Ben Settle

Yesterday I said I’d send you 7 gifts over the next week.

Each “gift” being a way to market your business cheaply and effectively during ’09 and beyond.

Or, what I call “Tightwad Marketing Secrets”.

Here’s numero uno:

Now hold on a second there, partner.

If the mere thought of public speaking gives you the “heebie-jeebies”, I totally understand.

Apparently, more people are afraid of speaking than dying.

Yikes.

Whatever the case, it’s an extremely powerful (and dirt cheap) way to market.

And there are 3 reasons why you should at least **consider** it:

1. The Podium Effect

What’s the podium effect?

The podium effect is a phenomenon where people instantly and automatically respect, trust and believe people who talk at seminars or small workshops.

In other words… you can be a complete “nobody” in your market now but, the second you start speaking, you are suddenly the top dawg.

Almost anything you say is taken as “gospel.”

And (believe it or not) refunds of product you sell during your talk are practically non-existent.

Pretty cool, eh?

2. Instant Product Creation

This is another powerful benefit of speaking:

When you’re done, you got a product.

But, not just any old product.

This is a product with “built-in” proof and credibility.

A product with some TEETH.

It’s true.

When you sell a recorded talk, and you say in your ad copy, “This is a speech I gave at…” all the sudden it has some “oomph!”

It’s not a slapped-together eBook or MP3 made in the safety of some kid’s basement.

No, your product has some friggin’ sex appeal.

It’s different and sexy and unique.

Something everyone is looking for more of.

3. Nobody Else Is Doing It

Let’s face it:

Hardly anyone gives public talks.

Hey, I admit, I’ve yet to do it myself (it’s one of my ’09 goals.)

All of which means, if YOU give a talk… you can be 99% sure none of your competition is reaching your market the same way.

It’s like getting an exclusive full-page ad on page 1 of a high-selling publication.

You get all the prestige and positioning and selling power your “non-speaking” competition can only dream of hiding behind their computers.

And do you know what the real beauty of this is?

It doesn’t have to be hard.

You don’t have to speak in front of thousands of strangers.

You can do it at your local library or bookstore or anywhere comfortable for you.

It can even be as laid back as doing “Q&A” sitting on a stool.

That’s easy, isn’t it?

OK, so that’s Tightwad Marketing Secret #1: Public Speaking

It’s cheap (free in many cases).

And can bring you some truly eazy money.

You can learn more about public speaking in the interview I did with JP Maroney.

JP is a serial business builder, author and public speaker who routinely earns tens of thousands of dollars per speech using a unique method he’s developed over the past several years.

This is (by FAR) the most “underrated” interview on my site.

And in some ways the most valuable, too.

JP shows you things like: Tips for banishing your fear of public speaking… Selling on stage without coming off as a “salesman”… Creating products with your talks… Using public speaking to launch new products or services…

… and a whole lot more.

Anyway, you can grab it (it’s free) today at:

Ben Settle

Well, here we are — on the doorstep of 2009.

But before you open that door, I want to give some advice.

I know you did not ask for this advice.

And so, I certainly won’t be offended if you ignore it.

BUT… I highly encourage you to at least consider it.

Doing so can make you stick out head and shoulders from the crowd in ’09 — especially when the “band aids” on the economy peel off and reveal the gooey, puss-infected wounds underneath.

Anyway, here’s my advice:

Focus on getting customers instead buyers.

I first learned this in a short, $20 book called “The System Letters” by Ken McCarthy.

And it’s one of the single most important business lessons I have ever heard — that radically changed the way I do business.

Why?

What’s the big deal?

Well, think about it this way:

A BUYER is someone who buys ONE time.

He MIGHT buy again some day.

But usually, he buys one time and then moves on to the next bigger and better thing.

A CUSTOMER, on the other hand… makes it a “custom” to buy from you over and over and over.

So instead of a one-time sale, he buys from you multiple times — years into the future.

Plus, many of these extra sales are practically handed to you on a silver platter because of all the trust, and respect and loyalty they have for you.

