16 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
16 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Top Copywriters Know To Stick to A-I-D-A Because it Works

by joe golfer
11 replies
If that is what you think, you need to get out of the house more. Try walking around the block and talking to your neighbors. Sit in a coffee shop and pretend to be working. See a movie in an empty movie theater, grab a great seat, and move again after some 9-foot dude sits right in front of you.

The truth is good copywriters use a wide variety of "formulas" to get you to whip out your wallet. Speaking of which, isn't it time you cleaned out the receipts you've had in there since 2004?

Consider using one of these 9 copywriting formulas on your next sales letter.

PS. What? Not enough? Your get your stubborness from your father, don't you? That's what your mother always said.

OK, here are several more:

http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...ve-hammer.html
#aida #copywriters #stick #top #works
  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    This has been coming up a lot in here lately - lots of newbs positively CONVINCED that there's a right way to do everything, and that any other options are wrong and will surely lead to failure.

    I think one of the best lessons I ever learned from my time in the entertainment industry was this:

    People will TELL you there's a right way. They'll explain every step and expect you to follow their exalted advice.

    But as it turns out, there are a MILLION different ways to do something right. What's right for you may not be right for me. We can take different approaches to solving the same problem and BOTH succeed.

    But the main lesson? I never had to put up with some snotty overpaid executive throwing a stapler at my head. 'Cause I refused to do it the "right" way and put up with that kind of abuse. As it turns out, I got laid off. But then again, that job loss led to an entirely new career path that I happen to LOVE.

    To date, none of my clients/bosses/teammates have attempted to throw a stapler at my head if I toss out a lame idea. I like this about my job.
    Signature

    Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9349088].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Thanks Bro. Good share!
      Wow! So many copywriting formulas ... so little time.

      Reminds me of a podcast I just heard the other day.

      Where she said,
      "The difference between a good copywriter and a great one, is the same difference that's in a good cook and a great chef. Knowing the correct ingredients to put in and which to leave out."
      Signature
      Download "Free 80 Page E-Book"
      "201 Ways To Live Better On Less Money".
      "Because The Easiest Way To Make Money is ... ... By Saving Some First!"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9349156].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author joe golfer
    Good point. I think it's tough because everyone has a style, and your style is your style. It's not wrong anymore than what you choose to wear is "wrong," although those cowboy boots with stitching that says "Save a Horse, Ride A Cowboy" are questionable.

    At the same time, the "rules" in direct marketing developed after many years and billions of dollars worth of campaigns. So when somebody posts something for a critique and it has obvious flaws--both the structure and the word choice--it should be pointed out.

    Heck, I have plenty of pages I need to fix on my dozens of sites. As soon as I get off this forum. Like that's going to happen.
    Signature
    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9349300].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      While I don't consider myself a copywriter, I've written hundreds of sales letters for myself and a few for others. The only "formula" I ever stuck to was "being myself."

      Because I don't have a fancy vocabulary, like some copywriters do, I try to keep things simple and get to the point. If I tell a story, it's a short and with a definite purpose in mind. Most of all, I simply tell the prospect what's in it for them, why they want whatever it is I'm selling and what it will do for them.

      I've never made tons of sales with my sales letters, but always made enough so that between all the products I had out there I was able to make a decent living. Had my traffic not dried up, I'd probably still be able to. But that's another story and one I've beaten to death.

      Point is, I think, as a copywriter, if you try to be something that you're not, you're not going to succeed. It's kind of like the difference between lying and telling the truth. If you always tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. You just retell actual things that happened to you. If you lie, you then have to remember your lies and the more lies you tell, the harder it is to remember them all until finally your lies catch up to you.

      I think writing copy is like that. Eventually, the style that you're trying to "fake" comes back to bite you because it either doesn't ring true or after a while, it becomes old and worn out. That's why fads don't last long. Eventually, the novelty wears off.

      I can't tie the shoes of some of the copywriters at this forum, but what I do (being myself) I do well. I've had many people tell me that reading my sales letters were refreshing because they weren't the same old slick sales pitch. Naturally, that approach may not work for every niche or every product in a niche. I admit to having been drawn into slick copy myself as a consumer and have bought things that turned out to be HUGE disappointments. But the copy was just so well written. There was nothing laid back about those sales letters. They were classic "grab them by the throat and don't let go". You know the ones I'm talking about. Clickbank MMO is loaded with this stuff. If I try to compete with them, I lose.

      AIDA can definitely work. It's worked for me. But my best sales letters were the ones that I wrote right from the heart, mostly because I really believed in the product, another reason I could never be a professional copywriter. Imagine somebody giving you a product that is utter crap and you have to write copy for it. My conscience wouldn't let me do it and I'd end up turning a lot of work away. In that respect, I'm glad I never went into copywriting seriously as an income source. The few sales letters I've one for others (and don't ask me why they came to me) I did because I believed in the product, one of them one of the early pioneer products for video marketing, which is now saturated to hell.

      Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject...be yourself.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352074].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        There was nothing laid back about those sales letters. They were classic "grab them by the throat and don't let go". You know the ones I'm talking about. Clickbank MMO is loaded with this stuff. If I try to compete with them, I lose.
        You make some interesting points. If you competed with them you "may" lose as you stated. But I wonder if you would lose by "as much" now.

