Pick the winning headline inside — if you dare
Published: Sun, 02/09/20
1. "How To Get Rich Slowly"
2. "Can India Stop China"
3. "5687 Ira Road, Bath, Ohio 44210"
The advertising critics would say:
"These all suck! There's no benefit!
Who wants to get rich slowly?
Who cares if India stops China!
A mailing address as a headline?
Are you friggin kidding me, Ben???"
And — as usual — the advertising critics would be wrong.
Here's why:
The first headline was written by Gary Bencivenga — universally acknowledged by many as the world's greatest living copywriter. And, from what I heard, he had to push to get the client to run it. “Gary, who wants to get rich slow???” But, when it ran, I hear tell it pulled incredibly high numbers of sales — far more than anyone would have thought, and ran for a long time.
Ditto for the second headline.
It was for a control written by Doug D'Anna.
(One of the top direct mail copywriters on the planet.)
And the third one?
Just a mailing address?
Well, I don't know if that was really the "headline" because, you see, there was no real headline. Just a return address at the top right corner. But, it was one of the "most mailed" sales letters in human history written by the late, great Gary Halbert. Yes, it's true, Chuckles… One of the most mailed sales letters in history lacked a "killer" headline. Or, even a headline at all. BTW, some say the famous Wall Street Journal control ad mailed to more people, but it just so happens that letter lacked a headline, too, other than the letterhead at the top...
Anyway, what's the point?
Where's this coming from?
Why bring this up?
Because it reminds me of the very first conversation I ever done had with the great Ken McCarthy some 15 years ago. He wanted to hire me to write an ad, and we started talking about how isn’t it funny how the best copywriters, at the top of their game, very often don’t write ads with screaming 50+ word headlines, packed with over the top benefits, making giant promises, and trying to bowl people over with sheer force of will and power.
Instead, it’s more like a fascinating conversation between two people.
Yes, there is drama.
And excitement.
And passion.
But, if anything, these top tier boys and ghouls who write ads that launch entire industries and bring their clients multiple tens of millions of dollars in revenue tend to tone things down.
For example:
Once upon a time, the great A-list copywriter Clayton Makepeace interviewed the aforementioned great Gary Bencivenga. And they got to talking about using big, bold, promises in headlines. And Gary talked about a famous ad that ran for years his mentor (Dan Roshenthal) wrote with the headline:
"Why The Price Of Silver May Rise Steeply"
Not exactly a screaming or powerful headline is it?
After all, ”may rise" doesn't sound nearly as strong or bold as “will rise.”
That's what Gary thought, too, at the time.
And so, they tested Gary’s “Why The Price Of Silver Will Rise Steeply” versus Mr. Roshenthal’s ”Why The Price Of Silver May Rise Steeply."
The result?
"May Rise Steeply" out-pulled "Will Rise Steeply" by 200%!
The point of all this?
Because depending on what books you read, who you listen to, and where you get your information about copywriting (HINT: If you get it on social media - with rare exception - you are doing your studying in the wrong library, Chuckles), you might never seen copywriting told from this perspective.
Which brings me to the punchline:
Ken McCarthy’s “Advanced Copywriting For Serious Info Marketers” course.
For one thing, it has the Silver ad above inside the workbook.
And for another, it teaches this kind of mindset about writing copy used by the men and women with brains (as the late David Ogilvy referred to the kind of talent he was looking for in his agency’s own classified ads when recruiting copywriters) that you aren’t hearing on Flakebook or whatever turd the little copywriting fanboy flies are all congregating on these days.
You just don’t see this sort of thing talked about very often.
And, certainly not in the way Ken teaches.
Anyway, my opinion.
If you want to get your hot little hands on this course — which goes way beyond just teaching “copywriting”, and shows how to use copy to structure an entire info businesses from scratch — you only have a little bit of time before the evil deadline tonight, Sunday 2/9 at midnight EST. Plus, if you use my affiliate link and send me your receipt & shipping address by that deadline (not after — to be clear, you must send it to me, not just buy the course, BEFORE the deadline tonight), I will send you a copy of:
“Crypto Marketing Secrets”
This is the entire 30-issue run of my old “Crypto Marketing Newsletter” in a book.
This print newsletter ran from early 2010 through mid 2012.
It is also not for sale anywhere else, and less than a few hundred people — give or take — on the planet even possess it at all.
NOTE:
This is a *physical* book that will be sent by mail at my expense.
Retail value: $810.00 (30-issue run, each issue costed $27)
It’s yours when you buy Ken’s copywriting course via my affiliate link during the sale here:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com/secret-course
Ben Settle
P.S. A word of warning to the new product junkies, marketing hobbyists, and opportunity seekers chasing after “hacks” or whatever bright shiny object horse shyt they think will make them a fortune:
This course is not sexy or “cool.”
It’s purely fundamentals mixed with decades of info marketing experience combined with sound, principled thought & the rules of human psychology.
That’s why I call it “meat & potatoes.”
Learning from this man, from this course (as I went through it some 15 times to write the sales letter for it) was by far the best education I ever got on the mechanics of writing sales copy.
If you’re a newbie, this is the kind of info I highly recommend.
If you’re a veteran, I believe you’ll still pick a lot of gems up.
Even seasoned A-list copywriters like, for example, the great David Deutsch, and other world-class “name” marketers like Perry Marshall (who rarely gives a testimonial to copywriting products, from what I can see) have given this course testimonials about this over the years.
The point?
If you want "ninja" go to another lame internet marketing seminar or be a bar fly in yet another copywriting facebook group. They'll fill your head with all kinds of nonsensical short term tactics that sound cool and sexy, but don't work long term, or for anyone but the person teaching them.
If you want to write ads that make lots of sales, I recommend (biased though I am) this course.
Here’s my affiliate link:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com/secret-course