[What I Learned] Day Three: Research Is King
If this is the first post you're reading in the "What I Learned" series,
welcome :-)
In this daily series, I'm going to take something I learned about copy-
writing, marketing or life in general and break down what I learned about
it. Hopefully, this helps YOU use these "ideas" to earn more money, or
create more happiness in your life.
It's a pretty simple concept. And you don't need to read any "back issues"
to get caught up to speed. Simply start right here, with the rest of us, as
we discuss...
>> TODAY'S TOPIC: Research Is King
As the late, great Gary Halbert once said: "I Am The Greatest Copy
Writer Alive (I'm Even Better Than The Ones Who Are Dead!)"
And while I am in absolutely no position to make the same claim the Prince
of Print once did... Any copywriter worth his stripes can tell you the
backbone of Guru Gary's formula.
It wasn't the drama...
It wasn't the language...
It was even more important than his legendary offers, headlines and
unbelievable ability to find the "selling story" buried in ANY product or
business..
The man with the pink cadillac himself said "Research is King," and it was
the backbone of his method.
He slaved over Fact Sheets, competitive research and carried around
hundreds of index cards which - in my mind's eye - were loaded with
headline after headline stolen from National Enquirer and Cosmopolitan
Magazine alike.
(And as a very respectful sidenote - I regret Halbert's passing each
and every time I re-read his brilliant newsletters. The man was a genius
with a pen and a piece of paper. As lucky as I am, growing up with the
Internet, I would gladly give the left half of my manhood to have been
a copywriter in the "Golden Ages" when Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz
and David Ogilvy still walked the Earth. What a bright and shining time
that must have been, for marketing)
And Mr. Halbert's focus on research gave him loads of data to work with.
Data for his product exclusively. Data for his market, and competition.
Data for his copywriting talent / raw material for ideas.
Then, he simply fed this data to his subconscious supercomputer, and
gave it some rest. Came up with copy. Just as I'm slowly discovering
ALL A+ level copywriters do.
... But we'll save your subconscious and other technical aspects of
WRITING for another post, on another day. Today, I want to focus
on research. And how goddamn important it is. And how C or even
D level copywriters can use SUPERIOR RESEARCH to outsell a strong,
B level copywriter.
(When I can call myself an "A-Lister" without laughing out loud, I'll let
you know if it works in the "Big Leagues," too..)
In my opinion, there are really Three Types of Research. These 3 Types
are:
1) PRODUCT RESEARCH - This is all the research you do about your
product or your service. It includes the "Fact Sheets" about your
product, which you turn into "Benefit Sheets" (and can even go into
Dominant Resident Emotion sheets... Or Primary Buying Emotion sheets...
Depending on your style or teacher)
The D-list or C-list writer will spend little to no time on this step. And the
B-List writer, in my humble opinion, spends too LITTLE time on it. Going
in depth on the CORE components of copy - like research - turn into big
gains in your conversion, once your piece is written.
Newer leads... Better headlines... More COMPELLING copy...
... It all comes from great research. Parris Lampropoulos pulls his research
out of his brain through hundreds and hundreds of bullets. John Carlton
does the same. Some writers do a few drafts of writes and rewrites before
they can even BEGIN a "first draft" in the conventional sense.
The KEY TAKE AWAY here is that without good research, you can't write
good copy. Which is why 4 hour copy feels and sells like 4 hour copy. And
"immersion" copy feels and sells like "immersion" copy.
A side-note here: Today I began research for a new seminar I'm selling
for a client. And part of my research was MARKET RESEARCH. That is,
looking at every competitor in the field, and seeing where our product
would fit.
And boy, did I learn some stuff...
If you're EVER at a loss on how to position your product or service, look
at what everyone else is doing. Then grab yourself a copy of Eugene
Schwartz' brilliant book - Breakthrough Advertising, and set aside a week
to read it through a few times.
Never again will you write a "Me Too" sales letter. This, I promise you.
My copy has handwritten margin notes and more than a little spine-wear
and tear... And it's earned it's price back for me HUNDREDS of times.
2) PROSPECT RESEARCH - This is also extremely important. Prospect
research includes sending out - or reading up on - survey data to
current buyers and prospects.
Things like age, location, sex... Even down to what magazines they read,
and what TV shows they watch... You want to keep your fingers and your
thumb on the pulse of your market. This means knowing their CURRENT
frustrations, desires and needs.
