“Need to Tell” vs. “Want to Tell”
Dumping a gut full of “want to tell” copy onto the page can feel cathartic. It can make you feel smart. It can make you sound funny or witty or clever. But it’s no way to sell… Continue Reading
copywriting
Which Promises Work Best?
“That’s right – it filets, it chops, it dices and slices. It never stops. It lasts a lifetime, mows your lawn, and it picks up the kids from school. It plays a mean rhythm. It makes excuses for lipstick on… Continue Reading
How Curiosity Can Save a Copywriter
Somebody once asked David Ogilvy for a list of traits that matter most when hiring copywriters. Above all, he said, they have to have an unwavering, overpowering, enormous sense of curiosity. I can’t help but think that has to be right. Why? Continue Reading
Why Your Customers Lie
Every one of your customers is an untrustworthy, fraudulent, false-hearted, cheating, calculating, double-dealing… (deep breath)… crafty, duplicitous, disingenuous, untruthful, scheming… stinker. Well maybe not a stinker. But liars they are. It’s true. How so? Continue Reading
Seven+ Ways to Keep Your Clients
Over the years, have I written my share of crotchety emails to product managers, traffic managers, legal assistants, publishers, and graphic designers? I confess — I have. A tiny handful have even made it past the “send” button… most, after sitting in my… Continue Reading
14 Ways to Make Your Prospect Relax
I’m not unveiling any big secret by telling you that a lot of what you’ll do when selling is all about emotion. And it has to be that way. Why? Because we humans — the thinking animal — are perversely… Continue Reading
#486: A Sweet, Dark History of the Promise Lead
When writing a Promise-Driven Lead, where should you start? The default for most marketers is to study the product and just figure out what it can do best. We’ve all heard, after all, the lesson about “features” versus “benefits.” First… Continue Reading
10 Proven Ways To Make Your Message “Go Viral”
First, can I confess something? I hate talking about “content” like this. It’s the word itself. So cold, so academic. It sounds like we’re talking dispassionately about fuel grades at a gas pump. “Content,” of course, just means the stuff… Continue Reading