I call it “selling in advance.”

And it’s by FAR the easiest and most reliable way to sell.

Because even if your sales pitch sucks or you break all the “rules” of copywriting, selling and marketing, it won’t matter.

They aren’t buying the “thing.”

They are buying YOU.

The mere fact YOU are offering it is good enough for them.

It’s the ultimate form of positioning.

And it lets even total “newbies” take market share quickly.

Anyway, I’m no prophet.

Heck, I’m not even a “Miss Cleo.”

But I stand behind this prediction for 2009 and beyond:

The few (and there aren’t many) marketers who go after “customers”… instead of “buyers”… will prosper BIG TIME.

They will have FAR more peace of mind and financial security as the economy explodes and most businesses start running around like be-headed chickens.

And when the dust settles, they’ll still be standing.

So here ya have it.

I’ll see ya in ’09.

Ben Settle

As a comic book geek, my “fanboy” hairs stood up with this news:

Zack Snyder — who directed the brilliant “300” and upcoming “Watchmen” movies — wants to direct the movie version of “The Dark Knight Returns”.

This story is about an older, out-of-shape Batman who comes out of retirement due to rising crime and violence.

It’s psychologically dark, “gritty” and unlike anything at the time.

In fact, it changed the entire comic book industry forever…

… and even saved “Batman” from cancellation.

(Bats wasn’t always as popular as he is today.)

What does this have to do with your copywriting?

This:

In one “scene”, Batman lugs an unconscious gang-banger to a building top — and holds him there face down, looking at the street.

And when the sociopathic killer regains consciousness, all he sees is blackness — as Batman’s hand covers his eyes.

After asking this killer a few questions (and getting nothing back but mindless drivel about his “rights”)…

… Batman removes one finger from the guy’s eyes at a time — until he sees where he’s at (hanging by a thread by Batman’s “weak arm”) and starts telling Batman what he wants to hear.

As Batman says:

“It was tough work carrying 220 pounds of sociopath to the top of Gotham Towers — the highest spot in the city. The scream alone is worth it.”

Anyway, what’s the point?

How in the world can this help you write better ads?

The answer is simple:

Ol’ Bats made the gang-banger an “offer he couldn’t refuse.”

In other words:

Batman would not drop sociopath from 300 feet in the air, if sociopath told Batman what he wanted to hear.

And guess what?

In a way, that’s EXACTLY what great ads do, too.

No… not with threat of violence, you silly.

But by making your offers so “in harmony” with what your customer wants… whether it be to eliminate a pain or gain something they desperately desire (or both)… he almost can’t HELP buying from you.

Even if he didn’t originally want the product you’re selling.

And even if your ad is poorly “written.”

Frankly, if you get your offer right, your customer has no choice but buy.

Which is why more sales are made NOT with brilliant writing…

… but with brilliant OFFERS.

What’s the moral of the story?

Put time — LOTS of time — into your offers.

In fact, if you’re going to swipe something, swipe the kind of dramatic, “ballsy” offers your loudmouth competition is scared to match.

It’s like having a 40 meter head-start in a 100 meter race.

And let’s you “win” without needing to be the best “copywriter.”

Ben Settle

P.S. You can learn 3 powerful ways of creating “can’t refuse” offers (that go WAY beyond lame-o 30 or 90 day guarantees) in chapter 32 of “The Copywriting Grab Bag”:

One of them in particular is especially good, that I learned while while writing ads for a martial arts guru a few years back.

You can get it at a special discount if you’re on the “VIP” notification list at the above link.

Got a funny swipe file story to share with you.

At least, I think it’s funny.

Some people reading this — especially anyone who mindlessly swipes online sales letters — probably won’t find it funny.

Anyway, here’s what happened:

Recently, a copywriter emailed me an ad he insisted I just “had to put in my swipe file” from some marketing dude (I’d never even heard of) who makes tens of zillions of dollars or whatever.

So, being a sucker for stuff like this, I immediately read it.

