A great promotion doesn’t just appear, fully realized, to the expectant writer. It’s not like Field of Dreams. If you sit at your computer, it won’t come.
To write copy that gets a mere 1 to 2% response rate (which is the least you should shoot for), you’ll need to invest time up front, before you lay a finger on the keyboard.
What do you need to do to make sure your promotion works?
Know your prospect
- What’s his biggest worry?
- If your product could do anything at all to improve his life, what would that be?
- Can you tie your product to his deepest desire?
- Who’s the bad guy in his life?
- Can you offer to protect him?
- What does his future look like with and without your product?
- What is your prospect like? Can you nail down the type of work he does, his age, income level, marital status, what he does for fun?
Know your product
- What are the features?
- What benefits do those features provide?
- Now go deeper: how can those benefits improve the life of your prospect?
- Go deeper still: what would it mean to have his life improved in this way?
Research
- What sales approaches are your competitors using successfully?
- What language seems to connect with your prospect?
- How does the competition structure the offer? Can you do better?
- Are there any current events, statistics or studies that you can piggy-back on, making your offer more timely or relevant?
- How will you add credibility to your offer?
- How will you build trust?
Find the right hook for your prospect
- Brainstorm for concepts that will appeal to your prospect’s fears and dreams. What messages are most likely to engage him?
- Write at least 50 headlines, approaching your product from every angle, making different promises and appealing to different emotions. Write headlines for each concept you brainstormed. Try to get a feel for which concept has the strongest appeal.
- Map out your communication strategy. If online, how will the prospect arrive at your sales page? How will you follow up his response? How can you deepen relationship? How and when will you offer back-end products and upsells?
- Could premiums strengthen your offer? What could you offer?
- Highlight your strongest headlines. Assign them to the different communications in your campaign (or sections of your sales page): the best headline should be reserved for your sales page, second-best on your order page or follow-up, less specific headlines for subheads or emails.
Persuasive writing isn’t as simple as it might appear
You need to have a unique approach if you’re going to cut through the clutter and get read.
That’s why it’s so important to do the upfront work. Take time to get to know your prospect and what he wants from your product, and you’re much more likely to win the sale.
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Need help adding persuasive power to one of your promotions. Contact Kathryn.
photo credit: CEBImagery.com
