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On this page, I'm going to tell you how to write the most important
part of your ads, brochures, e-mail, web pages and sales letters.
QUESTION: What is the most important part of any advertisement?
Before you answer, let me clarify.
Imagine I took your hand and asked you to *point* to the single most
important part of an ad. Where would you point?
"THE HEADLINE!"
.
Listen: 60% of all people who read ads read the headline and no more.
This includes the subject header of your e-mail messages. The headline on the front of your brochures. The headlines on your web pages and sales letters and ads.
"Okay, But what does this mean?"
It means that if you don't stop your reader with your headline, guess where they go?
Right! To the next ad ... next web site ... next e-mail ... next piece of snail mail ... next brochure.
Not good.
"You" need to write something that will grab them and FORCE THEM TO READ MORE.
How?
[Note how I use short, short paragraphs--sometimes consisting of just ONE word-- and short sentences to keep the reading pace of this newsletter quick and easy. You should do the same thing in your ads, brochures and especially your sales letters!]
Well ... people are always saying "WIIFM?" or "What's In It For Me?"
Do you know the way to answer that question?
I'll tell you in a moment. But think about it.
Like a radio station, people have their brains tuned to WIIFM. They are CONSTANTLY asking "What's In It For Me?"
When you talk to a friend, "WIIFM?" is running through their mind.
Every time a commercial flashes on your tv, your brain is thinking "WIIFM?" (Even while watching the show itself, your brain is thinking "WIIFM?" You are seeking entertainment.)
When a sales person calls, you think "WIIFM?"
When you attend a seminar, read a book, go to the theater, a restaurant... your brain is asking "WIIFM?"
As you read ... you're thinking "WIIFM?"
Now-- here's where it gets interesting--it's important to realize this very basic fact: *YOUR* brain is not unique in this matter.
Because EVERYONE ELSE'S BRAIN IS THINKING THE SAME THING ALL THE TIME !
Do you see the power in knowing this?
"No, not really."
Okay... listen.
When you know how someone is thinking... what thoughts they obsess about... do you think it would be powerful if you were able to fulfill that craving?
Of course ... they're practically salivating waiting for their desire to be fulfilled!
" So how do you answer this magic question "WIIFM?" and how do you fulfill the craving?"
With, BENEFITS.
Ahhhh ... there's that word again!
Why do you think no matter what you read or hear about creating effective advertising, you always hear, to pack your ads with BENEFITS?
Could the rule really be THAT universal? That important? That immutable?
Y-E-S
And don't you ever forget it.
So ... so far we said that 60% of people read headlines and no more. We also said people are always thinking "WIIFM?" So! How do you cut through all the clutter in the marketplace and make sure people read your advertising?
YOU ALWAYS PUT YOUR BIGGEST BENEFIT IN YOUR HEADLINE!
Why? Because your benefit will attract those who are seeking that benefit. If they don't read deeper into your ad, they were not prospects for you anyway-- don't worry about them.
The sin is writing a headline that gives no benefit.
Why?
Because then even people who are *IDEAL* prospects for what you're offering won't ever make it to your copy because they didn't know what you were advertising!
Want an example? Ok.
Let's say I run a bakery. It's called "Jeff's Bakery." (Hey, the creativity goes into my recipes, not my store name.)
Let's say I want to promote my incredible new "Heavenly Chocolate Pie."
I decide to give a big, dark, fudge-rich, pudding-thick (notice how I used specific, visual language to create mental movies in your head)
*FREE* slice to anyone who comes in this week. Not knowing the rule of always putting my biggest benefit in my headline, I write this headline:
"Homemade Cakes & Pies Are a Special Treat to Your Family & Friends"
Boy, there's a headline to make you nauseous. Yuch. How dull, flat, meaningless, booooorrrring.
" If the big deal was the free samples and how yummy the cake is, why didn't you put THAT in your headline?"
Good question, isn't it?
What do you think? Is the free sample one of the big benefits here?
YES INDEED! "Free" is one of the most powerful appeals you can ever use.
How about this ...
First, let's attract the audience we want with ...
ATTENTION CHOCOLATE LOVERS!
in big, bold type.
Think. Who will these 3 words attract? People who love chocolate, of course. Who do we WANT to attract? People who love chocolate! So, do these 3 words do what we want? Yes, indeed! (Advertising does NOT have to be complicated. In fact, it's best when it's simple.) Just THOSE three words "ATTENTION CHOCOLATE LOVERS!" is a better headline than that first one!
Next we add ...
Sink Your Teeth into the 8-1/2 Pound Fudge Volcano Pie Absolutely Free-- This Week Only!
BOOOOOM!!! That'll stop 'em! A chocoholic will be drooling by the time she reads just our headline!
Also ... did you see what I did? I used what I call PVA's: Powerful Visual Adjectives (and verbs) to implant a MENTAL MOVIE in my readers' minds. "Sink your teeth into" is a lot stronger than simply "Try" isn't it? (As in, "Try the Fudge ")
Why is this? Because "Try" creates no mental movies, does it?