Forums are great for this, because you can interact with your customers,
without ever revealing your identity. And the topics are honest pleas for
help, which tell you what's urgently on their minds.
For more general insight into PEOPLE in general, try reading the National
Enquirer and Cosmopolitan Magazine, every month. Throw in a Men's
Health subscription, as well. You may laugh now, but their writers claim
a king's ransom for their work. And it's well earned.
I'd take a National Enquirer writer's bullets over almost ANY A-Lister out
there, if I happened to be a betting man. What's even more illustrative is
many of THEM would, too.
Last but not least, here's a great tidbit I picked up from reading Schwartz:
Go see ANY movie that's grossed over $100-million in the box office. There
is something about that movie that makes people NEED to see it in the
theaters. Where movie prices are SUPER expensive.
Pay your money, too. See it in theaters. That's the only way I learned
Twilight is less about vampires and unrequited love than it's simply a
female lead who isn't either: A) A manly-woman who kills superheros,
or B) A glam-doll Sex and The City girl.
She's plain. She's awkward. And two good looking men - with HUGE social
value - are fighting over her. Teenage girls, and most young women
who still consider themselves "plain" go absolutely ape **** over those
movies and those books.
All for a very simple reason.
Another side-note: DO THE THINGS YOUR MARKET DOES. This is simple
advice that's even simpler in practical terms: If your product is about
going out and getting fit... Use the advice to go out and get fit. Better
yet, stop exercising for a few months, eat a bunch of ice cream and pack
on 20 pounds. Go to the beach. Feel what being overweight, unhappy
and shirtless feels like.
Then follow the advice you can find online. See what frustrates you,
there.
Finally, try your product. Live the success. And then, only then, can
you transmit that core BELIEF in your product that's so crucial to
success in marketing.
It's a longer process. But as I'll try to show you in the coming days...
For me, at least, good selling comes from detailed work, and lots
of invested energy.
Wow... Where are we...?
3) COPY AMMUNITION - Ah. The third, final and LEAST USED pillar of
good research, this is research into "good" copy, in general.
This includes creating a swipe file, handwriting old, powerful ads and
even writing YOUR ads in YOUR handwriting. (This slows down your
mind and makes you more deliberate with your words and your tone.
If you tend to sound excited or too "quick" in your copy, this technique
could add the relaxation you've been looking for.)
Going over your copy ammo after you've done your core research will
arm your Automatic Success Mechanism - ie. your big ol' subconscious
super-computer - with everything it needs to not only sell your damn
product...
... But also "steal" ideas from lates, greats and A-Level copywriters. This
is the easiest way to learn from guys who are too booked to "chief" you.
(And I'd say 90% of the time, getting chiefed is a good idea.
Unfortunately, finding a high-level writer to chief you leads to:
A) Two years of - excuse my french - ****ty pay... and... B) A halt on all
of your own clients for a few years, as well)
With these three research tools, coming up with fresh, exciting copy
that SELLS STUFF is really just a matter of putting in your elbow grease.
But... honestly... That's all great copy is, anyways. It's talented salesmen
who've spent years honing their craft.
Stephen King talks about his 2,000 words per day in his MUST READ book:
On Writing. And I've talked to copywriters who put his 2,000 word per
day range to shame.
Myself included.
This game is all about investing resources - namely time and energy - into
yourself, your skills and your product.
And research is the magnifying glass that focuses your energy into a
tiny, scalding hot focus that burns your sales message into your
prospect's minds.
I can only hope today's post gave you a few ideas on how to increase
the "solar power" of your writing ;-)
And like always, I'll talk to you tomorrow.
- HR
PS. Any good? Any bad? Any feedback at all?
Please reply to this thread, and keep it alive.
I'm gonna keep writing anyways... So ask me questions, and get the
advice or the answers YOU want. If I can't answer them, I'll try to
tackle 'em, anyways.
PPS. Any ideas on how to improve? Anything you want more of?
I'll try my best to work it all in to future posts.
PPPS. Finally, thank you for reading :-)
I write these mostly to solidify my own thoughts... but knowing there
are people reading, and being helped by, these posts makes them all
the more worthwhile.