Holy shnikes this ad was amusing.

It was packed top to bottom with one over-hyped claim after another — complete with exclamation points and all-cap letters.

Paragraphs were interrupted by “speed bumps” — like empty, “Gee, I think you’re neat” testimonials and photo-shopped bank statements. (They looked fake, but what do I know?)

And there was no story, or logical flow of information, or even any respect for the reader.

It actually kinda hurt my head (and probably my IQ) to read it.

And yet, this is (I guess) considered “good copy.”

And what makes it “good copy” is (I guess) the fact the guy running it is a “guru” who’s supposedly rolls in the dough.

Listen, I’m not “guru bashing” here (whatever that means).

But there are people out there who really want — and NEED — to learn copywriting. People who don’t have a lot of time to mess around. People who are maybe a paycheck away from starving or who desperately want to become a full time copywriter.

And if that’s you, then here’s some advice:

Don’t be so quick to sip the swipe file “kool aid.”

Just because an ad “raked in a millyun dollars” (on the Internet) doesn’t mean you should swipe it.

In fact, 9 times out 10, not only would I NOT swipe most “million dollar” online sales letters…

… I’d ignore them, delete them and probably even BURN them.

The wrong ones could literally set you back years.

And, in many cases, their success has FAR more to do with being mailed to lists of people who will buy anything the marketer sells (some of these guys could put their grocery lists with an order button up and people’d buy from it), than the strength of the “copy.”

So what (or who) should you study, then?

Personally, I dig the copywriting masters.

Like Claude Hopkins, John Caples, Gary Bencivenga, Gary Halbert, David Deutsch, Doug D’Anna, Jim Rutz… and anyone whose copy competes (and wins) against other extremely talented copywriters head-to-head.

It’s easy to spot ads from these copywriters.

They have a certain eloquence, charm and “depth” to them.

There are no dorky sales tricks or “mind control tactics.”

And they talk to you intelligently — like you’re a rational thinking person — instead of like they think you belong on the “short bus” to school.

But hey… don’t take my word for it.

Check ’em out for yourself.

Last year I compiled a ton of ads like this (and websites where you can find them) in a swipe file report at:

You won’t find many Internet sales letters in there.

But you will find ads from some truly great copywriters.

The kind of stuff (IMHO) you SHOULD study.

Check it out today, it’s free.

Ben Settle

Been getting a LOT of emails from people asking more or less the same question about my opinion of sales letters used in recent product launches. So I should definitely clarify something:

I think some of them are actually extremely good. (For example, unlike a lot of copywriters, I actually liked the Traffic Secrets 2.0 letter). And I know of some that were originally good, but then mangled by some committee (happened to a copywriter friend of mine last year, very frustrating). The point is not what “not” to study, but what “to” study.

And if you can’t tell the difference, you should probably just stick with studying the “tried and true” copywriting masters until you can tell the difference.

It’ll save you a lot of time, and keep you out of a lot of trouble.

Since it’s Christmas Eve, I want to tell you about a present.

A present that can make a HUGE impact on your business next year.

You can grab it now at:

This is an extremely valuable video Terry Dean made about the internal workings of his business.

In fact, there is so much pure content and “for real” useful information in this video, it makes most of the other guru “free content” out there look almost silly.

I hope you get at LEAST as much out of it as I did.

Have a great Christmas, my friend, and I’ll see ya soon.

Ben Settle

P.S. One thing you will notice in Terry’s video is his emphasis on using email — how that’s where the real “gold” is online.

And if you want to learn his unique way of using email, I HIGHLY recommend his “Email Mastery” course:

If you buy from this link, send me your receipt and I’ll give you an exclusive interview I did with Jay White (the “go to” email copywriter for guys like Alex Mandossian, Stephen Pierce, Rich Schefren and Jeff Walker) about email copywriting that is part of my “Affiliate Trump Card” system.

Ever watch that movie “Bonnie & Clyde”?

Pretty gruesome movie.

Especially the end — when ol’ B&C get sprayed with bullets.

