Learn more about custom written content that sells.

Here’s how:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Grab a free copy of this report at: 7 Steps to a Successful Email Marketing Program

Learn more about successful email marketing with our ecourse: 7 Steps to High Impact Email Marketing.

**********

Heisting Hall of Fame Headlines

By Michael Masterson

Old-time copywriters like yours truly enjoy a walk down Memory Lane now and then. We do it for fun, but it can be profitable, too.

I’m talking about rereading the best-known direct-marketing ads of the past. Copy written by such luminaries as Gene Schwartz, Claude Hopkins, and John E. Kennedy.

It’s fun to read through these old ads. Looking at them now — with their dated language and primitive graphics — you might think they could never work in today’s hypercompetitive market.

Yet some of them are still working. And, most of them live on as the arms and legs or blood and bones of many modern ads written by copywriters who understand their value.

There are many ways to learn from these time-tested ads.

One way is simply to read them — over and over again. Maybe even copy them down by hand or say them out loud. I’m convinced that’s the only way to understand all sorts of important but subtle things about good copy — diction, pacing, phrasing, etc.

But the best way to learn from them is to analyze them from the inside out. Ask yourself: “What is going on here beneath the surface? What are the psychological triggers that are going off in the reader’s heart and mind as he reads this?”

This is what I call determining the DNA of an ad. If you get the core structure right, you have a template — invisible to everyone else who looks at the same ad — of what really makes it work.

So today, I want to introduce you to that kind of deep structure analysis. And I’m going to do it by applying it to headlines — the smallest piece of the advertising puzzle, yet the most powerful.

The headline you use has an enormous impact on the effectiveness of your ad. Pick the wrong headline and your response rate could drop by more than half. Select the right headline and you could double or triple response, and even create an ad which will last for decades.

The Best-Known Headline Ever Written

Several years ago, Raphael Marketing compiled a list of 100 of “the best print advertising headlines ever written.” As a group, these ads sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products and services. (That would be tens of billions of dollars today.)

I looked through the list this morning and thought, “Boy, these are really good. I bet I could use some of them right now to improve my clients’ copy!”

I’m not talking about copying them verbatim. A word or two or three, maybe. (And for a headline by a living writer, I wouldn’t even do that.) But more than that is just plain dumb, because it doesn’t work on so many levels. For one thing, it’s cheating. And, it makes you a weaker marketer/writer.

What I could do, though, is figure out what is going on beneath the surface (determine the DNA of those headlines), and then inject that into my clients’ copy to invigorate it.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at one of the “top 100″ headlines. In fact, let’s look at the headline that came in at number one. It was written in 1925 by John Caples for a correspondence course from the U.S. School of Music:

They laughed when I sat down at the piano …
But when I started to play!

This headline instantly conveys all the key elements of a successful ad:

• One strong idea
• One desirable benefit
• One driving emotion
• One inevitable solution

In just 15 words, Caples tells a powerful story. You can see someone approaching a piano in a crowded room — perhaps it’s a dinner party. You can see the look of disbelief on people’s faces as he nears it. When he pulls back his cuffs, a twitter of laughter starts. Before his fingers touch the ivories, there is a chorus of abusive cackling.

How can you not feel sorry for this guy? Surely you have experienced, sometime in your life, a similar moment of embarrassing derision. (Who hasn’t?)

Imagining this situation, you feel his need for revenge and approval — two of the deepest and strongest human desires.

Now comes the second line — “But when I started to play …”

You can see the shock and disbelief on the faces of those who were laughing. Our hero has begun playing, and the music is flowing like wine. Men grow pale with admiration and jealousy. Women glow in appreciation.

And then the thought hits you: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could play the piano?”

Based on Caples’s headline alone, the reader of this ad is already half-persuaded to sign up for the course it is selling. As I suggested above, this is an astonishing amount of work to get done with 15 simple words.

What’s Going on Here?

One of the most important discoveries I ever made about advertising came to me years after I first read this wonderful headline. But, it could have been inspired by it. I call it the Rule of One.

I said this about the Rule of One: “Write about only one thing at a time. Because one good idea, clearly and convincingly presented, is better than a dozen so-so ideas strung together.”

Caples’s headline is a beautiful example of that. Had he taken the salad bowl approach — so popular with the whippersnappers who write copy today — it might have read as follows:

Now You Can Learn to Play the Piano Quickly and Easily!

After years of research, musicologist discovers the world’s most efficient method for teaching the piano.

Using this unique new program, you can master the piano
in less than a year!

You will amaze your friends and neighbors!
Some may even be shocked at how well you can play!
Plus, you can earn extra income on the weekends!

This headline doesn’t have nearly the force of the original because it has too much going on. Too many unnecessary details, too many unrelated emotions, and too many damn words!

Another reason Caples’s headline is so strong is because, as I pointed out, it tells a story. Of all the ways to get your readers emotionally involved in your copy, nothing works better and more consistently than the story lead.

In the book I’m writing with John Forde on copywriting, he has this to say about it:

“I can think of a lot of people who balk at big promises. I can think of plenty more who couldn’t care less about a bulleted list of shocking statistics. But I can’t think of a single person who can resist a good story. Can you? Everybody loves a good story.”