None.
And the more mental movies you install in people's heads, the more of a grip you'll have on their attention. Wow! That's powerful.
As advertisers we're competing against thousands of other ads and distractions that pull our readers' minds away from our message. We need to lasso their brains like John Wayne rustled cattle. Then once we have their brains roped and under our control, we need to brand them with our hottest, most sizzling' words.
Since we have only seconds to do this ... we have to move quickly! This means we GET RIGHT TO IT ... cut out the fluff ... jump right into the good stuff that our prospects want to hear.
TIP: One key to creating mental movies is to use very specific language.
Don't say FRUIT. Say JUICY,
CRISP, SHINY RED APPLE. Don't say GET A PEN.
Say GRAB A PEN. (There are dozens of ways
to GET a pen.) Get it?
Okay, back to the power of BENEFITS.
Suppose for a moment that your doctor took an x-ray of your skull.
He told you that while examining the x-ray films, he discovered that your brain has only enough room to store TWO more bits of information regarding how to improve your advertising.
He said, "I hate to tell you this, but in the category of ADVERTISING IMPROVEMENT, there is only enough room to add TWO more bits of information. So ... you better make sure that the two you DO add, are worth their weight in DIAMONDS."
Sheesh ... thanks, Doc! What a problem. With all the business information out there ... which bits of info will you allow to sink into your brain?
HERE THEY ARE MY FRIEND:
1) Load your copy with benefits
2) Put your biggest benefit in your headline.
Never ever forget these 2 rules. When done properly, these suggestions alone will skyrocket the effectiveness of your advertising if you're not now using them, and I'm not kidding you.
Okay ... let's have some fun ...
Right now ... as I write this ... I'm going to launch my browser and look into one of the many news groups on the web. Let's check some of the crummy headlines that people are now using. This should be interesting... and educational.
Okay, I'm now in a news group called "misc.entrepreneurs."
Let's look at the subject headers because subject headers are the headlines for news group posts. If the subject headers don't interest you, then you won't click on them to read the ad.
Subject Headline Critique #1:
Here's a "killer" headline:
"TEAM UP WITH US NOW"
Gee. How poor. Why do YOU think it's poor?
.
"It's poor, because:
#1 It says NOTHING ...
#2 Gives no benefits ...
#3 Is lame, vague, empty and meaningless ...
#4 Gives reader no reason whatsoever to read the ad ...
#5 And there's no appeal."
Great answer!
Okay...
Let's try another...
Subject Headline Critique #2:
"New!!! Easy!!! Best!!! FREE!!!$$$$$$$"
This is what you call a CURIOSITY HEADLINE. It gives you no information, but gambles on you being so curious about it that you will read further.
No good.
Did you ever see how many ads there are in news groups like this? It would take you an entire day to read them all--there are hundreds of new ads posted every single day!
Most people will simply not take the time to investigate these curiosity
headlines. They're looking for meat ... an immediate appeal. They want specifics. They want their "WIIFM?" satisfied NOW!
"But ! If I say my offer up front, they may not read any further!"
Then guess what! They're not your prospect!
Get it? If a simple declaration of what you're selling isn't enough to get people to read further, then they probably won't buy your product.
People in the market for your product will read on. People who are not, won't care and won't get past your headline, no matter how well written.
REMEMBER: Even the most ideal, most perfectly written headline by a $1,000 an hour copywriter will NOT attract EVERYBODY ... just the prospects ... and not everyone is YOUR prospect.
Subject Headline Critique #3:
"Awesome Advantage!!!!! "
Again ... there is nothing here. Look how empty it is. Funny thing, the man or woman who wrote this subject headline thinks it's a good headline. Testing will tell for sure, but I'd bet my life on it that it gets little or no response at all.
Subject Headline Critique #4:
"9.9 cpm & only $1.95 mo. fee !"
Actually, this headline is not entirely bad. Why? Because many people will recognize it as a long distance service ad. It's telling you that you can pay just 9.9 cents per minute and pay a monthly fee of just $1.95.
Do you see that this is a SPECIFIC headline?
QUESTION: Who would this ad appeal to?
ANSWER: Someone who wants to pay just 9.9 cents a minute and thinks that a monthly fee of $1.95 is a good deal. Those who think otherwise will likely NOT read any further. And if that's your best deal ... that's your best deal! You can't do any better than to say what your deal is. You'll either get 'em or you won't!
How can this headline be improved?
By spelling out the fact that it's long distance you're talking about. Not*EVERYONE* will recognize that this is a long distance offer, and you want your ad to be understood by as many people as possible, don't you?
"WOW! LONG DISTANCE: 9.9 Cents/min./$1.50/mo. Fee!"
The "WOW!" adds some life and acts as an attention getter. People will think, "Wow what?" Plus now the headline is more clear.
Subject Headline Critique #5:
"Easy Mail Order Business"
Let me ask you: What's wrong with this?
Again... too vague ... no specifics ... not even a good curiosity headline.
