Five Secrets of Writing Great Sales Copy

Why are you reading this sentence?

I’ll bet you a steak at Ruth Chris it’s because of the
implied promise of the title. That promise – that you’ll
soon be privy to five well guarded secrets of writing great
sales copy – just grabbed the skeptic in you by the scruff
of the neck. It stood her on her heels and made her think,
if only for a split second, that maybe there’s some gold
here.

So the title – or headline if you prefer to think of it that
way – did its job. It got you to read the next sentence by
arousing your curiosity. It probably made you feel that you
could profit from these secrets. In other words it appealed
to your sense of greed. And it might even have touched a
couple of your other emotional triggers, like vanity or
laziness, (or more positively) pride.

I don’t know you well enough to say exactly which emotional
hot button it triggered in you, but you’re still reading
aren’t you? So I’ll up the ante. A bottle of good wine to go
with the steak says some basic emotion was triggered.

All of which leads us to Secret #1: People buy things for
emotional, not logical reasons.

And the emotions that count most are whichever ones your
copy stirs up in your prospect. Your prospect doesn’t care
one tiny little bit about you or your product. She could
care less if she never heard from you again. What she cares
about is that little voice inside her head that keeps
asking, “What’s in it for me?”

Never forget this. Your copy must keep answering that
question until your prospect is completely involved with
your message. If your copy starts off telling about your
product and not what it can do for your prospect, it is
almost certainly doomed to failure.

Secret # 2: Good copy helps the prospect picture your
promise in her mind’s eye.

It isn’t good enough to just make a promise. You need to
further involve your prospect by helping her picture herself
experiencing your promise. She has to be able to see it,
taste it, and feel it. Otherwise the skeptic in her will
step right back in and start giving her reasons to
disbelieve your promise.

You need to tell her something like this:

“Imagine a hundred of your business peers jumping to their
feet in wild applause as you accept your industry’s top
marketing award. Then the room grows still, the audience
hanging on your every word as you begin to tell the story of
how five powerful copywriting secrets changed your life…”

Think of the last car commercial you watched. Probably
strong on breathtaking mountain roads, beaches at sunset and
sexy models – emotional appeals all. Do they have anything
to do with cars? No. Do they help sell a lot of cars – you
bet they do.

Secret #3: Once she can picture your promise for herself,
she’s ready for logical proof.

You’ve got her where you want her. Your words have carried
her away to some place in her imagination where your product
makes her feel more powerful, sexier, smarter, more
beautiful – whatever. She really wants to believe it – all
of it. She’s letting her mind run a little wild. She’s got
the top down on the car you want her to buy. She’s
downshifting into third gear coming around a hairpin turn.
Her hair is blowing in the wind, the sun is on her face and
a blue ocean sparkles in the background.

But around the next corner is Ms. Skeptic, just waiting to
throw cold water on this carefully crafted picture.

It’s your job to make sure she never even sees little Ms.
Skeptic. You reassure her with testimonials. You tell her
salt air won’t harm the paint job. You let her know that
this car has the best safety record of anything in its
class, and she’ll never have to worry about breaking down
again. In other words, you give her logical reasons to
justify her emotional decision.

Secret #4: Your copy should focus on a single primary
benefit – your Unique Selling Proposition

Every product should have one special selling point that
sets it apart from every other product in its class. It’s
your job to find out what that Unique Selling Proposition is
and never let your prospect forget it. It’s OK to mention
other benefits, but you should drive home the USP more than
any other point.

Recognize these classic USP’s? They sold a lot of products…

“We’re number two – we try harder.” “Your pizza delivered in
30 minutes or less, or it’s free.”

Secret #5: Always include a specific offer and ask for
action.

You’re almost there. You’ve made her a promise that hooked
her emotionally. You helped her see herself living that
promise. You gave her plenty of proof that she was making
the right decision, and you stressed your product’s USP
throughout your copy.

There’s just one thing left to do. You look her in the eyes
and state your offer clearly. Then tell her what she must do
to get it. In other words, you close the sale.

To summarize:
• Make a PROMISE
• Let your prospect PICTURE the benefits
• Supply the PROOF that you are telling the truth
• Stress the UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION
• CLOSE the sale by making a specific OFFER.