Copywriting that sells

Dave,

I call it the INTERSECTION where your promotion meets your prospect. And by knowing where and when this takes place, you now have a starting point to write your copy.

Stories are powerful devices of influence, BUT, first determine what the prospect is looking for. Maybe she just needs a solution and doesn't need a story.

If you start at the INTERSECTION, and work your way back up the tracks to where she lives in a bubble of preoccupation, you get to know what is on her mind...THEN you can begin your copy and use whatever elements will get the job done.

Getting her ATTENTION is the first and maybe the most important thing to do.

Here is a picture, if used, can help you with your copywriting.

PictoGrigm of Remote Persuasion

A story may or may NOT be needed.

gjabiz

PS. What sort of DVD's are they?

Dave, there's hardly an ONLY way to do anything.

Stories work well because usually they're the easiest way for people to absorb information because they're a proven framework that people can use to put themselves into that situation.

They read the story and then see themselves in the story... doing those things.

Stories also lower the readers' defenses... they're thinking "hey, here's a story... it's not a sales pitch"... so you can usually do your selling through the story... as long as the person reading is going through a similar situation.

If your story shows a similar starting point as the reader.. and you were able to conquer your problem and find a solution... your reader will more likely relate to you and feel a closer bond than if you just had a fact-based letter or blatant sales pitch.

Stories can built trust, likability, credibility, etc...

Stories work, and they work well... there's a reason why movies, books, TVs, etc... sell millions and millions.

BUT... they are definitely NOT the only way to sell. The best way to sell is situational.

By the way, if you have John Carlton's Kick Ass Secrets copy manual, there's an entire chapter of starter ads/templates that list about a dozen ways to set up a sales letter and sales presentation.

If you have that course, it will give you a bunch of starter ideas you can use... and yes, the first one he lists is the story based one with a person that figures out a solution to their problem.

You don't necessarily need to tell your own story. Successful marketers also sometimes tell other peoples story if it will illustrate a point better or for leveraging.

You can tell people about the story but does the information you want to show them correlate with the story?

The first thing you can do is to STOP trying to market your DVDs.

That's about you and your stuff. Not the spot you want to focus on.

Your customer doesn't care about you. He cares about himself first. So start with him. What's the big problem you can help him fix? Start here.

About stories - yes, they can work really well. Stories help connect the prospect to you, to your product. But as Shawn said, it depends on the situation.

More important than a story though is connecting with the situation or outcome your prospect wants. This begins with knowing who you're selling to. What's his big pain - the thing? What's his emotion behind that? The more you can be on target with these, the better off you and your customer will be.

Story is ok. But maybe put yourself in their shoes and think of their desire. Write a copy cater to their needs. You could also see your competitors copy and see how you can improve on it.

Yes, tell your story -- but don't make it about you. What I mean is, in discussing yourself make sure your giving value to your reader and showing them how a DVD will give them even more value.

Hi Dave,

Are you marketing to a target group already, or have you put up a site and are waiting for people to find it?

Who is your target market?

Where do they hang out, where you can advertise to and interact with them?

What are the costs of marketing to them?

What is your dvd priced at?

Telling a personal story is good for marketing but definitely not enough. You have to make it sure that you know your target and make them do it- buy your stuff!

Tell a story for a specific target. It is a correlation between the story and the audience. How will your story affect the user? Is it helpful? is it the answer to their problem? How will the life of your target will change with your product? or just a story?

Make sure that you touch ones necessity for them to buy yours.
Hope this help!

Hi Dave, a story could or could not do the job for you, but it will help for sure. If you are thinking about using stories now and if you already prepared or started thinking about it then go on, do it. The only way you'll know it works fine or not for you is by trying it. There are other ways for sure, telling a story is one of them, since you're already on it even by thoughts, so proceed. Good luck !

Hey Dave,

Bottom line:

A story turns you from faceless corporation to someone your prospect can relate to, someone who might actually care about their plight you know?

"Is writing your own personal story the only way to sell a DVD seminar course?"

No. However, using a story in your copy is generally a great idea. It doesn't need to be -your- story.