It may be sold as MAGIC, but it really comes down to Stimuli-Response. Of course, knowing what that means, in detail, is a life long study of itself.

    All this has been done by so many people, a few days at copywriting sites and Facebook groups will have your head spinning on analyzing successful copy, which may, but probably won't make you any better.

    GordonJ
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    • Profile picture of the author john 79
      Thanks for the reply. So to sum it up you're saying that studying successful adverts of the past is a slight waste of time and I would be better looking at what's working today in whatever media I am in. It's hard to know who to listen too, what one person says another will say something opposite

      If you don't mind me asking this here is kinda confusing me. By knowing that the market was people with arthritis, it was a newspaper advert and the other 2 variables i don't know yet, how would that make me understand it better gordan?

      "The things which will help you understand successful copy better is:

      Knowing who the target market was?
      How was the target market reached (what media)?
      The results.

      The product itself."
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      • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
        Originally Posted by john 79 View Post

        It's hard to know who to listen too, what one person says another will say something opposite
        This should tell you everything you need to know. Everything is subjective - an opinion and nothing more. Taking one person's opinion over another is usually a result of having your own biases, realized or not, going in.

        Spend more time developing your own style. Read - less, less, less and write - more, more, more. I guarantee you that you will get farther, faster by focusing on yourself.

        I can assure you that the more you read, the more confused and unfocused you will become. It's a fool's game.
        Signature

        "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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        • Profile picture of the author john 79
          Thanks for that, that's my intention. Where to write is another question. I've got ideas of just writing for me first, write, write, write in places where I could get noticed and just let greater powers do the rest. Or hustle like many and try and land various jobs.
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          • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
            Originally Posted by john 79 View Post

            Thanks for that, that's my intention. Where to write is another question. I've got ideas of just writing for me first, write, write, write in places where I could get noticed and just let greater powers do the rest. Or hustle like many and try and land various jobs.
            Why would you think those two options are mutually exclusive?

            The question is, have you developed your craft to a level where there will be interest by anyone to give you paid assignments?

            If you consider yourself a writer, you must write everyday. There's no other path to improving your craft and gaining credibility as it relates to your claim.
            Signature

            "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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            • Profile picture of the author john 79
              The question is, have you developed your craft to a level where there will be interest by anyone to give you paid assignments?
              To answer your question truthfully. No way. I don't consider myself a sales copywriter yet.

              That's why I'm spending time looking at what others have done before me and how they did it. Like I was advised before.

              I need assignments of some kind to test what I've picked up so far and the only way I can do that I think is by finding poor copy out there already and making it better, sales letters, landing pages, fb ads etc that kinda thing. Not sure of any other options right now?
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          • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
            Originally Posted by john 79 View Post

            Thanks for that, that's my intention. Where to write is another question. I've got ideas of just writing for me first, write, write, write in places where I could get noticed and just let greater powers do the rest. Or hustle like many and try and land various jobs.

            I appreciate your enthoosiasm, but remember always ... the greater the power, the less they prolly care 'bout your ass.


            If'n you demandin' miracles, be sure to keep 'em in-house.
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            Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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            • Profile picture of the author john 79
              Dat maybe true but wen yuh baan di aura yuh baan wid di aura
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      • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
        Originally Posted by john 79 View Post

        Thanks for the reply. So to sum it up you're saying that studying successful adverts of the past is a slight waste of time and I would be better looking at what's working today in whatever media I am in. It's hard to know who to listen too, what one person says another will say something opposite

        If you don't mind me asking this here is kinda confusing me. By knowing that the market was people with arthritis, it was a newspaper advert and the other 2 variables i don't know yet, how would that make me understand it better gordan?

        "The things which will help you understand successful copy better is:

        Knowing who the target market was?
        How was the target market reached (what media)?
        The results.

        The product itself."

        The ad aimed at people with arthritis.

        Where was the ad? Newspapers WERE good, cause old people (bulk of market) read them. Magazines, Maybe. Golfers would be a good target. AARP members, retirement type magazines, LISTs of geezers living in FL who play golf (I made a ton off of these guys with a supplement for arthritis).

        Did this ad run in the paper/magazine over a longer period of time, use online libraries and Google searches for magazines and find the ads, then search 6 months either side...no one runs ads for a long time which don't work.

        So, if it was a newspaper, do a google search for the ad in that paper, then use google images on the ad itself to find other media or other insertions.

        Now a shortcut is to go to a place like what Lawrence Bernstein had, or others with ads and analysis. Google ad swipes, etc.

        So, say today, you want to reach a TARGET market of people with arthritis, where would you look? Try nextmark dot com, a list broker, to see what lists are out there regarding your target market.

        Personally, I think you are overTHINKING this thing. Join a good Facebook group, cult of copy is a good one for beginners, lots of people there and other groups to help you out.

        Don't get bogged down, and think you MUST learn and you MUST obey a guru, there are no rules...Start simple, the simplest book on persuasion out there is EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY by Phil Jones, NO affiliation, but it is less info than either the DUMMIES or IDIOTS guides to copywriting, because it all comes down to what you say to people.

        Good luck on your journey, advise a day spent learning how to use google. It will save you tons of time.

        GordonJ
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  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    As Gordon said, how do you know it was a good ad?

    The attendees who paid $5 k to be at
    Gary Benciveng's retirement seminar
    included the greats of copywriting and direct response marketing
    where given an excercise as to which ad pulled the best.

    A-List copywriters got many wrong.

    The point is it is very difficult to know what a good ad is untill you know the numbers.

    Was it sent to an existing customer list?

    Their own or someone els's.

    Was it a soft offer where you don't pay now
    but later.

    Two guys decided to go into the fake diamond biz at the same time.

    One was a copywriter and the other wasn't.

    They both ran their ads in the same newspaper.

    The copywriter ad made a small profit.

    The other guy made no profit, at first.

    Long story made short the non copywriter built a very profitable business
    by continuing to upsell his buyers.

    He was a true business builder.

    The copywriter wasn't
    as he was going for the quick hit then quit.

    So, there may be a whole lot going on behind an ad
    that you don't know about and make false assumptions.

    Best,
    Ewen
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by john 79 View Post

    Hey, guys got a question I hope can get answered.

    I've been analyzing some ads on swipe.co but not quite sure if I am doing it correctly or maybe even over analyzing. I am a fan of Gene Schwartz just now. I listen to his words and read his stuff and try and take-apart his adverts.

    What do I do?

    Ok, I look at the number of benefits (does's as he puts it) he uses and what he repeats again (maybe in a different way). I also look at the amount of authority/trust he sprinkles in his copy to reassure the reader that this is more than worth the risk etc, the words he uses to instill fear to the reader and the number of times he adds instant gratification in the copy or wants to get the reader to imagine, use a past experience or remember seeing something in the past to agitate a problem.

    If you have ever analyzed anyone's copy what do or did you look for to understand it better, this would help me and my own learning improve?

    Thanks
    John, if you have a basic understanding of copywriting techniques, studying sales letters is a very good idea.

    And don't worry whether a given letter "worked" or not. As long as it was written by one of the modern masters, the techniques used in it will be worth studying.
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