Good Copywriting Makes You Rich

Bad copywriting just makes you a bad business person... you don't get any inquiries, customers, or feedback. Much less any money. The most important thing you can do is have good copy. If you can't do it yourself, or don't want to put in the extreme effort required, then hire someone to do it for you.

You can have the hottest market, with the best product, for the best price, and not make diddly squat... if you can't get that message across. You can sell ice-cold umbrella drinks in the desert and make nothing if you don't know how to reach your customer.

I've broken down a beautiful Gary Halbert newsletter into 14 steps to write an ad that sells. The article is titled "Hands On Experience For A Basic Education In Advertising Principles!"

This list only covers the second half of this particular newsletter. The first half goes into great detail on how to train yourself to become a good copywriter. It's not for the faint of heart - but I'm sure the advice is golden. That part is also interesting, and I'm going through the steps that he lays out in great detail (I've already hand written 5 direct mail ads - tough for a life-long typist...) The second half is where he describes how to actually write the ad. I've ripped much of his stuff directly, and added my own flavor. To see the original newsletter, go here.


Steps to write a decent ad:

1. Collect all online pitches for the product or service you're writing about.
   
2. Find any possible offline ads, direct mail packages for related, or similar services.
   
3. Carefully examine the product or service and learn everything you can about it. Become a student of the product. Ask questions.
   
4. Read, re-read and take notes on everything on 3x5 index cards. By the time you're done with this, you should be an expert.
   
5. Determine customer pain spots - what evokes their emotion that's connected to the product? (Sell the holes, not the drill) - write it down on 3x5 index cards
   
6. Take a couple of days break
   
7. Re-read notes.
   
8. Write down the CSI - central selling idea that pops into your brain
   
9. Write, write, write - get it all out on paper. Tell everything, every detail, every nuance. Every benefit, every product feature, every advantage. Don't stop. Rave! rave! rave! crow! describe! enthuse! Give details. Don't worry about getting it perfect. Don't worry about formulas. Just write.
   
10. Take a break for a day
    
11. Organize the copy into the following sequence (AIDA principle - Attention, Interest, Desire, Action):
    
    
    
    1. Say something that gets attention
       
    2. Tell them why they should be interested (expand on the CSI)
       
    3. Tell them why they should believe what you are saying is true
       
    4. Prove it is true
       
    5. Itemize and describe all benefits
       
    6. Tell them how to order
       
    7. Tell them to order now
       
    
    
12. Check spelling, grammar, edit, tighten copy
    
13. Read the copy aloud to discover all the little snags where the copy isn't smooth. Reading aloud helps you find where the copy isn't seamless from one sentence to another, one paragraph to another.
    
14. Edit again. Make it tight. Use short sentences. Short paragraphs. Everyday English. Use some one word sentence paragraphs. Use some sub-heads that make your copy look interesting and easy to read.
    

I highly recommend getting this info from the horse's mouth. Gary's web site is fantastic. Informative. To the point. He's actually a pretty funny dude...

Thanks for the education Gary!
http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com