“As a way to communicate, nothing feels more natural.”

“So doesn’t it make sense that when someone says, ‘Let me tell you a story … ‘ you perk up and listen? There’s no better way to melt resistance. Of course, if you don’t tell the story well, you can still lose the reader. And telling the right stories well isn’t always easy.”

“But get it right, and a story lead lets you sneak into the psyche sideways, like no other lead can, delivering anecdotal proof and promises … and a setup for the rest of your pitch … long before the reader even realizes what you’re doing.”

Caples’s ad was an instant hit, selling thousands of correspondence courses. Many call it the most successful ad of the 20th century.

And the structure of his classic headline has been “borrowed” time and again by other copywriters. You may have seen this one (thanks to AWAI Board Member Don Hauptman for these examples):

They grinned when the waiter spoke to me in French …
But their laughter changed to amazement at my reply.

Or this one:

They laughed when I sent away for free color film …
But now my friends are all sending away, too.

Or this one, which I just saw in Small Business Opportunities Magazine:

They laughed at me when I started my cleaning business …
But when I quit my day job …

So what can the modern marketer/copywriter learn about headline writing from Caples’s classic example?

• First, the Rule of One: One strong idea/emotion/benefit is better than half a dozen mediocre ones.

• Second, the power of the story: There is no stronger way to engage your prospect than with a simple story.

• Third, that adhering to the “rules” of good storytelling will produce the greatest effect. That means beginning in the middle with a conflict — expressed or implicit — that affects a protagonist the reader can identify with. And offering an emotionally satisfying solution.
You don’t have to use Caples’s words. Just borrow the deeper structure of his headline:

• The hero, an ordinary person like your prospect, attempts to do something extraordinary.

• People doubt him.

• He proves them wrong.

There are countless ways to apply this structure. If you are selling an investment system, for example, you could tell a story about how all the experts doubted the system when it was first unveiled. If you are selling inexpensive domestic caviar, you could create a story about how a group of gastronomes ridiculed your product until they tasted it.

Spend a few minutes right now jotting down notes on how you could use it in your next advertising campaign.

Many copywriters spend just as much time on their headlines as they do on the rest of their sales copy. After all, the headline is the most important part of the ad.

I’ve just revealed several secrets of writing million-dollar headlines. And, as you work your way through AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, you’ll discover even more: the seven things your headline must do — and what it should never try … the deceptively simple secret of the “Four U’s” … why cleverness is not a virtue. It’s all in there, along with hundreds of tips for supercharging the rest of your copy.

At this year’s Bootcamp, I’ll spend ten minutes reviewing another classic headline that has been running, in one form or another, since I was a kid. We’ll analyze it like we did this one and I’ll give you examples of how you can ethically knock it off to make your own copy stronger.

If you haven’t booked your ticket to come to Delray Beach yet, it’s not too late. The experience of being at a Bootcamp – learning from some of the world’s best copy masters and getting hooked up with other copywriting students — not to mention attending the Job Fair — is without doubt the single most effective thing you can do right now to make your dream job come true.

**********

Another good rule of thumb that Michael doesn’t mention here is: take at least as much time writing the headline as you took to write the entirety of the piece. Don’t rush to throw something at the top of your work just to get it out the door. Do it right, do it once and move on to the next project.

To your success,

Mike Lawson

(This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.)

There is a growing trend catching on across the Internet like wildfire; turning older content into brand-new videos. Videos are one of the hottest things going online these days and if you aren’t taking advantage of it, you’re leaving money on the table. Check out this article below and see for yourself.

**********

Four Little Words That Can Increase the Fee of Your Next Copywriting Project

By Sid Smith, Online Copywriter

The first time I used these four words with a client, I was shocked by how easy it was to almost double the size of my project.

Since, then it’s worked without fail. They always respond with something along the lines of, “Yes, of course. We need that, too.”

Before I give you the four magic words, let me give you a little background and explain why these four words evoke such an automatic response.

It has to do with the fastest growing niche market online …

Video marketing.

eMarketer reports that U.S. Internet users viewed 12.7 billion online videos during November 2008, up 33% from the previous year.

They also put online video viewers at more than three-quarters of U.S. Internet users, and estimate that percentage will rise to 88% by 2012.

That’s 75% of all Internet users viewing videos.

Who’s creating all these videos? It’s mostly individuals, although a growing number of businesses are also moving to video marketing.

Unfortunately, the majority of the videos are home-grown, poorly produced, and sloppily written. And yet, they are viewed — sometimes by thousands of people.

This presents a tremendous opportunity for copywriters to step in and use our skills to produce quality marketing videos.

In fact, I’ve discovered that video marketing is an easy add-on to my existing web projects. All I really need are my four magic words:

“What about using video?”

Talk about getting a quick head-nodding response! There’s no hard-sell, and not a shred of doubt in their minds that video marketing is a requirement.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Video Marketing to Get Started …

There are three primary components of creating an online video. I typically do the first and third steps and subcontract out the middle step. With a little training, the right tools, and some practice, you can actually do all three.