"But ! You said a simple declaration of your offer should be enough if the right prospect reads it!"
True. But you still need to be specific.
Why not simply say what KIND of mail order business?
How's this...
"Earn Thousands Selling Custom Teddy Bears by Mail!"
Aha! Now we have more of an appeal and we say just what the deal is.
Who will be interested? People who would like to earn thousands selling custom teddy bears by mail.
Who WON'T read further? Those are aren't interested in selling custom teddy bears by mail. Simple, isn't it? (TIP: Stop trying to be clever in your advertising. Clever is risky and distracts from your sales message!)
Let's dig deeper into that ad, shall we? Let's see if the ad itself
reveals any good, enticing info:
"You will be amazed at how easily, quickly, and very, very inexpensively
that you will be able to have your own mail order business, all of the
hard work has already been done for you, for details just go to [URL
HERE]"
Hey guy! You STILL don't tell me what this is about! Gosh, you really want to make me work to put money in YOUR pocket, don't you?
What happens now? Now the reader still gets no satisfaction ... still knows little more than when he saw only the subject header. Now he has to click on the URL.
QUESTION TO YOU: How much work do you put *YOUR*readers through to do business with you?
Heck ... let's click on the URL and see what this guy is up to, ok?
Ugh. Wait until you see this. This is really depressing ... but a great lesson in poor advertising.
Here is all the information on the first page before scrolling down.
In other words, here is everything you see after you click on that URL:
"[COMPANY NAME DELETED]
EVERYONE Wins with [COMPANY NAME DELETED] -
YOUR Customers win because [COMPANY NAME DELETED] markets products directly from manufacturer to consumer, skipping the "middle-man" (and their high overhead) saving everyone money !"
************************************************************************************************
Okay! So here we are. We've read their subject header and learned nothing. Next, we clicked on their subject header and read their entire ad and learned nothing. Now we click on the URL and go to their web page and even after reading the entire first paragraph, we still know nothing about what they want us to sell! Let's get back to the ad ...
************************************************************************************************
"YOU win because savings are great enough to allow you to make healthy commissions while still being able to offer your customers very enticing savings on everything !
and - You have NO Monthly requirements !
As soon as you sign up you immediately get a FREE web page that sells the products for you 24 hours a day !
it gets EVEN BETTER -
You'll also be able to distribute PRINTED CATALOGS to those not yet on the web - your catalogs will have your code number so your customers can order directly from the company - and YOU will get paid commissions !
The Products ?
Almost ANYTHING you can think of is available!
(and ALL products are GUARANTEED!)"
*****
Okay, enough of that. THAT WAS THE ENTIRE PAGE seen on a 17" monitor without scrolling further down.
Hey folks! This is the same mistake made in ads, brochures, sales letters and flyers: NOT GETTING TO IT IMMEDIATELY.
REMEMBER: People are looking to satisfy the question: "WIIFM?" Do you recall what that stands for? ("What's In It For Me?") If you grabbed their attention, you sure better give it to them immediately ... or you'll lose them in seconds. People are impatient! BUT! Once you do start giving them what they want, you can yak and yak and yak! You can go on for pages if your writing is interesting and relevant. People WILL read L-O-N-G copy and long copy sells better than short copy.
HA! I wasn't going to say any more about this web site, but I decided -- just for the fun of it -- to see what the products really are. Guess what? Look what the final paragraph on the page says ...
*****
"To see the FREE web page you'll get, which has a list of products available, complete details, and how to sign up and get your FREE web page IMMEDIATELY
Just click on the Link below -
"LINK"
*****
Ugh. We read the ENTIRE page and still no answer to our "WIIFM?" One of the main questions people will be asking is "What exactly will I be selling?" Tell them up front!
So ... let's quickly recap with a quick quiz. (Answers at the end of this e-mail.) How many can you answer correctly?
1) Your ________ is the most important part of your ad, brochure, sales letters, e-mail, web page.
2) People are ALWAYS thinking "_______?"
3) The way you satisfy their craving is by pouring on as many B_______S as possible.
4) You should also always put your B_______ B_______ in your headline.
5) Using words that are very S______C creates mental movies in people's
heads.
Thanks for reading ... I enjoyed "visiting" with you!
To get a more in depth about writing your adds see " The
New Web masters Internet Business Disc "
Until we "meet" again,
Success to you my friend! <handshake>
Jeff Meyer
ANSWERS TO QUIZ:
1) Headline
2) WIIFM
3) BENEFITS
4) BIGGEST BENEFIT
5) SPECIFIC
E-mail Us with any comments
or suggestions on how to improve this site
to better serve you.
"New" Web masters Internet Business Disc Find Out How To Get MS Software FREE, Find Anyone Anywhere With This Amassing Software, About Us,
Highly Recommended Links, Click Here To Get Your Own Money Making Web Site IT's FREE, Free Down Loads, How to Build an Internet Business
Auctions on the Internet, Join the"Gold Club" Make Money without doing anything, Internet Business Course Step # 1, Internet Business Course Step # 2,
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