Popular copywriting books contradict each other

I'm no expert Michael, but I'd favour contractions in the main body copy. But, perhaps headlines yield better results without them?

Interesting point. It would be good to hear more opinions on this.

JK

I would say avoid using them in headlines. Once
you have people reading use them to carry the
momentum of the copy/story.

Maybe don't use I'll because that's about "I"
Use "I will" because that's a promise and the
"WILL" strengthens the sense of conviction.

Use "you'll" because that carries excitement,
and a sense of action. "You will" is almost
like bossing somebody around.

What do you think works better here?

"You will learn how to..."

"You'll discover how to..."

I feel the 2nd one is better - not only because
"discover" is more exciting but because there
is a sense of... je-ne-sequois to it...

Wish I could help more. It's about conversational
English as much as anything. If it's not your first
language you'll just have to work a little harder.
Read popular English fiction to get the good rhythms -
Stephen King is good for that.

For conversational style, I'd use contractions.

But:
in some cases it's more effective to opt for the long form.

If you wrote, "Buy my e-book and you'll make money" it might be a little less effective than, "Buy my e-book and you WILL make money."

Cheers,
Dana

Contractions are perfectly acceptable in modern copy. Are both of the books new? Use them when it makes your statements more concise and efficient. If it alters the intent of the sentence then don't. The key to good copy is to know the existing rules for writing and then, if necessary, effectively break them to further aid your purpose.

Will not avoiding contractions sound a bit stilted at times? I guess that is the way it has got to be.

Personally, I don't think I could write a whole sales letter like that... it just doesn't sound right

I know the canned answer I should give is TEST, but quite frankly I'd rather spend my testing time on things that are going to have a bigger impact, such as the price, the offer and the headline.

Yeah, by all means test contractions, but surely only AFTER you've tested the more important elements

I spose it's a tough one, but just go with your gut feel!

When creating your copy, sometimes the best way to do that is to make it as though you were talking to your best friend over a coffee/beer. Very conversational. So getting a little slangy, with contractions, etc...is perfectly fine.

If you are trying to come across as "Authoritarian", then spell it out.

A good mix of each is fine. Be chatty where it is appropriate, and don't (I mean) do not use the contractions when making your pitch.

Test it and measure your results.

Great question Michael,

There are many variables that you need to take into account and it's not possible to make blanket assertions that contractions work or don't work. You need to understand your market first before you make decisions about tone or style.

Each market and niche is different and you have to do plenty of research on who you are targeting. You would especially want to look at your competition and gauge whether their sales copy is producing results. If an ad or sales letter is getting good results ie. affiliate stats show constant, high conversion or the ad continues to play on a paid medium then you can assume that these are the types of sales copy that works.

The bottom line is you need to speak to your audience in a language that they understand. Copy the style of succesful copy in your niche and then start testing and tweaking headlines and body copy afterwards.

I've had a 40% to 60% difference in sales and opt-ins from small changes in headlines as well as single word swops in 1st and 2nd paragraphs. As most of the guys have said here, you need to test and track each change. You will also need to track results from different traffic sources. Sometimes even "crappy" sales copy will get great results if you are selling the right product/service to the right list.

Just my 2c, hope it helps.

I think it depends on the contraction and what you are emphasizing.

"I will" and "I will not" are more emphatic but in some cases contractions will sound more natural

I think contractions like "you'll" or "he's" are fine. Although they're verbal but they're not informal. You gotta be more careful with slangy terms like "gotta, getcha". It comes down to who you're targeting. If you're trying to emphasise something eg. does NOT. then it's better not to contract.