The Three Components of Creating Online Videos

• Writing the video script

• Producing the video

• Promoting the video

This article focuses on the place where you as a copywriter can have the greatest impact — writing the video script.

How to Write a Video Script

You know as a copywriter that the headline and lead constitute about 80% of the sales process. It’s no different with videos. If they’re not hooked in the first 10-15 seconds of the video, you’ve lost them.

Just as with any promotion, you’ll want to start your video with a powerful benefit-driven headline and lead. The speaker’s credentials will come later.

There are three main types of marketing videos you’ll be asked to write.

• A short “talking head” video (usually less than 5 minutes) in which the speaker entices the viewer to take a specific action at the end of the video, such as opt-in to a list.

• A short (3-5 minute) text or animation video with the same intentions as the talking head video.

• A longer “value add” video intended to offer the viewer something of real, tangible value in the moment. These training-type videos are anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes in length. These videos are almost always a combination of text and animation and rarely the talking head type.

Tips For ALL Video Types

Whether you’re writing the talking head script or the text/animation script, do just as you would do with any promotion you’re writing:

• Start with a “big idea” …

• Write a solid headline and lead that gets them hooked …

• Maintain the “golden thread” throughout the script …

• And close with a solid offer or, more typically, a call-to-action.

All the elements of good copy are still there, but they are very much compressed. The key is to offer a compelling promise and “unwrap” the promise through the video. If they don’t get to your offer, there’s no reason to shoot the video.

Remember that unlike with a written promotion, the viewer can’t skim or skip ahead. You’ve got them from beginning to end, so your copy has to really flow and provide good reasons for them to stay with you.

Talking Head Videos

In the talking head video, the spokesperson is shot against a “green screen.” The green screen (literally a light green colored screen) allows the video production crew to digitally place ANY backdrop behind the speaker. With the right software, you can even produce a video in which the speaker “walks” onto the computer screen from the edge (called “Transparent Video Effects”)!

With the talking head video script, you also need to consider these factors:

• Create frequent transitions between ideas or thoughts. This helps in the video production in several ways. It makes it easier for the person being filmed to stop, take a sip of water, or pause to memorize the next piece of the script. Talking head videos always work better if the script is memorized, not read.

• Use short, snappy sentences. Online video viewers have incredibly short attention spans. The bullet above, for example, is WAY too long for video.

• Write a draft, then cut out about 50% of what you wrote. It takes about two times longer to read a script out loud than it does to read it silently. After you write the script, time yourself reading it out loud (with pauses). You’ll be surprised that your 30-second script takes 50 seconds to read out loud!

Here’s a special tip: Those frequent transitions you write are perfect for the person being filmed. He or she stops at each pause for a few seconds, memorizes the next piece, and goes back to the filming.

The production crew simply zooms in or zooms out at each transition so that it appears to the viewer as a seamless production. They won’t see that the speaker is perhaps standing in a slightly different place.

Text and Animation Videos

The second form of video uses only text and animation. At its simplest, the video is little more than a set of PowerPoint slides. More complicated videos use “transition effects” (scrolling, fly-ins, etc.) to flip from scene to scene or slide to slide.

With the right software, it’s not hard to create fun animations which can be added to a video. Plus, you can purchase ready-to-go animations and short video clips online at www.istockphoto.com.

Short text/animation marketing videos are generally 5 minutes or less. Any longer, and your viewer may never get to the close.

When writing a script for a text/animation script, pay attention to these factors:

• What’s on the screen is the essence of what’s being spoken. The actual script enhances the words on the screen. Think of the words or images as the “picture” you are cleverly placing in your viewer’s mind. The spoken words are the backdrop that reinforce and enhance the feelings you want to evoke.

• Think of everything (words or images) you put on the screen as subheads. They continue the flow of the conversation and keep the viewer engaged.

• Vary the on-screen message. Make bold points. Ask questions. Say things that get the viewer nodding his head. All the while, the voice script is reinforcing the message (the big idea) and continuing the golden thread until the close.

Writing Longer Videos

The longer videos are frequently used to “extend the free line” or offer “results in advance.” These are Internet marketing terms which are sometimes used interchangeably.

The “extend the free line” concept is simply where you provide something of real, tangible value to the viewer to gain his or her trust.

The “results in advance” concept is similar — you give the viewer something he or she can do within the next few days that provides tangible results. Again, this builds trust.

I’ve found that the actual video format for these longer videos is far less important than the value of the content being provided.

I’ve seen amazing videos that were little more than pictures of a “mind map” on the screen, with no special effects to enhance the viewing experience. They are PURE verbal content, and I’ve watched them with rapt attention from beginning to end.

This is good news for copywriters. I’ve created complete scripts for some clients for 30-40 minute training videos. As a copywriter, I find that I know far more about how to convey a message to my audience than most of my clients.

If you can write a long promotion, then you can easily create a solid training video that your clients will love.

The Bottom Line

Web TV Enterprise reports that spending for online video marketing will increase by 50% in the next year. And comScore Video Metrix service says that the total number of videos viewed online grew 47% in the past year.