Even if it's just a select, priviledged - and might I add damn good looking
- bunch of guys and girls.
welcome :-)
In this daily series, I'm going to take something I learned about copy-
writing, marketing or life in general and break down what I learned about
it. Hopefully, this helps YOU use these "ideas" to earn more money, or
create more happiness in your life.
It's a pretty simple concept. And you don't need to read any "back issues"
to get caught up to speed. Simply start right here, with the rest of us, as
we discuss...
>> TODAY'S TOPIC: Research Is King
As the late, great Gary Halbert once said: "I Am The Greatest Copy
Writer Alive (I'm Even Better Than The Ones Who Are Dead!)"
And while I am in absolutely no position to make the same claim the Prince
of Print once did... Any copywriter worth his stripes can tell you the
backbone of Guru Gary's formula.
It wasn't the drama...
It wasn't the language...
It was even more important than his legendary offers, headlines and
unbelievable ability to find the "selling story" buried in ANY product or
business..
The man with the pink cadillac himself said "Research is King," and it was
the backbone of his method.
He slaved over Fact Sheets, competitive research and carried around
hundreds of index cards which - in my mind's eye - were loaded with
headline after headline stolen from National Enquirer and Cosmopolitan
Magazine alike.
(And as a very respectful sidenote - I regret Halbert's passing each
and every time I re-read his brilliant newsletters. The man was a genius
with a pen and a piece of paper. As lucky as I am, growing up with the
Internet, I would gladly give the left half of my manhood to have been
a copywriter in the "Golden Ages" when Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz
and David Ogilvy still walked the Earth. What a bright and shining time
that must have been, for marketing)
And Mr. Halbert's focus on research gave him loads of data to work with.
Data for his product exclusively. Data for his market, and competition.
Data for his copywriting talent / raw material for ideas.
Then, he simply fed this data to his subconscious supercomputer, and
gave it some rest. Came up with copy. Just as I'm slowly discovering
ALL A+ level copywriters do.
... But we'll save your subconscious and other technical aspects of
WRITING for another post, on another day. Today, I want to focus
on research. And how goddamn important it is. And how C or even
D level copywriters can use SUPERIOR RESEARCH to outsell a strong,
B level copywriter.
(When I can call myself an "A-Lister" without laughing out loud, I'll let
you know if it works in the "Big Leagues," too..)
In my opinion, there are really Three Types of Research. These 3 Types
are:
1) PRODUCT RESEARCH - This is all the research you do about your
product or your service. It includes the "Fact Sheets" about your
product, which you turn into "Benefit Sheets" (and can even go into
Dominant Resident Emotion sheets... Or Primary Buying Emotion sheets...
Depending on your style or teacher)
The D-list or C-list writer will spend little to no time on this step. And the
B-List writer, in my humble opinion, spends too LITTLE time on it. Going
in depth on the CORE components of copy - like research - turn into big
gains in your conversion, once your piece is written.
Newer leads... Better headlines... More COMPELLING copy...
... It all comes from great research. Parris Lampropoulos pulls his research
out of his brain through hundreds and hundreds of bullets. John Carlton
does the same. Some writers do a few drafts of writes and rewrites before
they can even BEGIN a "first draft" in the conventional sense.
The KEY TAKE AWAY here is that without good research, you can't write
good copy. Which is why 4 hour copy feels and sells like 4 hour copy. And
"immersion" copy feels and sells like "immersion" copy.
A side-note here: Today I began research for a new seminar I'm selling
for a client. And part of my research was MARKET RESEARCH. That is,
looking at every competitor in the field, and seeing where our product
would fit.
And boy, did I learn some stuff...
If you're EVER at a loss on how to position your product or service, look
at what everyone else is doing. Then grab yourself a copy of Eugene
Schwartz' brilliant book - Breakthrough Advertising, and set aside a week
to read it through a few times.
Never again will you write a "Me Too" sales letter. This, I promise you.
My copy has handwritten margin notes and more than a little spine-wear
and tear... And it's earned it's price back for me HUNDREDS of times.
2) PROSPECT RESEARCH - This is also extremely important. Prospect
research includes sending out - or reading up on - survey data to
current buyers and prospects.
Things like age, location, sex... Even down to what magazines they read,
and what TV shows they watch... You want to keep your fingers and your
thumb on the pulse of your market. This means knowing their CURRENT
frustrations, desires and needs.
Forums are great for this, because you can interact with your customers,
without ever revealing your identity. And the topics are honest pleas for
help, which tell you what's urgently on their minds.
