Copywriting Tips From The Master Copywriters

There is a great section of copywriting in the Nitro Blueprint manual (for people who want to build Internet marketing businesses) and it reminded me that the best way to learn copywriting is to study examples of great copywriting and to learn from the master copywriters.

The Copywriting Learning Process

With this idea in mind I thought I would take a look at some of the great examples of copywriting I see and invite you to study the same pieces and compare notes.

While you will learn from reading, you will gain much more by taking part, making your own assessment and entering into a debate by adding comments to this blog posting.

What Is Great Copywriting?

Basically copywriting can be described as "words that sell" or "salesmanship in print" to quote Claude Hopkins.

As you read great copy you must feel drawn to doing what the copywriter wants you to in the form of pressing that buy button or picking up the telephone BUT you don't have to submit.

While one famous copywriter, Joe Vitale talks of Hypnotic Marketing you are still in control of your actions so don't hold back because you are worried that you may find yourself buying something you don't want.

Copywriting is seen in advertising, direct mail letters, telemarketing scripts and websites. To make it easy for you to take part from anywhere around the world, it makes sense to analyse Internet sales letters which are available to everyone.

To set the scene for what is great copywriting I thought that I'd summarise a section of Jay Abraham's famous Mr X book to act as a template for us to use.

On page 203 Jay identifies these basic components of a sales letter:

1. It must get the readers attention with a strong headline
    
2. It must show distinct advantages and benefits
    
3. It has to prove or validate the claims by using testimonials, comparisons and credentials
    
4. It must persuade the reader to want the product
    
5. It must motivate the reader to act

The Mr X book says much more about the art of copywriting with Chapter 9 on Advertising running from pages 97 to 148 and Chapter 11 on Direct Mail from pages 175 to 230 in a densely typed A4 size script but I want to keep the framework simple.

You may also want to remember the famous AIDA formula for advertising copy:

1. Attract attention
    
2. Create interest
    
3. Create desire
    
4. Compel action

The Mr X Book Is A Great Place To Start

I can't think of a better place to start than by taking a look at the sales letter for the Mr X book (also known as the "Money Making Secrets of Marketing Genius Jay Abraham And Other Marketing Wizards") so you can see the sales letter here and you may also be interested in my Mr X book review.

I picked this for a number of reasons:

1. It is Jay Abraham, the world's highest paid marketing consultant and famous for his copywriting skills. Even if Jay didn't write the letter himself, can you imagine a) the honour of being asked to write for Jay Abraham and b) the difficulty of getting copy approved?
    
2. It is a fascinating story and a great product although if you are tempted, you need to note the concerns I raise in my book review and understand why I only gave it 4.5 stars.
    
3. My grapevine tells me that the Mr X book is being updated for Internet marketing and when it is reissued it will have a 150% price increase. This will give me the chance to compare two sets of copywriting for a similar product which I thought would be interesting.
    
4. I was talking to someone yesterday who mentioned it as "the most expensive book he'd ever bought" so it is very fresh in my mind. Also after the Jay Abraham videos featured yesterday on the Rich Schefren blog, I am back into my Jay Abraham addiction.

Let's Take A Look At The Sales Letter

Your link again to the sales letter is here and you will see that it takes you into a short page.

The headline is dramatic but also contains the first mistake because it has not been updated as the years change.

"Here's my prediction:
2007 is the dividing point...
If you don't have my Ultimate
Marketing Bible on YOUR desk
in 2006, then I simply don't see
how you stand a chance in today's
high-speed marketplace..."

At the stage it is playing into the reader's fear, uncertainty and doubt but it is well established that moving away from pain is the major motivator of initial action.

The headline is also arrogant and not one of the best I have seen connected with Jay.

The webpage then goes on to explain that this is your chance to get a copy of the secret manual which has been locked away and unavailable for download. While the download element may be true, truckloads of the book have been sold over the years.

The page then goes on to explain some of the key benefits that you can learn but you then run straight into the first test when you haven't had time to warm up.

You have been told very little and you are asked to enter your name and email address. No bonus rewards for signing up, just a necessary step to get through to the full sales letter.

I don't like this two stage approach and I would have expected many people to turn their back at this stage except for those in awe of Jay Abraham's reputation and intrigued by what could be included in the Ultimate Marketing Bible of a marketing genius.

The Detailed Sales Letter For The Mr X Book

This letter is sold through a joint venture between Jay Abraham and Tellman Knutson. By coincidence Tellman was the first speaker on the Ideas To Income seminars although I find his follow up marketing irritating and unsubscribe myself.