It’s not hard to sell your clients on the idea of creating video. In fact, in the online world, videos are rapidly replacing “White Papers” as the preferred method of promoting a product or service.

And, video is important for your own business. You can create your own marketing videos, as well as your own video-based products.

The bottom line is that video is an EASY add-on to your business. It’s also a great niche in which you can start your copywriting career.

How to Learn the Tricks of the Trade

I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on online video training programs, and there’s only ONE program I know that is specifically written for copywriters: Video Marketing for Profit.

To be perfectly honest, I’d prefer to keep Video Marketing for Profit a secret. I feel like the miner who inadvertently discovered a massively huge swath of gold in a hidden valley.

Nobody knows the size of this market, but when I look at the dollars being spent on poorly written videos, my heart starts to flutter.

If I were you, I’d get my hands on Video Marketing for Profit as soon as possible. I’d go through the program a couple of times, then try the four magic words the next time you’re talking with one of your clients … “What about using video?”

**********

I have Camtasia and use it for many things, but to make simple video articles, I use GFX Video Writer. It’s quick to use , inexpensive and intuitively easy to learn.

(This article above appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.)

Think about it. Have you ever seen a hammer drive a nail? Nope, hammers just lay where they were last set down until someone picks them up and puts them to work. Your writing is in the same boat: it doesn’t do a thing until someone picks it up and reads it.

Take a few minutes to read the article below. I’m sure you’ll find some invaluable information to keep your writing pencil sharp there.

**********

Woman Attacked With Cheeseburger!
(A Lesson in Grabbing Your Prospect’s Attention)

By Guillermo Rubio

I was minding my own business, doing my daily online research, when I was suddenly stopped by an Associated Press headline that read, “Woman Attacked With Burger, Police Say.”

I couldn’t resist. I just had to find out how this woman came upon such a terrible fate.

The weapon in question? A McDonald’s cheeseburger.

Apparently, she and her boyfriend had a spat, which ended in aggravated burger assault.

Funny as that may seem, there is a valuable copywriting lesson in this story.

And that is …

Curiosity is a powerful way to make your prospect stop dead in his tracks and read your sales message from top to bottom. Human nature makes it hard to resist a desire to find out more.

Think about it …

Have you ever been driving down the road, when you encounter a couple of police cars with lights flashing near a huddled group of curious bystanders? Chances are, you really wanted to know what was going on.

Or think about your favorite TV show …

How strong was your desire to learn more after watching the first part of a two-part series … especially after a really good cliffhanger?

No doubt about it, curiosity works.

Claude Hopkins, considered to be the “Godfather” of direct-response advertising, once said, “Curiosity is one of the strongest of human incentives. We employ it whenever we can.”

And as a copywriter, you’d be wise to follow his advice.

The most critical place to use curiosity is in your headline.

Here’s why …

If your promo’s headline doesn’t grab your prospect’s attention, your sales message is headed for wastebasket city.

Here’s an example of an attention-grabbing headline from a classic control that was responsible for bringing home the bacon:

What never … ever to eat on an airplane!

Even if you don’t fly, the curiosity this headline builds is irresistible. You can’t help but want to read further.

Here’s another one:

Outlawed for 41 years, now legal again,
this investment launched the largest family
fortune the world has ever seen …
and could return 665% in the next 12 months.

If you’re an investor, you’d dive straight into the letter to figure out what this newly legal investment is.

And finally …

How to Get FREE Health Care Anywhere in America!
What Hillary Isn’t Telling You!

Back when this promo ran, the timeliness – and the promise of FREE health care – was enough to get even the biggest skeptic to keep reading out of sheer curiosity. Plus, who didn’t want to find out what it was that Hillary wasn’t telling them?

The second-most important place to use curiosity is in your lead.

Within the first two or three sentences, you’ve got to hook your prospect and make him think, “Wow, I need to keep reading this to find out more.”

Here’s an excerpt from one very successful lead:

Many of the world’s wealthiest familieshave used this “secret currency” for generations to grow dynasties. Let me show you just one example …

In this case, the prospect wants to keep reading to find out what this “secret currency” is.

Here’s another example:

This is very urgent, so I’ll get right to the point.

Starting tomorrow, just after 12 noon EST, you could begin skimming $5,250 per month from Wall Street’s banking coffers. If you want, you’ll be able to transfer this money straight into your personal bank account … free and clear.

This promise creates an itch the prospect must scratch. He wants to find out, “How is this even possible?”

And finally, from a health promotion:

I want to warn you about a serious hidden health threat that’s likely targeting you and your loved ones.

Wow. How could you NOT keep reading to find out what this health threat is?

The headline and lead are the two most important places for using curiosity, since they form the critical portion of the letter that hooks your prospect and forces him to keep reading.

So how, exactly, do you create curiosity so you can boost your promo’s response rate?

Here are four ways:

1. Juxtaposition. Put two unlikely things together. For example, take a look at the headline of this article. Cheeseburgers and attacking usually don’t go hand in hand. This unlikely pairing, in itself, creates a good deal of curiosity.

Another great example of this concept is the classic headline: “The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches” Becoming rich is normally associated with hard work. By putting in the adjective “lazy,” it creates a juxtaposition which, in turn, breeds curiosity.

