[What I Learned] Day Four: What Is Copy?

Welcome to Day Four of the What I Learned series. If this is your first
post, welcome. And here's what this is all about:

I'm a copywriter, who wants to polish my skills and my ideas. So, I'm
making mostly-daily posts on a variety of topics that interest me, as far as
copywriting goes. Of course, these are designed to remind YOU of lessons, as well.

All you gotta do is hop right in...

>> TODAY'S TOPIC: What Is Copy?

The answer is simple. And the consequences are wide reaching.

In fact, I believe redefining copywriting in the way I'm about to show you
is a KEY reason some C and D level writers out earn even B+ level writers.
Especially online.

You see, copy is nothing more than salesmanship in print.

You've heard this before. Dozens of times. But what exactly does it MEAN?
Well it means you take someone, sit them down in front of your copy,
and then get them to give you money.

But it's more than that...

You see, copy is simply a vehicle for you to deliver a sales proposition.
And a sales proposition is made up of a few key parts... All designed to
make a prospect take a desired action.

For example:

Your Offer is designed to entice a prospect to part with money. To turn
their desire for your product into a desire to have your product now. And
to make not buying your product an unwise decision.

Your Guarantee is designed to assuage buyer's remorse. To prevent "fear
of loss" connected to money. To strengthen and clarify your offer.

Your Headline is designed to get attention. To wake a prospect up from
his low-level-slumber, the fog he walks around in all day, and to shake
him into consciousness. To snap him awake, and make him read your
deck.

... Etc.

But at it's core - "Good copy" is none of those things.

"Good copy" is simply a piece of paper, or a computer screen, or a TV ad,
or a magazine ad... That when you place it in front of a person, they give
you money.

Period. That's it.

And your headline. Your offer. Your guarantee. Those are simply tools
most copywriters use to sell more product. Over years and years, they've
been tested and proven to make more money than sales letters that
don't have offers, don't have headlines, don't have guarantees...

But what you'll see online is C level copywriters writing for marketers, not
for results. You'll see flashy headlines designed to illicit the "wow, what a
headline!" reaction...

You'll see guarantees with "pizazz", that make the client think, "damn man,
that sounds so smooth"...

You'll see POWER WORDS used to an obscene extent, so the client thinks,
"God damn... Of course my prospects want to EXPLODE their income!"...

... While I see B-level, B+ level writer's toiling away with lower key sales
letters... That probably CONVERT HIGHER IN SALES.

So what is copy?

Whatever it takes to sell a product.

... And don't lose sight of that.

Think about the all time 800-lb gorilla letter - The Wall Street Journal
Letter. It was unassuming. No headline. No flash. No flair.

But it mailed profitably untold millions of times. It made something like
$2 billion in sales.

And it did it's job damn well.

So what is GOOD copy?

Something that sells your product, well.

And I believe the tenets of good copy are: 1) Research, 2) Execution and
3) The Ability to Write SIMPLY.

These three things alone may not make you a world-class copywriter.
But I can guarantee they'll put you in the top 10% worldwide.

And if you can break that number, your income is plenty to live off of
and still put "F U Money" away in the bank.

Focusing on GREAT Research, GREAT Execution and Writing As SIMPLY As
Possible is all it takes to sell something at a profit. And if you can acquire
customers at a profit... You're a multi-millionaire.

It's that "easy."

Today's take-aways are simple, because today's point is simple: Write For
Results, Not For Clients. Not For Yourself. Not For Your Ego.

--> For Bullets: Keep it simple! Yeah, you may be able to twist a fact
around so you come up with, "The Ninjitsu Method To Slicing Your
Customer's Buying Resistance Into Little Pieces Of Sushi!"... But you
could encourage an even BETTER sales response with something simple.
Something like: "How To Sell Your Home Faster by Taking It OFF The
Market"

Simple. Powerful. To the point. And it SELLS.

--> For Headlines: Capture attention! You don't need to sell the damn
thing, in your headline. That's wasting up to 90% of your real estate...
seeing how long letters can be, online.

So instead of: "How A Middle Aged Bald Man Discovered The Simple Trick
To Growing Hair So Fast, It'll Cover Your Head Like Weeds - All For Only
$19.95!"... Maybe you can use something that simply grabs attention:

"Why Men Crack"

"Tova Borgnine Swears Under Oath Her New Perfume Doesn't
Contain An Illegal Sexual Stimulant!"

"Lies, Lies, Lies!"

"Doctors In Sweden Say There IS A Cure For Arthritis!"

"At Last! Instant Relaxation!"

"Hand Tame Wild Birds"

... Etc. Purely designed to capture your attention. Build curiosity. Simple.
Effective.

--> For Body Copy: Sell the damn thing! Forget your flash. Forget your
flair. One of the greatest ad men of all time, David Ogilvy, said: "I took an
IQ test the other day. Took it 6 times. And it turns out I got a 96! That's
the score you give a ditch digger! Good thing I didn't know that when I
was younger..."

[grossly paraphrased]

The point is: Smart, flashy text lets your prospect know you're selling.
His guard goes up. You're no longer "sitting at the bar, when a woman
says she's going to buy a new car, and asks you which model." - Also
Ogilvy.

People like people. People do not like salesmen.

... Bah.

These posts can't all be winners, can they?

There are great lessons here. And I hope they impress a few of the more
CRUCIAL aspects of what "Copy" and what "Good Copy" are, on you.

Just remember - Your sales letter is nothing more than a vehicle for a
sales message. And to use it for flash, for flair, for pomp, for ego, or for
ANYTHING other than delivering benefits, emotion and the desire to buy
your product as simply and efficiently as possible is to WASTE YOUR
CLIENT'S MONEY.

And ultimately, waste your own time.

At least, that's what I think :-)

- HR

PS. Lemme know what's up. How crazy am I?

Feel free to tell me, in the posts below ;-)

PPS. Suggest some topics. I'm runnin' out, unless "serendipity" strikes.

I've got a few "winners" stocked up and stored away... but they're highly
"abstract" and I don't know if you'd enjoy learning about them.

Things like the importance of rhythm and pacing in copy.

And the stages of learning you need to be a "master" in almost anything.

Just tell me what you'd like to see, and I'll deliver. Promise :-)