For this to work you need to enter a name and email address although when I did it there was no confirmation process and I was taken straight through to the detailed sales letter.

It is about 11 pages so this is a relief from some of these 30 to 50 page sales letters I have seen. I believe in long copy but some do push it to its limits and I have my own theory why.

Let Me Tell You A Story

One of the reasons why I find this sales letter so appealing is that it tells the fascinating story of someone benefiting massively from Jay's genius which puts over his credentials in a way that doesn't sound like "me, me, me - I am great" who then saw the opportunity of selling Jay's to the world.

This is a great idea and I love it but I have no idea whether it is true.

Effectively page 1 is the summary.

The scene is set, an upper limit established, bonuses which double the value, risk reversal of a full 90 day trial period (very trusting for a digital product) and a link through to the sign up page.

I like this. For the impatient, it cuts to the chase immediately without having to troll through page after page after page.

The Story

See my article The Story of The Mr X book for more details if you haven't take a look at the sales page itself.

By seeing into Jay's mind about how the book written by Mr X was such a threat to Jay's lucrative $5,000 to $25,000 workshops and his various audio programs, the copywriter creates a tremendous sense of value to be had from the book.

I mean who wouldn't want a summary of all the ideas from Jay Abraham put together by someone who has worked with him closely, achieved massive success and all based on a $50k library of Jay Abraham material. What is being offered here is an enormous cost and time saving. All these secrets are condensed into less than 400 pages.

Can you see how he is creating desire and then you get a little bit of hearsay social proof which is very clever.

"About a dozen people who've invested $10,000 or more in my materials have called to tell me that Mr. X's book helped bring all my ideas and concepts together for them and bring it all home."

In this one sentence Jay is compelling a big benefit to his existing clients who have been exposed to his concepts and ideas with the big benefit that it will help them to apply it but at the same time to people unfamiliar with his work he is implying "this is better than spending $10k on a course."

The Dilemma

You get taken into Jay's mind again.

Having been shown the concern about people learning his secrets "on the cheap" and his initial desire to take it off the market before jacking up the price to reflect the true value, Jay builds credibility by explaining the reason why it is now up for sale.

It has turned into a major lead generator for Jay. Instead of replacing demand for the expensive workshops and conferences it has invigorated demand because people are now being educated in the opportunity based profit building mindset of Jay Abraham and want more.

So Jay is presenting this as a win-win - good for you the reader because you are getting the $50k worth of secrets for less than 1% of the cost and good for Jay because he is so confident in its value, you will want to come to a conference.

The Ethical Bribe and Take Action Bonus

The sales letter is a marketing lesson in itself and Jay uses those two phrases "ethical bribe" and "take action bonus" to put into your mind that you are getting something special if but only if you take action.

He then goes on to explain the benefits of the six bonuses including the Tony Robbins 5 1/2 hour interview edited down to 2 hours which Jay believes is worth more on its own than the price he is asking.

Risk Reversal

The risk reversal offer is repeated - 90 day money back guarantee so this is a "can't lose" offer before going on to summarise the main benefits of the offer again.

Conclusion

This is master class copywriter all held together by a great story which continually reinforces the value of what is on offer topped off by a what turns out in the end to be a better than risk free risk reversal strategy.

It is refreshingly free of the exaggerated hype and outlandish claims which you see in many letters. It gains its strength from the desire to get the inside secrets in an easy, convenient form together with a circular endorsement from Jay to Mr X back to Jay again. Interestingly there are no testimonials.

Lessons

1. Use a story wherever possible. It engages the reader and holds their interest.
    
2. Use of a picture and signature help to personalise the letter.
      
3. There is a personal touch as you can imagine being in Jay Abraham's position and wondering what you would do.
    
4. Personally I don't like the two stage approach with sign up in between. You have to be very confident to put this barrier in the way.
    
5. The focus on comparing various alternatives of value to the cost.

Do you agree with my assessment that this is a great sales letter or do you think that it lacks form, substance and is unconvincing?

Comments

[JohnB]

I really can't say if its a great letter or not. I've focused more on Jay's general marketing strategies instead of copywriting.

I'm fascinated by how he's been able to sell so many copies of the book. X copies at $400 when most people couldn't sell a fraction of that amount at a lower price point. I think it has more to do with his 3 ways to grow a business model. Esp increasing the unit of sale ($400 book vs $100 for example) and all his happy satisfied clients (from seminars) buying the book.

As much as I like Jay, I think hype (locked away in a secret vault) is discount today, theres too much of it. If it wasnt for his name and reputation, it might be lost, and thought of as just another book.