2. Absolutes. This is another great way to build curiosity. Take, for example, the headline you saw earlier: “What never … ever to eat on an airplane.” By making it an absolute – “never, ever” – it builds curiosity. This headline wouldn’t have the same appeal if it simply read, “What you sometimes shouldn’t eat on an airplane.”

3. Questions. One of the most famous of these is: “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” Another great example is, “Can You Write a Letter Like This One?” The key here is that the prospect would need to read further in order to answer the question.

4. Secrets. Secrets always have been – and always will be – a great way to create curiosity. Everyone wants knowledge that no one else is privy to. Here is a classic example penned by copywriting genius John Carlton:

Amazing Secret Discovered By
One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards
to Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks
and Slices … and Can Slash Up to
10 Strokes From Your Game
Almost Overnight!

So there you have it.

Whether it’s a brutal burger assault, a one-legged golfer’s secret to success, or a way to skim $5,250 off of Wall Street’s coffers … if you use curiosity in your writing, you’ll certainly see a boost in response … and your paycheck!

***********

Interested in taking your writing skills to the next level? This may be just what you need: The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

Regards,

Mike Lawson
www.bluegrasssolutions.org

PS: This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.

*****

Read This Article For a Key To Hypnotic Writing

By John Torre

Welcome back!

I hope your Labor Day holiday was enjoyable. Mine was good, but I have to say I felt a bit deceived by the weatherman. A sunny, beautiful weekend was predicted here in Jersey, and indeed that prediction held true for most of the state. But down the shore where I was it remained pretty much overcast except for Saturday. But, at least it didn’t rain, and with the good fortune of being able to generate a bit of “liquid sunshine” in lieu of the real thing, a good time was had by all.

By-the way, I realize that to most of the other coastal parts of the country, “the shore” refers to the strip of sand that meets the ocean.

Not in Jersey. To us, that’s “the beach.” While the beach is indeed an essential part of the overall shore experience, here in Tony Soprano land “the shore” encompasses so much more.

If I had to define it, I’d say that the Jersey shore is more “attitude” than location. It’s comprised of approximately 127 miles of resort and residential towns that feature endless rows of vacation bungalows, multi-million dollar homes, roadside motels, and seedy honky tonks from which blare the sounds of Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Frankie Valli, or the latest local tribute band.

On the famed boardwalks of tourist traps like Seaside Heights, it’s all about greasy cheese steaks, sausage sandwiches, slices of pizza the size of road cones, and wheels of “chance” where prizes range from stuffed animals to televisions, bicycles, and more. You’ll also find souvenir shops, beach gear stores, arcades and ice cream parlors, as well as two 300-foot long piers that feature amusement rides, carousels, log flumes, roller coasters, Ferris wheels and other attrations that’ll make you lose your lunch quicker than a quarter through the cracks of the boards.

Every few steps you’ll come upon attractions that test your skills, bearing compelling names like “Frog Bog” and “Shoot the Geek,” where barkers dare you to shoot paint balls at a poor kid dressed up in an Osama Bin Laden costume who’s being paid about six bucks an hour for nothing more than cultivating welts on his head and body.

From the snap of paint balls hitting body … to the blaring sounds of rock-n-roll … to the bells and whistles of Lucky Leo’s Arcade … to the screams and sirens from the rides on Casino Pier … to the tat-tat-tat sound of leather slapping metal prongs as it slows down the spinning wheels of chance … it’s all part of the aura of the Jersey shore.

Is it unique to New Jersey? I don’t know … you tell me. All I can promise is you’ll have the time of your life when you visit the Jersey shore, and you’ll understand why it’s an experience all unto itself.

Okay, ‘nuff said about that. In the spirit of the holiday past (and in anticipation of the ones to come…), what do you say we get back to work?

A couple weeks ago we started talking about some psychological devices that will help your sales copy transform readers into buyers. Today we’ll take a look at another one that has almost a hypnotic quality about it … literally and figuratively.

It’s called, “Neuro-Linguistic Programming,” or “NLP” for short.

Co-founded in the 1970’s by American author and mathematician, Richard Bandler, and Dr. John Grinder, an American linguist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, NLP, in its most basic definition, is the study of helping people change by teaching them to program their brains.

Or, in our case, perhaps subtly programming it for them.

Now understand right up front that NLP is as complex as any psychological field of study out there, and it would be ludicrous to try and use this space to dissect it past the miniscule scope of it that applies to us.

Nevertheless, we can still examine the logic behind certain aspects of it and how they might be used to our benefit as copywriters. And the first aspect we’re going to take a look at this week is…

Embedded Commands

The “Golden Rule” of web copywriting (or any copywriting, for that matter…) is to generate a response of some kind. Whether it’s to call for more information, subscribe to a newsletter or mailing list, or purchase a product or service … you want your reader to take action!

Using embedded commands to elicit that action involves “embedding” the action you want your reader to take in the form of a casual, conversational sentence.

Consider the following sentence:

“Let me know when you are going to purchase this product and I’ll make sure you receive a free bonus report.”

