Thank you sooooo much for giving me the reminder of stop trying to educate the clients in your salesletter.

The Gene Schwartz “tap into a demand that already exists” core principle was something I didn’t keep in my mind while writing the last letter I wrote.

I’m going to go back now and torch all the parts where I was educating my prospects about why they needed what I have to offer.

I think it was Socrates who said “Learning is remembering.”

This is what is so valuable about blogs like yours and Ben’s. Those subtle little reminders that keep your marketing mind sharp.

Like the legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said… “If I am through learning, I am through.

I look forward to more reminders in the future.

Thank you Ryan

Note Taking Nerd Numba 2
http://www.mynotetakingnerd.wordpress.com

Thanks for your courteous response. It’s probably just me then. I have an emotional response to that word. Always have and never understood why people just can’t say “hell.”

Sure, heck is nicer. Sure it’s polite. But hell, I wish more people would curse. In context of course.

Thanks for the reply,
Edward

P.S. Cursing isn’t necessarily a cop-out. It’s a viable form of communication that gets the point across quickly. Plus, it’s VERY emotional – something every copywriter tries to tap. Just ask Kern.

It might sound weird, but I don’t curse. I used to work in a snowboard shop and my co-workers cursed like sailors; I didn’t.

Sometimes a curse word or two can enhance copy. But in general I feel like curse words are a cop-out — they’re words you use when you’re too lazy to be accurate.

Plus, cursing isn’t part of me. It’s just not who I am.

In this case, I used “heck” more of a transition than anything else. Almost like, “Hey, I used to make these mistakes…”

Still, maybe the article would be better without the word “heck” thrown in there. Thanks for the feedback, Edward. I really do appreciate it.

Ryan

I come from Chicago originally — hardly a southern state controlled by Christian conservatives — and “heck” is used all the time.

Ironically, you’re committing the exact same mistake you think I am:

Dismissing something simply because you don’t use the word.

Ben

P.S. By the way… Gary Halbert (since you brought him up) used “heck” in his newsletters — even while he lived in California. So does John Carlton (who is from California originally, as far as I know) on his blog.

There’s a reason why top copywriters use that “good old boy” language…

Are you really being serious? Halbert cursed a lot. It made him real. Maybe not likeable, but real. You got the sense that you were reading someone who was genuine.

When I hear or read the word “heck” my BS detector goes up and I wonder, does this guy really speak like that?

Perhaps I’m being too nitpicky, but that’s my honest opinion when someone uses this word. Why not just say “hell” or completely avoid using “heck” completely? At least then I’d feel like I’m speaking to someone real.

P.S. If I feel this way, I can guarantee you others do as well. Further, don’t dismiss this simply because YOU use the word. Most people don’t. Unless they live in the Southern states and even there they probably use the word hell.

It all depends on who you’re talking to.

Fact is, most people don’t tend to get hung up on one word.

Frankly, if you ever get a chance to see some reading studies, you’ll see most people don’t even consciously read every word when reading copy. That’s why you can have misspellings and verbal gaffes that’d make even Joe Biden look intelligent and still make a ton of moo-lah.

Personally, “heck” doesn’t bother me at all.

Doesn’t bother anyone else I know, either.

However, if I were writing to a market full of people who think people who use “heck” are amateurs, I’d definitely not use it, either.

It’s all about the market, and not everyone lives in California and New York

Plus, since I use the word “heck” a lot (it’s nicer than saying “hell” all the time), I suspect Ryan probably figured it’d be okay, too.

Ben

I’m aware of both of you and know your reputations in the copywriting field. This comment is addresed to Ryan. I began reading this blog post and stopped when I got to the word “heck.”

Why? Because I can’t think of a single person who uses that word in common spoken English. In fact, I hate it when that word is used because is signals someone trying to be coy with me.

Now, I’m not from the South so I don’t know if people actually use that word in normal conversation, but being from California, the first thing I’d do if someone used “heck” in a conversation would be to assume he/she were either stupid or a conservative christian.

You might not agree with me publicly here in this forum, but think about it. Do you really use “heck” in your conversations?

P.S. Maybe one of you (preferable Ben) will write an article and address this because I can guarantee you the use of this word isn’t building rapport. Instead, it’s making the writer look like an amateur.