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Long vs. Short Copy? Clayton Makepeace Finally Answers. Read Here

by iSoftware
4 replies
Clayton Makepeace answers this question!

The next time someone says to me "oh that looks too long no one will read that"...I'll know that

a) they aren't that attuned to the true direct response and direct marketing fundamentals

b) they aren't keeping up with what those people with longevity keep saying!

The question he starts off answering is is:
Q: "I see different styles of websites from the long-copy style to shorter copy like Amazon. How do you know which is the best one to use?

"For instance if you are selling team-building services to local government agencies and not-for-profit organizations should the website be structured differently than someone selling e-books on how to be a great copywriter?"

Here's the link:
Clayton Makepeace answers your copywriting questions. | The Total Package
#answers #clayton #clayton makepeace #conversions #copy #copywriting #direct response #finally #long #makepeace #read #short
  • Profile picture of the author lennoxtran
    thank you for posting this...i always pondered that question. now i'm focused on long sales copy.

    lennox
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Schwenk
      Originally Posted by lennoxtran View Post

      thank you for posting this...i always pondered that question. now i'm focused on long sales copy.

      lennox
      Quite the opposite, really...

      You should focus on getting your message across and leave it at that (as far as length is concerned).

      Don't try to meet a pre-determined page length/word count that you've set in your mind as "appropriate" or that "looks like enough".

      True, long copy has been know to trump short many times in the past.

      However, you'll find that all versions--long and short--were likely trimmed down until only what needed to be there remained.

      -Mike
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      • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
        Originally Posted by Mike Schwenk View Post

        Quite the opposite, really...

        You should focus on getting your message across and leave it at that (as far as length is concerned).

        Don't try to meet a pre-determined page length/word count that you've set in your mind as "appropriate" or that "looks like enough".

        True, long copy has been know to trump short many times in the past.

        However, you'll find that all versions--long and short--were likely trimmed down until only what needed to be there remained.

        -Mike
        While I agree with that in "theory" people starting out need some sort of metric to follow. Also I'm sure you're familiar with Parkinson's Law
        "A Task expands to fill the space allotted"

        I personally have a very rough guideline for how many words I am going to need to sell products under $10, $100, $1000, etc.

        This is more for product owners who also do their own copy as opposed to full time practitioners of the profession.

        I do like how Makepeace emphasizes writing as LITTLE or as MUCH as needed.

        This whole idea that people don't read is not supported by the data. Yes, the "average" person won't read long sales letters. BUT the people who DO BUY hang on to every word.....
        As stated, it's also good to write good headers for the skimmers and if possible throw in some video or audio to get people with multiple modalities....IMHO
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  • Profile picture of the author MonsterZero
    Well this is much debated, but the short answer is write until you've exhausted your selling points.

    But this shouldn't be confused with slapping up a wall of sloppy, bloated copy.

    You can write long copy and still be concise. Say what it takes to deliver your message and no more.

    One thing that doesn't get talked about a lot here because most people are selling from the internet is that longer copy can drive up your costs when you're mailing a sales package.

    Heavier, bulkier packages=higher postage, increased printing costs, etc..
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