“Ben why are you so anti swipe file? All the great copywriters I’ve read use thm you don’t use them??”
First things last:
I’m not “anti swipe file.”
But, the way a lot of people apply “swiping” online is far more akin to plagiarizing than swiping.
That said…
Swipe files have their place.
But, it’s foolish to cling to swipes instead of thinking.
Case in point:
Right now I’m working on a prostate supplement ad. And, I’ve got all kinds of prostate supplement (and other related supplement) ads laid out in front of me I’m reading to see how they approach certain claims, ideas, closes, offers, keep from running afoul of FTC laws, yada yada yada.
And guess what?
These ads are mostly using the exact same claims.
The exact same benefits.
(More or less.)
And, the exact same appeals and offers.
(“It works or your money back” yaaaaaaawn.)
Some of this stuff is mucho helpful.
But, most of it is being ignored.
Why?
Because I’m FAR more concerned about what the *market* thinks, rather than what other copywriters who are clearly all swiping each other think. The result I’m seeing are ads that look like carbon copies of each other… with each copy getting weaker and less impactful. It’s like in my “Zombie Cop” novel where when a zombie bites someone, the new zombie is weaker and easier to kill than the one who bit him/her. And, when that second tier zombie bites someone, that one he bites is weaker, and when that one bites someone that one is even weaker than the one who bit it, etc.
My point?
Most of my “swiping” comes from the market.
Not from other copywriters.
Anyway, so that’s that.
Go thou here next:
Ben Settle
