Ben Settle

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:

This may sound dorky…

… but one of my favorite ways to “unwind” is watching old cartoons on YouTube.

And recently I came across one of my childhood favorites — “Commander McBragg.”

I get such a kick out of this dude.

His show starts with an image of a revolving globe and the title “The World of Commander McBragg.” And each time, the Commander is hanging in his gentleman’s club with a friend (who always tries to make an excuse to leave), points to a country on the globe with his pipe, and says something like:

… and then tells some cockamamie story about busting the Chicago mafia or becoming the all-time rodeo champion, or bringing down 5 enemy planes single handed in the War, etc.

You can actually learn a LOT about story-telling from The Commander.

But at the same time, he’s also an example of how NOT to sell.

In fact, he reminds me of some of the ads submitted for my recent “Mob Critique.”

Nothing but brag brag brag brag brag.

“Me! Me! Me!”

“I’m like a little money-making god!”

I won’t say this never works.

But I learned this the hard way a few years ago when one of the world’s highest-paid copywriters gave me an ad critique.

It was written in the product creator’s “voice” and started out talking about all the money he had, his boats, his cars, all the golf he plays, etc etc etc.

The copywriter read a few lines, and threw it back to me:

He was soooo right, too.

I was basically “Copywriter McBragg” — pointing at a photo of all my client’s cars and toys and money saying:

Dumb.

Anyway, since then I now do regular “brag checks” on my ads.

And I highly suggest you do, too.

Just ask:

Is this ad talking about solving someone’s problem?

Or is it just yammering on about how wonderful I am?

You might be surprised how much difference this makes.

Ben Settle

P.S. By the way…

If you want to learn more about selling without resorting to empty bragging, check out my “Copywriting Grab Bag” book.

It covers over 122 ways to write powerful, “blockbuster” sales letters without bragging or sounding like an arrogant, chest-pounding jerk.

You can jump on the notification list for when it’s ready at:

Do you remember waaaay back in August, when I told you I’d be interviewing a professional direct response copywriting design expert?

And that, if you submitted your questions, I’d ask them on your behalf?

And that, not only would I ask your questions, but I’d also plug your URL on the interview to boot?

Well, it’s finally up and ready.

Believe me, you do NOT want to miss this interview, either.

Anyone who tells you design doesn’t matter is out of their ever flippin’ mind.

I’ve seen changing design alone significantly increase response.

And I’ve heard the same stories from other copywriters, too — including the “grand puba” of copywriting Gary Bencivenga (if you have his Seminar DVD’s you know of what I speaketh.)

In fact, here’s something to test:

In addition to testing your headlines, offers, opening paragraphs, etc — try radically changing your ad’s design and see what happens.

Anyway, you can grab this powerful direct response copywriting design interview now at:

Want to have your product plugged to potentially tens of thousands of new customers?

Or have a TV celebrity make a video for your site, telling people how wonderful you are?

Or get “V.I.P” treatment from marketing and business leaders you have never even met before?

Then you’re gonna love the new interview I just added.

It’s all about setting up profitable joint ventures with the celebrities and “movers and shakers” in your niche — even if you have zero contacts now, or are a complete business “newbie” fresh off the boat.

You can grab this fascinating joint venture interview now at:

Ben

Do you “PEE” on your sales letters?

If not, I HIGHLY suggest you start.

Not only will it make your sales letters stick out like a sore thumb from your competition…

… but it will make them far more profitable, too.

And before you even ask:

This is NOT a joke.

I am NOT trying to gross you out.

And I am NOT just saying this for “shock value.”

You see, “PEE” is an acronym for 3 extremely important functions you should strive to include in your sales letters.

These 3 functions are:

1. Persuade

Every great sales letter since the dawn of advertising history has persuaded someone to do something.

Whether it be to buy a product, send for a free report or simply opt-in to a squeeze page.

Whatever your ad does, it must first and foremost persuade someone to do something.

2. Engage

Want to know what makes the truly great copywriters stand out?

It’s their ability to engage their reader.

Luckily, there are a multitude of ways to do this.

Like developing cool hooks, making outrageous predictions, cooking up dramatic offers, or even saying something so downright bizarre it can’t be ignored.

The point is to engage your reader in every page, paragraph, sentence and word.

The more you do this, the more your sales letters will be read.

And the more your sales letters are read, the more money you make.

3. Entertain

This one is a bit “iffy.”

Because, technically speaking, not every hot selling ad has entertainment value.

Plus, if you do this wrong, it’ll likely backfire on you.

But if you can entertain your readers, you will not only bond with them, you will also make yourself more “liked.”

And the more people like you, the more they TRUST you.

And the more people trust you, the more likely they are to BUY from you.

Anyway, there you have it.

Persuade, engage, entertain.

Include these 3 functions in your sales letters, and you almost can’t lose.

Ben

P.S. I was inspired to write this while studying the sales letter for Gary Halbert’s “Boron Letters” book.

You can read one version of this sales letter at:

See if you can’t spot the “PEE” components in it.

Just finished an extremely cool interview with SEO copywriting & marketing experts Ferny Ceballos and Raymond Fong.

Ferny and Ray are former aerospace engineers turned Internet marketers who have conducted hundreds of scientific SEO tests for theirs and their clients’ websites.

