Tag Archives: mindset

Email copy – Good… or not?

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Well, the other day I posted a thread here with a direct response copywriting exercise.
 
I was trying to add some hands on education to this site. And I did get a couple private emails asking for more posts like these.
 

But, other than that… nothing more than crickets chirping… and tumbleweeds rolling.

 
So, I’m thinking that maybe not too many people here are interested in exercising their sales copy skills?

 
But, I’ve never been one to “take the hint” (at least not on the first go around)
 
So let’s try again (one more time)… shall we?
 

This is an email I got from Netflix a couple days ago…
 
I won’t break it down with any critique this time. I’ll just let you look at it, and soak it all in…
 
So what do you think of it?
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A little activity to exercise your sales copy chops

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Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Copywriter (and all the ships at sea)

Here’s a little game to help you new writers (and experienced writers as well) exercise your sales copy brains.
 

I don’t remember when I first picked up the lesson? But one of my writing coaches taught it to me years ago. And every once in a while it’s something I still do (when I have the time)
 

Basically we take a winning sales letter and dissect it. To see what makes it work.

Today we’re looking at a direct mail piece I got, from a local insurance guy.
 

No, I didn’t write it. And I’m not affiliated with the guy in any way.
 
But I’ve gotten this same letter every couple months, for more than a year now. Which leads me to believe it’s a responsive control piece.
 
(for the new writers here, a “control piece” basically means it’s getting a good enough response rate, to make it worth mailing, over and over again)

 
I blocked out the contact info, just for privacy sake. But the rest of the letter is intact.
 

Anyway, here it is…
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So, what business books are you reading right now?

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That was the question I asked this young buck the other day, when he asked me how he could make more money with his online business.

Of course, I could’ve gone through the standard list of normal questions, like – who’s your target market…? what are you selling…? what is your market buying (which is often not the same thing that you think you’re selling)? How are you currently advertising…? what is and isn’t working, so far? etc. etc. etc.

 
But I didn’t take the “normal” route for two reasons…

 
1 – I didn’t have the time for an in depth interview with this guy. And…
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Are you too old to start a successful business

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So, there I was just cruising a couple of the forums I sometimes visit, and I started noticing a pattern of questions popping up. (yeah, I often look for patterns in life. And when you look for something, you’ll often find it)

The one that finally got me to stop, was from a 28 year old asking if he was too old to start over in life?

 

He went on to explain how he’d never really found his passion, and after college he’d gone right to work in an office. He finished off by saying, “I’d like to start my own business, but I’m doing what I was trained for, and I’m not a young kid anymore. Is this all there is to life? ”

Well, this one stopped me in my tracks, and I just had to answer the call.

Without repeating the entire answer I gave this kid ( I’m 53 years old as I write this post, so yes, a 28 year old is a “kid” to me) Here’s the highlights of what I told him…

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The A to Z Method of Eliminating Writers Block

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Greetings, young writers… (old writers… wannabe writers… and all the ships at sea)

Here’s another good writing exercise for you.

This one was introduced to me by a friend, and fellow writer, on one of the forums I sometimes hang out at.

BIG SHOUT OUT TO “FRED” over at the WF !!!  (you know who you are… yeah!)

 

Anyway, It’s a pretty creative idea that could save you from the dreaded “WHITE PAGE OF DEATH !!!” (also known as writers block)

 

Whenever I find an opportunity to bring you something that could improve your writing, I want to share it with you. So I decided to write this quick post, explaining this great little exercise. (are you getting excited yet…? I know I am.)

 

Now personally, I think this method is pretty fantastic. But it won’t instantly make the words appear, all by themselves. And you probably won’t jump up and down shouting “Hallelujah! I have the answer, at last!”

But, it’s still a pretty incredible way to give that evil nemesis “writers block” the old “1…2…knockout punch” it so rightly deserves.

 

So, if your ready to learn it… Here’s the magical formula…

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