On the surface it seems like a harmless enough sentence. But notice the almost hypnotic embedded command: …you are going to purchase this product.

Embedded commands are frequently used by public speakers to get their point across. Whether it’s a sales presentation or a political speech, the speaker will use voice inflections such as a lower tone or speaking more slowly for emphasis to produce the hypnotic effect.

We, as copywriters, don’t have that luxury so we have to depend on other means of delivering our embedded commands. This normally involves using boldface type, italics, quotation marks, dashes, ellipses, or colors.

In the example above, I set off my embedded command by putting it in italics, thus establishing the effectiveness in which the command is communicated. A person will subconsciously zero in on that part of the sentence as a command, and will likely follow the command without consciously realizing it.

The whole point is to gain effortless compliance from your reader without ever having them perceive that they’ve been given a command. What’s happening when you utilize an embedded command is you’re circumventing the scrutiny of a person’s logical “left brain,” and thus appealing directly to your reader’s intuitive and subjective “right brain” mode.

It is a very powerful tool, but like I said a couple weeks ago, it can be dangerous and unethical (if not illegal!) if used incorrectly, so be careful and do it right.

Crafting an Embedded Command

Start by constructing your command. This is usually expressed in three to seven words in the imperative voice and begins with an action verb. For example:

Pick up the phone…

Learn the secret to…

Act on this now…

Purchase (product name) today and get…

After you’ve constructed your command, simply incorporate it into a full sentence, such as:

Pick up the phone today and speak to a knowledgeable representative who can help you pick out the perfect pattern to compliment your home décor.

Learn the secret to a longer, healthier, and better life through meditation.

An additional bonus report will be sent with your order if you act on this now.

Purchase this widget today and get three more widgets for the just the cost of shipping and handling.

Take a look at some of the projects you’re working on and see where you might be able to edit your copy in order to insert an embedded command. It will make the copy more powerful, more compelling, and elicit your reader to take the action you want him to!

Oh … by the way … knowing where we were going with this post, I embedded a command up above when I was talking about the shore. Can you find it? (It shouldn’t be too hard to spot!) And for that matter, there’s one in the headline. Let me know what you think.

Till next week, and as always …

Good health and good writing!

*****

Now, if that don’t help you out, I don’t know what will. This is one of the most effective tools in your copywriting tool box. Learn what the masters do and jumpstart your career as a copywriter:

The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

Until next time,

Mike Lawson,
www.BluegrassSolutions.org

PS: This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) Writer’s Blog. For a complimentary subscription to AWAI free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.

It’s hard to get excited about December with the smell of hickory smoke in your nose and the sound of mosquitoes in your ears. It’s months away yet; unless you’re a marketer. In fact, the 2009 holiday shopping season is already underway in many segments of the retail industry. It began somewhere about mid-July this year.

Many marketers are already deeply immersed in research and planning for the coming showdown and have been for weeks or even months. One constant that will remain in play is this: the guy in front at the end of the race wins. If you haven’t got your shoes tied yet, you better hurry, though. You’re not out of the running yet, but you will be soon.

So, What Hurdles Will You Face This Online Holiday Shopping Season?

Retail sales fell across the board in 2008 and that trend will carry over into 2009, according to a recent Reuters poll conducted by America’s Research Group. Forty percent of consumers polled said they will spend less this year than last. Under heavy pressure from a volatile economy, consumers will likely take more time to plan and consider purchases than in years past.

They further stated that their main buying focus will be on quality and value. Retail executives are not expecting this climate to change between summer and the holiday shopping season.

This sets the stage for a brutal marketing environment to gain promotional superiority and product position followed by a full blown knock-down, drag-out fight come Black Monday. Many experts predict this to be the most aggressive holiday shopping season on record between retailers. (Wolf, A (2009, July 20) “Dealers Prepare for Promotional Holiday Season”. Retrieved August 21, 2009 http://www.twice.com/article/315861-Dealers_Prepare_For_Promotional_Holiday_Season.php)

What Are The Driving Forces Behind The Current Market Situation?

It’s not so much that any one thing leads the list, but when all put together at the same time, it makes for a turbulent atmosphere. Wolf’s piece dealt primarily with consumer electronics, but I believe it’s a microcosm of the retail industry as a whole.

The Economy

Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere bartering wampum for food, you don’t need much explanation here. Even small children know things are tough all over right now. It’s not limited to the United States; it’s a global fiasco. People don’t know who to listen to or which way to turn: politicians say it’s on the road to recovery, economists say the worst is yet to come. Somebody’s wrong, but who?

So, people do what they always do in times like this: they circle the wagons and fall back on Maslow’s Need Hierarchy. They cast off self-indulgent things and tend to the three primary needs; food, shelter and security. One of the first casualties is the death of disposable dollars strangled by tightening purse strings. People shop harder, consider longer and purchase less.

Price Erosion

Manufacturers are taking the “lean and mean” approach to their operations. They have cut staff, resources and prices to the point they are almost malnourished in some cases, just to stay afloat. At first glance, you would think this a boon to retailers, but it is having the opposite effect.