And while it may be gruesome…

… it’s a perfect “metaphor” for copywriting.

Because, you see, many of the best ads are almost ALL bullets.

They “spray” their customers with lots and lots and lots of bullets — bam! bam! bam! — one irresistible benefit and unique “twist” after another…

… until — sweet Moses! — they GOTTA have the “thing” sold.

This is why I consider bullets to be numero uno.

More important than your body copy.

More important than your leads and hooks.

And even more important than the all-sacred headline.

Blasphemy, you say?

Well, think about it:

What is your headline and subheads and leads and guarantee copy and PS’s other than your best bullets?

Maybe not in “bullet” form…

… but the super-dramatic tension and drama and power is there.

And you can easily “shape” them into whatever you want.

So bullets are big time important.

And some extremely expensive products have sold on the power of just one, itty-bitty bullet point.

But here’s the thing:

Most people simply don’t know how to write a decent bullet.

In fact, most bullets you see (especially online) are limp and lifeless.

There’s no “energy” in them.

No drama.

No twisting or turning or tension.

As Ken McCarthy (the best bullet point teacher I’ve ever seen) told me when I interviewed him for my Copywriting Grab Bag book — most bullets are not really bullets.

They’re more life wuffle balls — easily avoided & ignored.

And it’s the few people who know how to write bullets — and really understand how they work — that seem to have the least amount of problem writing ads.

It comes so easily and naturally once you get bullets down.

Bottom line?

Nobody spends enough time on their bullets.

Which means, if YOU spend a lot of time on YOUR bullets, and really work on getting them right, you will give yourself a gigantic advantage over your competition.

Simple?

Oh yeah.

And that’s the beauty of it.

Ben Settle

P.S. One of the unique bonuses I give away when you buy John Angel’s swipe file course from my affiliate link at www.SwipefileSecrets.com

is a cool bullet point “cheat sheet.”

Just take these bullet point “templates”, insert your own claims and ideas, and — BAM! instant bullets ready to fire away.

But you can ONLY get this cheat sheet when you buy John’s swipe file course from my affiliate link at:

And then email me your receipt at: ben [at] bensettle.com.

(Also, when you go to the order page, make sure you see my affiliate name “vantagenet” at the bottom. Otherwise you won’t get credit for buying it and I can’t send you the bullet point cheat sheet.)

P.P.S. And speaking of bullet points…

I’ve been kicking around doing a tele-seminar about bullets.

Is that something you’d be interested in?

If there’s enough interest, I’ll do one in early ’09.

Let me know, k?

A while back, I wrote a strange blog post about Twitter.

It listed 10 “tweets” I wrote that generated more feedback, direct messages and emails than the others.

I actually wrote the post for my own amusement, and didn’t think anyone would think anything of it either way.

Well, I was wrong.

Because soon after, I got an email from a UK social marketing consultant named Glen Crosier.

Glen wanted to interview me about why those tweets were more popular than the others.

The result was a 34 minute interview analyzing all 10 of those tweets — one at a time — and the “psychology” behind them.

However, before you listen, take the info with a grain of salt.

I am NOT a twitter expert by any means.

In fact, I don’t think I can trace any moolah from Twitter.

But I have had a lot of fun with it.

And if a guy like Glen found value in it, then maybe you will, too.

Whatever the case, here ya go:

www.facebook.com/people/Glen-Crosier/1364781200
www.twitter.com/glencrosier

Saturday’s email about 24’s copywriting secrets struck a small nerve.

Been getting emails from lots of 24 fans (yep, the Tony Almada thing shocked me, too)…

… as well as from people saying how dumb I am for wasting my time watching the “boob tube” at all.

In fact, some people are all but telling me my TV is the devil, and if I unplugged it, threw it out the window and got back to work, I’d make much more moolah.

Well, I ain’t so sure about that.

I agree TV can be a vicious “IQ killer.”

I agree watching a bunch of TV’ll dull your brain.

And I agree a LOT of TV has become a moral swamp.