For more general insight into PEOPLE in general, try reading the National
Enquirer and Cosmopolitan Magazine, every month. Throw in a Men's
Health subscription, as well. You may laugh now, but their writers claim
a king's ransom for their work. And it's well earned.
I'd take a National Enquirer writer's bullets over almost ANY A-Lister out
there, if I happened to be a betting man. What's even more illustrative is
many of THEM would, too.
Last but not least, here's a great tidbit I picked up from reading Schwartz:
Go see ANY movie that's grossed over $100-million in the box office. There
is something about that movie that makes people NEED to see it in the
theaters. Where movie prices are SUPER expensive.
Pay your money, too. See it in theaters. That's the only way I learned
Twilight is less about vampires and unrequited love than it's simply a
female lead who isn't either: A) A manly-woman who kills superheros,
or B) A glam-doll Sex and The City girl.
She's plain. She's awkward. And two good looking men - with HUGE social
value - are fighting over her. Teenage girls, and most young women
who still consider themselves "plain" go absolutely ape **** over those
movies and those books.
All for a very simple reason.
Another side-note: DO THE THINGS YOUR MARKET DOES. This is simple
advice that's even simpler in practical terms: If your product is about
going out and getting fit... Use the advice to go out and get fit. Better
yet, stop exercising for a few months, eat a bunch of ice cream and pack
on 20 pounds. Go to the beach. Feel what being overweight, unhappy
and shirtless feels like.
Then follow the advice you can find online. See what frustrates you,
there.
Finally, try your product. Live the success. And then, only then, can
you transmit that core BELIEF in your product that's so crucial to
success in marketing.
It's a longer process. But as I'll try to show you in the coming days...
For me, at least, good selling comes from detailed work, and lots
of invested energy.
Wow... Where are we...?
3) COPY AMMUNITION - Ah. The third, final and LEAST USED pillar of
good research, this is research into "good" copy, in general.
This includes creating a swipe file, handwriting old, powerful ads and
even writing YOUR ads in YOUR handwriting. (This slows down your
mind and makes you more deliberate with your words and your tone.
If you tend to sound excited or too "quick" in your copy, this technique
could add the relaxation you've been looking for.)
Going over your copy ammo after you've done your core research will
arm your Automatic Success Mechanism - ie. your big ol' subconscious
super-computer - with everything it needs to not only sell your damn
product...
... But also "steal" ideas from lates, greats and A-Level copywriters. This
is the easiest way to learn from guys who are too booked to "chief" you.
(And I'd say 90% of the time, getting chiefed is a good idea.
Unfortunately, finding a high-level writer to chief you leads to:
A) Two years of - excuse my french - ****ty pay... and... B) A halt on all
of your own clients for a few years, as well)
With these three research tools, coming up with fresh, exciting copy
that SELLS STUFF is really just a matter of putting in your elbow grease.
But... honestly... That's all great copy is, anyways. It's talented salesmen
who've spent years honing their craft.
Stephen King talks about his 2,000 words per day in his MUST READ book:
On Writing. And I've talked to copywriters who put his 2,000 word per
day range to shame.
Myself included.
This game is all about investing resources - namely time and energy - into
yourself, your skills and your product.
And research is the magnifying glass that focuses your energy into a
tiny, scalding hot focus that burns your sales message into your
prospect's minds.
I can only hope today's post gave you a few ideas on how to increase
the "solar power" of your writing ;-)
And like always, I'll talk to you tomorrow.
- HR
PS. Any good? Any bad? Any feedback at all?
Please reply to this thread, and keep it alive.
I'm gonna keep writing anyways... So ask me questions, and get the
advice or the answers YOU want. If I can't answer them, I'll try to
tackle 'em, anyways.
PPS. Any ideas on how to improve? Anything you want more of?
I'll try my best to work it all in to future posts.
PPPS. Finally, thank you for reading :-)
I write these mostly to solidify my own thoughts... but knowing there
are people reading, and being helped by, these posts makes them all
the more worthwhile.
Even if it's just a select, priviledged - and might I add damn good looking
- bunch of guys and girls.
Copywriting | Publishing | Training
Your Premier Conversion Collaborative
Blog about successful late blooming: www.debbauer.com
"The secret to changing your life is changing your mind."
Direct Response Copywriting