It creates volatility in retail pricing. As the wholesale cost of goods drop, the profit margin automatically gets an increase; until the price slashing starts. This quickly corrects the immediate gains back to their original margin more or less. If it ended there, it wouldn’t be too bad. But it doesn’t.

Inventory Levels

As part of their lean and mean approach, manufacturers have made a crucial adjustment here as well. They have stopped carrying, or at least severely curtailed their safety inventories of goods and gone to a just-in-time supply system. This poses a forecasting nightmare for many retailers; both on and offline. If they under order, they may run out of a hot selling item at a crucial time or if they over order, they may be left holding excessive inventories at the end of the year.

Another possible loss may occur on the haggling over the wholesale price with other retailers if supply drops below demand. Retailers may find themselves in a price war on the buying side of the street and thus further reduce margins.

The real fly in the ointment comes in the form of fixed expenses. As their name implies, they remain fairly constant. It costs just as much to keep the lights on in an empty store, warehouse or web site as a full one. Marketing costs as much as it usually does, regardless of what the margin of profit is or if sales are made.

Is There A Solution?

While there is no single canned solution to guarantee success in any business, there is one practice that always makes a big difference. It’s so simple, it’s often overlooked. But never mistake simple for easy. It’s simple to dig a hole with a shovel, but it’s seldom easy. The practice I’m speaking of can be summed up in two words: be prepared.

You can’t predict the future, but you can sure get closer to your goals with proper planning and preparation. That may be all it takes to beat out the guy on your tail.

It’s like the old story goes about the two hunters in camp. One sees a bear and tells the other who immediately begins putting on his running shoes. The first guy says, “You can’t out run a bear, you fool!” The other guy finishes tying his shoes and says, “Nope. I don’t have to. I just have to outrun you.”

Do your due diligence and find a good resource of information on marketing. Make sure you’re prepared. And get your shoes tied, I think I see a bear under the Christmas tree.

As a professional writer, editor and article directory publisher, I hold the qualifications to speak on this topic with some authority. I am sure every publisher has their own quirks that annoy the bejeebers out of them. I know I have mine and tend to believe they are common among many editors and publishers.

Here is a list of my biggest pet peeves from article authors that I encounter daily that guarantee exclusion, and possibly banning, from my directory:

Failure to Use Real Name/Proper Pen Name

I write and submit articles around the Internet all the time and I only use my real name. It’s not right or wrong, I suppose, just a personal preference. I write so much for others, I find time at a premium to write under my name much less for a collection of pen names. But to those of you who do use pen names, I say wear it out. I have no problem with pen names when used properly.

What I do have a problem with are those authors that submit articles to me using ridiculous pen names. So, you might ask, what constitutes a poor pen name? Well, it’s hardly believable that anyone but the cruelest of parents would name their child something like, “Top Articles” or “Buy R Stuff” or simply “H”.

These authors are deleted on sight; as I feel they cheapen the quality of my directory. I have an obligation to my other authors to offer them the best quality and environment for their content.

Failure to Properly Use Title Case for Titles/Sub-Titles

My thoughts run along the lines: “Well, if they don’t even care enough about their piece to use proper title case in the headline, I am sure the rest of the article is a train wreck as well.” Sometimes I will message the author and explain to them why I declined their piece, but more often than not, I simply delete it and move on to the next article.

I have that option, you see, because I get hundreds of articles daily from which to choose. Of those hundreds, maybe 20 percent are selected on average. I don’t think many authors realize how competitive article marketing is and that quality does count. At least, it counts at the better, more high profile sites.

Poor Grammar and Spelling in the Article Description

Once again, we’re back to the notion that if it’s wrong here, the rest is probably even worse. Most publishers simply don’t have the time or resources to evaluate each piece in its entirety. I can tell you first hand that most publishers won’t do edits for free. The cyber landfills are full of these types of articles and the heaps are growing daily. It’s easy to avoid with a little attention to detail.

Redundant Articles with Different Titles

I’m not referring to five different articles on the same topic here. What I am referring to is articles spun from the same article with a slightly different title. I have nothing against PLR articles as long as they are re-worked and used as a guide to write a mostly original piece. But when the same article is re-worked two or three times, it quickly becomes obvious and redundant.

Publishers want new, fresh material for their visitors, not the same story told slightly different a dozen times. At the very least, spread them out over time and not submitted one on top of the other the same day. This brings me to another article killer.

Submit Too Many Articles at Once

I really hate to see authors do this because they are wasting so much potential in their article marketing program. Many of the pieces are really great works and would be published if they were spread out a bit over time.

But the simple fact is this: Most publishers are not going to publish 10-20 pieces from the same author in one setting. Publishes want new, fresh and diverse pieces as well as a selection of authors each day. I rarely publish more than 3-4 pieces from the same author on the same day, unless they are across a wide variety of categories.

Blatant Spammy Articles Bite the Dust

Think back to the last time you got your favorite beverage and a snack and sat down in front of the television to watch the commercials. It’s the same thing with articles, folks. People surf the Net for two reasons: to learn about something or for entertainment. No one, at least no one in their right mind, sits down to be pitched by a huckster.