What I DON’T agree with is not watching TV at all.

In fact, I think people who take this “TV is the devil” attitude are shooting themselves in the pinkie toe.

Why?

Well, for one thing, there’s a LOT of idea “fodder” on TV.

I’ve batted out some of my best ideas for headlines, sales letter themes and specific ways of describing things after watching shows like 24, Prison Break, Smallville, Supernatural, Lost, etc.

Something happens when watching certain shows that keep you engaged that lets your subconscious “slip” you ideas.

Eugene Schwartz talked about this in his famous Rodale speech.

How your conscious mind can only hold a few memory “bytes”…

… and the billions of other “bytes” in your subconscious (which constantly soaks up information through your 5 senses) will give you all kinds of inspiration and ideas and solutions if you let it.

This happens to me a LOT when watching certain shows.

And I highly enjoy having marathon weekends watching this stuff.

Usually I end up with a whole arsenal of fresh new ideas for my ads, sales letters, newsletters, products and anything else I’m working on.

I also get a sense of what words, phrases, and ideas people are using so I can harness them for my stuff.

Look, I’m not saying to glue yourself to the TV 24/7.

That would be a nuts-o thing to do.

All I’m saying is use the idiot-box as a “power tool” for writing better copy.

It’s no different than the Internet (an even BIGGER wasteland than the boob tube), reading popular magazines or going to blockbuster movies.

These things let you see what ideas people are responding to.

And if you know how to use them… you’ll get almost unlimited ideas for your ads.

Ben Settle

P.S. If you find this subject interesting, then be sure to check out “The Copywriting Grab Bag” when it’s released. Chapter 2 covers another way of getting almost unlimited ideas for your projects that’s actually more entertaining and fun than watching movies or TV.

A way I actually used an hour ago to write this email.

To be notified when it’s ready, go to:

Do you ever watch the TV show 24?

I LOVE “24.”

In my humble opinion, it is by FAR one of the best TV shows ever made.

Not only because of its endless entertainment value…

… but also (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?) because of its many sales letter lessons.

In fact, you can use 24 as a great copywriting model for most any product.

And there are at least three reasons why:

1. 24 Is NEVER Boring

Whether you love it or hate it… it’s never boring.

Maybe it’s the “real time” structure of the show with the constantly ticking clock.

Or maybe it’s the intense “no escape” situations Jack Bauer is constantly placed in.

Whatever the case… 24 is anything but dull.

Same goes for really good ads.

They never bore you or make you want to “turn the channel.”

This is so important, I have an entire chapter about this in my “Copywriting Grab Bag” book.

It goes into detail about how the late (brilliant) copywriter Eugene Schwartz watched a particular 1980’s action movie over and over — with a stopwatch.

Very cool stuff.

And, according to Gene, the most powerful sales “secret” he used.

2. 24 Doesn’t Try To Please Everyone

This becomes obvious after just one episode.

For example…

… if you’re one of these weenies who freaks out whenever our police refuse to coddle bloodthirsty criminals or when prison wardens “deprive” inmates of cable TV and high-speed Internet access…

… then you’re probably NOT going to like watching Jack Bauer “get medieval” on those he needs to extract information from.

Heck, torture is like second nature to Jack.

Which tends to turn OFF as many people as it turns ON.

Again, that’s what many good sales letters do.

They turn off people they are NOT trying to sell…

… at least as hard (if not harder) as they turn on people they ARE trying to sell.

3. 24 Is Unpredictable

24 is nothing if not packed with twists and turns.

The writers have no problem killing of main characters out of the blue, blowing up cities or doing whatever they need to keep you on your toes.

And let’s face it:

Predictable is boring.

Unpredictable is fun and engaging — and even entertaining.

All of which keeps people glued to your ads.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen 24, I highly recommend it.

Your bank account will thank you for it.

Ben Settle

P.S. If you want to start using TV shows and movies like 24 to dramatically ratchet up your sales letter response, then check out chapter 3 of “The Copywriting Grab Bag” at: