Why Copying is Killing Your Profits...

Hi guys,

I've been doing a lot of critiques lately...

...and there's one thing I'm running into a lot.

It's people who have an otherwise solid (if not stellar) grip on how to write decent copy destroy their letters by trying to shoehorn them into a mold the "market leader" has set.

Now... all great copywriters I know have a swipe file... even if it's just in their heads.

And a lot of them have copied stuff at one point or another... even subconsciously.

But blatantly ripping off other people's letters can get you into serious trouble.

I'm not talking about IP theft or copyright here... although that can be a concern.

I'm talking about selling in general.

Now... I get a lot of people that write sales pages aren't actually copywriters.

And in that instance... using someone else's letter as a template can seem like a good idea.

After all... you don't know what you're doing...

...so why not borrow ideas from someone who has?

But there are a couple of problems with that scenario.

First of all... most sales pages are horrible.

Most internet marketers - even big name gurus - get it wrong a lot of the time.

Ask any established copywriter - they'll have stories about "big names" destroying their work and then blaming them when the letter doesn't convert.

On top of that... for every launch done with an established copywriter... there are tons more done with guys doing $100 salesletters on elance or whatever.

Why?

Because (for example) Frank Kern or John Reese don't need great copy to sell their stuff.

Every other element - scarcity, bonuses, and "their brand" is so solidly in place they could have nothing but a button that says "buy now" and still sell out their coaching slots (or whatever).

Which brings me to point #2...

You are not the big boys.

You can't rely on insane levels of affiliates... piles of traffic... and massive JVs to help you sell.

When you don't have that "big name"... everything you do is going to be far more closely scrutinized by your partners etc... because they will EXPECT you to screw up.

When you get to the level of guys like Kern, you can practically do no wrong... you've got a cult following.

But when you're an average guy selling something you've gotta work 10 times as hard for the sale.

Now I'm using IM products and names as examples here... but it happens through all markets.

For example... Fat Loss 4 Idiots.

The page converts like crap... yet people continue to copy it... to their detriment.

Remember... the market leaders are just people like you and me.

They're far from perfect... and often the bigger they are... the lazier they can be with their sales funnels.

They're prey to employing idiots... making poor decisions... and simply not caring - just like the rest of us.

So don't assume that they're doing the best thing... or even good things.

Now... I'm not saying ignore what everyone else is doing.

You and your market don't exist in a vacuum. It's important to check out what other people are doing - and swipe the ideas you like.

But please... use your common sense when you evaluate a page or letter. If you think it stinks... it probably stinks... regardless of who signs it.

You won't be right all the time... but you'll probably be a lot better off than copying some poorly-written sales letter as what works.

-Dan