        Why? Because of a more educated and skeptical MMO market (just like the general consumer market is more educated).

        The market is more hype- blind and hype suspicious now than ever before. And it seems to be trending toward the sales letters you describe. Maybe you were just a little ahead of your time (or the market).

        I'd like to here someone's thoughts on that.
        Signature
        Download "Free 80 Page E-Book"
        "201 Ways To Live Better On Less Money".
        "Because The Easiest Way To Make Money is ... ... By Saving Some First!"
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352131].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Originally Posted by The Niche Man View Post

          You make some interesting points. If you competed with them you "may" lose as you stated. But I wonder if you would lose by "as much" now.

          Why? Because of a more educated and skeptical MMO market (just like the general consumer market is more educated).

          The market is more hype- blind and hype suspicious now than ever before. And it seems to be trending toward the sales letters you describe. Maybe you were just a little ahead of your time (or the market).

          I'd like to here someone's thoughts on that.
          Well, I haven't looked at those Clickbank sales letters in about 2 years now so I don't know. Maybe they've changed. With all the spam I still see and all the horribly hyped emails I still get, somehow I don't think much has changed. Maybe there are fewer people doing it the "old" way but it's still out there.

          As long as there is a buck to make, there are going to be those who will stop at nothing to make it, including flat out lying in their copy.
          Signature
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352145].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author joe golfer
    You make a good point that I think many entrepreneurs should take to heart. Ultimately, you don't need more than "here is what have, here is what it will do for you and here is how to get it." Even if they are not star copywriters, if more small business people would just speak from their gut about their business, talk to people like people (not in a fake TV way) I think they would do a lot better.

    John Nese from Galco's Soda Pop Stop here in Southern California is a good example.
    Listen to how he told a Pepsi rep to get packing because "I own my shelf space, and I can do anything I want." Boom.


    If you can add some solid marketing principles (backend products, calls to action, LCV, etc) to a good product presented in an interesting way, you are light years ahead of the local "me-too" business.
    Signature
    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352214].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Originally Posted by joe golfer View Post

      You make a good point that I think many entrepreneurs should take to heart. Ultimately, you don't need more than "here is what have, here is what it will do for you and here is how to get it." Even if they are not star copywriters, if more small business people would just speak from their gut about their business, talk to people like people (not in a fake TV way) I think they would do a lot better.

      John Nese from Galco's Soda Pop Stop here in Southern California is a good example.
      Listen to how he told a Pepsi rep to get packing because "I own my shelf space, and I can do anything I want." Boom.

      Obsessives - Soda Pop - YouTube

      If you can add some solid marketing principles (backend products, calls to action, LCV, etc) to a good product presented in an interesting way, you are light years ahead of the local "me-too" business.
      Wow! I'd like to have his job. I never knew someone could have that much fun selling soda.

      It's also amazing how intimate he knows his product.

      Not just that, but the story behind each unique soda ... and the story behind the "owners" of the unique sodas.

      I wonder if a Walmart, Ralphs or even Traders Joes manager could do that?
      Signature
      Download "Free 80 Page E-Book"
      "201 Ways To Live Better On Less Money".
      "Because The Easiest Way To Make Money is ... ... By Saving Some First!"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352241].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author joe golfer
        Originally Posted by The Niche Man View Post

        Wow! I'd like to have his job. I never knew someone could have that much fun selling soda.

        It's also amazing how intimate he knows his product.

        Not just that, but the story behind each unique soda ... and the story behind the "owners" of the unique sodas.

        I wonder if a Walmart, Ralphs or even Traders Joes manager could do that?
        Yeah, I don't know if he has any marketing background, but he says it very clearly: you have to offer the market something they can't get anywhere else.

        Why don't garage door companies, hardware stores, restaurants, bars, manufacturers, dry cleaners, etc. get out from behind the counter, tell the company story, provide some unique products and services, and raise rates?
        Signature
        Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
        - Jack Trout
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352486].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Taniwha
      Originally Posted by joe golfer View Post

      If you can add some solid marketing principles (backend products, calls to action, LCV, etc) to a good product presented in an interesting way, you are light years ahead of the local "me-too" business.
      Communicating your raw passion for your product(s) will put you light years ahead.

      Great video.

      Comments from Youtube:

      "I don't drink soda, but I think the reason is that I don't care for the abominations that are Coke and Pepsi. This guy's passion got me interested in checking out some of the tastes those monopolys destroyed."

      "I'd buy one of each...

      Great video! "

      "Does this guy ship stuff?"

      "The world needs more people like this guy. His exuberance is infectious and his business practices are very admirable. The 13 minutes I spent watching this have been the highlight of my day."

      "I don't even like soda but this guy made me want to buy some."
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9352505].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
      Originally Posted by joe golfer View Post


      If you can add some solid marketing principles (backend products, calls to action, LCV, etc) to a good product presented in an interesting way, you are light years ahead of the local "me-too" business.
      Thanks Joe,

      I had this lesson reinforced many a moon ago. Here's a short post from 1997:

      The White Bread Post

      I believe some newer copywriters might want to take it to heart.

      gjabiz
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9353295].message }}

Trending Topics