Here's a Question For You Great Copywriters...

imo, the main thing with pre-selling copy is empathy.

People also like to buy from people who are like them, who
share their values and have similar life experiences.

While I find it kind of corny to build a selling pitch around
your religion or your veteran status, this kind of thing
can and does work if done right. And some marketers
do it with a lot more class than others.

For example: a group of marketers I used to be part of
recently decided they were going to be a "faith based"
team. To me it's a big turnoff because I'm pretty sure
"faith based" in this context excludes Jews, Muslims,
Hindus, Buddhists, and Athiests, et. al. - and I don't
relate well to that kind of exclusivity, but the
kind of "we're similar because we share a specific
belied system" is very powerful in some contexts.

People are tribal. They like to go where other people
like themselves go. So if you're marketing a "make money"
product you might want to create some sort of thing
where you tell a bit of your own story to build rapport
with your readers.

Great! very insightful!

Loren I was secretly hoping you'd respond,
big fan of your copy!

This helps a lot, Thanks!

Oh, great reponse! I also think that people can pick up on sincerity, even in written form. If you write in a way that seems to geniunly try to solve their problem(s), they will pick up on that. Try to write from a frame of mind that is geniunly trying to help people and they will feel a natural attraction to your writing, whether subliminally or consciously.

I like Loren's answer. And here are some of my thoughts.

The truth will eliminate some possibilities. For example, if you weren't an expert or had no experience with the product you can't write from those angles.

But assuming that the product owner is an expert, you can always highlight their status for proof elements. And you don't have to highlight your own status (or lack thereof) at all.

Just think, how would you sell a movie to a friend? First, without even realizing it you'd probably take inventory of what interests them. And then you'd cater to those interests.

If your friend likes artsy movies or academy award winners, you'd probably play up the positive reviews from critics like Roger Ebert and Cannes Film festival and so forth.

Or if your friend likes comedies you might convey how the movie is similar to "The Hangover" and so forth.

Both of these examples can be done without being an expert of any sort. Unfortunately you probably wouldn't get a commission from their ticket sales, but you did refer a product.

It's pretty similar. So take inventory of who the person is that will be hitting your page... and cater to their interests.

Cheers,
Stephen

Be honest. I can't think of any better advice when it comes
to writing review copy. Always include what you DON'T like
about the product and this will go a long way to convincing
the reader that you are looking out for him.

-Ray Edwards

Never forget that your list is just that -- YOUR list. They subscribed because they were interested in what you offer ... they've bonded to you and your personality ... and they will purchase in part because of what you say about a particular product/service/opportunity.

So be yourself.

If you have expertise in the product area, say so. But if you don't, don't try to pretend you do. You don't have to say you're clueless about the product or its niche -- just find another approach to take in presenting it to your list.

Loren, SilentX and Stephen have offered up some good suggestions on how to do this. You might also simply consider the following question:

Why are you offering this to your subscribers in the first place?

Chances are, you're screening the products you offer to your list ... and not just for the money you can make. So if you're offering a product you feel your subscribers could genuinely benefit from, tell them. And tell them why.

How best to do this?

I like to sit back and imagine I'm having a friendly conversation with my prospect (in this case, one of your subcribers). I tell them about the product ... why I'm so pleased with it ... and why they might find it worth trying, too.

Before I know it, I've got the entire e-mail written -- if not two or three versions I can use in series.

Hope this helps ...

If they're true, you can do either of the above.

But what if they're not?

In that case, you can always assume the role of "the reporter."

To do that, just follow the advice in Ray's post above...

Regards,

Johnny

I was going to pitch on this one, but then I noticed you wanted 'Great' copywriters.

That rules me out.

Tell 'em a story of how the product worked for you. Tell it from the heart. A lot of people have trouble with this because they haven't actually used the product or they feel they'd be lying. But you can get around that ethically if you're creative and clever.

For example, if you're selling a success program (aren't we all?) all you really need is the real-to-life profile of someone successful who once saw the light as a result of some outside force (like a product or mentor or role model or a product creator) and then became successful.

It might be your uncle or cousin or grandma or a high-profile athlete or celeb but it should be about someone real who has reached a certain goal because of some outside force.

From there all you need to do is draw parallels from their experience to your product. It might take a bit of imagination and writing experience to get this across but it works so it's certainly something to aspire to.

Once you get that down you can easily endorse writing programs telling folks how lame you once were writing landing pages. Oh, the possibilities...

I am a pro copywriter. However, many of us get swelled heads with an ego big enough to float a hot air balloon.

It much nicer to read the responses of those who do not know it all. I don't. Yet I am a multi-millionaire without all the air.

Thanks for the courage to post.

Here is just one thing (not talent), that separates creative writers from copywriters.

The other passage into copywriting, is perfection in pricing your product as that of a professional. I call this the skill of walking the tightrope. Everyone wants a bargain. Not here buddy boy.

Do you have the nerves of steel to play Russian Roulette with a bullet in the barrel ready to bore your bloody brains? If so welcome aboard. Your can triple your price and stare at Corporate CEO's.
Congratulations Copywriter.

What a wealth of knowledge here!

dyadvisor,

A high-five to you since you and I both reside in the 'high-five' state.
Now if I could only copy your copywriting multimillionaire status!!!

How can I learn to earn?

I'd love to mug a corporate CEO! Maybe even two of them at the same time!

Thanks guys, great ideas that I'll be taking back to the writing board.