During those tests, they’ve learned dozens of simple, “user-friendly” ways to get ranked in Google and other search engines fast — and usually with just a few “cosmetic” changes to your website.

Anyway, you can grab this fascinating SEO copywriting & marketing interview now at:

Ben

If you missed the last “copywriting secrets” episode of Markus Allen’s “Stump Markus” radio show I guest hosted with CopywritingBoard.com owner Bruce Wedding, you can access it here:

Most of the heavy copywriting info is about half way through the show.

And the Internet marketing tips that precede it are worth their weight in gold.

Ben

… at least for me it is.

But only for about 90 minutes.

What am I talking about?

On Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day here in the ‘States) at 9:00 a.m. pacific (10 mountain, 11 central, 12 eastern) I’ll be a guest on Markus Allen’s “Stump Markus” radio show along with copywriter Bruce Wedding.

We’re gonna rap about copywriting, copywriting and more copywriting.

In fact, I think we may even be taking real calls from real people about real problems with real copywriting projects — all on the phone, in real time.

Should be “real.” 😉

Anyway, you can grab the details at:

Ben

NOTE: The article below is by Ryan Healy, who is not only a good friend, but also happens to be one of my favorite copywriters to study and talk with. Let us know what you think in the “comments” section below…

Every time I critique an ad or sales letter, I see some of the same “amateur” mistakes repeated over and over again.

Heck, I used to make these same mistakes myself… even though I knew better!

You see, once you’re in the zone — and you sink into a deep writing trance — it’s easy to make these mistakes.

In fact, it’s actually good to make mistakes when you’re writing. That’s because you should “turn off” the critical side of your brain and just let the words flow.

The problem arises when you don’t go back to critique your ad and correct mistakes later.

With that in mind, let me share three amateur copywriting mistakes to look for in your own ads and sales letters.

Amateur Copywriting Mistake #1: Writing to a Crowd

When you’re selling a product through an ad, always write to an audience of one. This is hard at first because it’s easy to imagine “all the people” who will be reading your copy.

Resist this urge.

It’s me and you; not me and them.

When you re-read your ad, look for phrases like “you all”; “some of you”; “many of you”; etc.

These phrases imply you are talking to a large audience. Let me give you an example:

“Writing sales copy is not the easiest thing in the world. Many of you know what I’m talking about.”

See that phrase, “Many of you”? It shouldn’t be there.

So how do you “write around” this issue so that you’re only writing to one person? You can use what I call “assumptive writing.” Here’s what it looks like:

“If you’ve ever tried to write an ad, then you know how draining it can be.”

Here I’m still talking to one person. And I use an “if/then” statement to address my reader directly without making a false assumption. If my reader hasn’t written an ad, the word “if” will get him to imagine writing an ad… and then imagine how hard it is.

Another technique: Imagine writing a letter to your best friend. Visualize him or her in your mind’s eye. This will keep you from using awkward “crowd phrases” like “you all.”

Amateur Copywriting Mistake #2: Educating Your Prospect

It’s natural to want to educate your prospect into wanting your product or service. But let me tell you: It’s also a recipe for financial disaster.

You will never have enough money to educate people into buying from you. If the demand doesn’t already exist, you won’t be able to educate enough people to create that demand.

As you critique your copy, the question to ask yourself is: “Am I teaching or selling here?”

If you’re explaining why your prospect needs your product or service, you’re probably educating. And you need to change that copy or delete it altogether.

If you’re explaining the benefits of your product and how it will save your prospect time, money, etc, then you’re probably selling. And that’s a good thing!

Always remember: The purpose of your ad is to tap into the demand that already exists — not to create demand.

Amateur Copywriting Mistake #3: Not Telling Your Full Sales Message

When you’re writing an ad, it’s important that you deliver your complete sales message. Don’t hold back.

The common fear is that Mr. Prospect “will never read that much.”

Well, I’ve got news for you. If you’re interested in a subject — really interested — don’t you read everything you can get your hands on?

If you’re interested in copywriting, do you read only one copywriting blog? One copywriting book?

Of course not!

You buy two, three, four, even 10 books. You read dozens of blogs. And so forth.

The same is true for your prospect.

Two days ago, John left a comment on my blog saying as much: “When I get into a subject, I can easily buy 5 to 10 books if my interest persists.”

Somebody who buys 5-10 books on a single subject is not somebody who will shy away from reading a 10-page report or sales letter.

That’s why it’s so important that you tell your complete sales message.

I’ve sometimes purchased a product because of a single bullet point. And I bet you have to.

What if that bullet point had been cut in the interest of saving space or making the ad easier to read?

The advertiser would have lost the sale.

So: If you’re holding back, don’t. Make sure you say everything that needs to be said about your product or service.

How to Critique an Ad

These are not the only mistakes I see. They just happen to be three of the most common ones. But there are dozens more.

That’s why I’ve created the “Conversion Booster Check List.” It’s a two-page document that lists all the questions you should ask yourself as you critique your copy.

You can get this check list FREE when you vist my business growth blog. I hope to see you there!

My Best,

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. One of my most popular copywriting articles on my blog is Do Questions Work as Headlines? Check it out when you have a minute.