Phoney Email Addresses in Profile

Here’s the bottom line. Publishers are in business to draw traffic to their sites with content and hopefully sell visitors something while they are there. Many authors feel publishers are obligated somehow to provide a quality, high traffic site for them to publish their articles on for free. Most publishers don’t see it that way at all.

Publishers, by and large, expect to email occasional offers to authors in trade for maintaining a site that publishes their work. I don’t feel that’s an unreasonable expectation for a publisher to hold. An article directory, after all, is a business and must show a profit or fold.

When I make a mailing, the very next thing I do is check for undeliverable emails and delete those author’s accounts and articles from my database. If I can’t market to them, they can’t market to others on my site. It’s a simple tit-for-tat thing. Everyone has to make a living; even publishers.

I am sure this is not a comprehensive list of all drop-dead deal breakers for publishers at large. It is, though, representative of a large portion of the article directory market. This article will enlighten some and anger others, I expect, but there it is either way. Do what you will with the information to use it to your best advantage.

Preparing to Write Your Press Release

There are a couple of things you must do before you begin writing your press release (also called media release).

1. Press releases start with the most important point and work their way down to the least important. If you don’t catch your reader’s attention right away, they will not keep reading to the end. Make a list of the points you want to cover in the media release and list them in order of importance.

2. Press releases answer the questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. Who (or what) is the news about? What is the news? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why is this news? How will it affect the reader. Having the answers to these questions before writing your announcement makes your job easier.

Headline

The headline of a media release is your first opportunity to capture the attention of the reader. A lackluster and uninteresting headline is an immediate turnoff that makes the content of your announcement irrelevant.

So, exactly how do you write an attention getting press release headline? Media release headlines are written in an announcement style and include the company’s name. Include your company’s latest achievement, newsworthy event or new product or service. A simple way to write a great headline is to gather the main keywords from your press release and form a logical, attention-getting statement from them.

Once you the headline written, properly format it. Announcement headlines are in bold and have a font size larger than the text of the announcement. Always capitalize the first letter of each word, but leave the rest of the headline in lowercase letters. Writing the headline after the media release is written may make the task much easier.

Body

The first line of a press release begins with the date, city and state of origin. You don’t have to include the city and state if, for example, you’re in Dallas and writing about in your company’s California office.

The first paragraph of a media release comes directly after the date and city/state and is basically a summary of the entire announcement. Similar to the headline, the first sentence of this paragraph must capture the reader’s attention while stating exactly what the announcement is about. The remaining 1 to 2 sentences explain the main point in further detail.

The remaining paragraphs elaborate on the summary provided in the first paragraph. Utilize the lists made before you started writing. The easiest way to write the rest of the announcement is to read over your lists and assemble paragraphs about the information you included, Keep in mind that the most important point(s) come first.

Close to the end of the media release, include a “call to action.” This is a very important part. Without it, your readers won’t know what to do with the information provided. A call to action, for example, may be your desire to readers buy a product/service (include where it’s available) or enter a contest (include how to do so).

Additional Points

* Paragraphs are 3-5 sentences long.

* Don’t fill your announcement with advertisements or it will likely be rejected. The point is to provide information about recent events in your company, not sell something.

Conclusion

The conclusion of your media release is where you include information about your company and should have its own title, for example “About ABC Company.” Describe your company in 5 to 10 sentences. Include contact information. Contact information includes: company name, media contact person, physical address, telephone and fax numbers, business hours, any relevant email addresses and a link to your website. Put three # symbols, centered on the page, as the very last line of your press release. This signifies the end of the release.

These simple guidelines ensure you are well on your way to creating a successful press release. There are many good professional writing services that write media releases on a regular basis. Contact one of them for additional information and advice.

About the Author: Mike Lawson is a freelance writer, entrepreneur and internet marketing professional. Learn more about effectively marketing your business here:

Cutting-edge internet marketing information, products and services.

Custom web content, articles and copywriting from an established professional writing service.

Convert text articles to videos in 3 minutes.

One of the benefits of submitting video to YouTube is the search result is different. Video results at Google are the only ones with a picture on the left and appear like paid advertising, but for free!

For example; try search Google for the keyword “top motivation tips”

Can you see the video result ranked at #1 has a picture on the left? Don’t you think People are more likely to CLICK that link, WATCH the video and VISIT the owner’s website. Now that is powerful. Nothing can beat video marketing.

Now imagine if you could turn your articles into such videos.

Same content, just a different mode of delivery.. instead of people reading a bunch of text imagine people watching it interactively in a video. Research has shown that people prefer watching and hearing videos than reading a bunch of text. That means your videos will have a much greater impact to your bank account. Much more profit.

So, if video marketing is so powerful why don’t more and more people use it? It’s because video marketing as powerful as it may be has always been expensive and difficult, making it a little out of reach for the average guy.

I introduce to you a Never-Before-Seen Technology called The Article Video Robot. A software that will convert your articles to LIVE and TALKING videos in minutes.

Go check it out here:

Article Video Robot

This is powerful stuff – don’t miss it.

Regards,

Mike Lawson
Bluegrass Solutions

Learn More at the Article Video Robot Blog