How to write copy that bends people to your evil will
Published: Wed, 11/18/20
i.e., “The Kimpire”
In this part she talks about how to write copy for products & markets you know absolutely nothing about, solving problems you will never experience yourself (i.e., such as a woman writing about prostate problems or a man writing about childbirth) & the differences between writing sales copy for web or print.
Here goes…
elBENBO: What’s the story behind how you are able to write promos that remain controls for 8 to 10 years or longer, against the most talented copywriters on the planet?
THE KIMPIRE: I feel like research and “digging out the copywriting gold” is a big reason behind my success. I’m very analytical, comfortable with numbers (I have a math and stats degree), so I’m not intimidated by full-text scientific studies. I can interpret numbers and statistics and bend them to my “will”, so to speak, to make accurate and dramatic claims.
For example, I've had a highly successful control for the past 3 years for a supplement called CircO2. It's used to boost nitric oxide in the body, which has multiple health benefits. This past Spring my client wanted to test a new email to drive traffic to my sales page control with an immunity angle.
After combing through some studies, I found this somewhat perplexing "nugget" that I thought had potential: "Treatment with 100 μM SNAP resulted in a 2-log reduction in the yield of progeny virus". In order to figure out what that meant in "English", I searched for the definition of "2-log reduction".
According to "Professor Google", it turns out a "2-log reduction means the number of germs is 100 times smaller". Voila! I had my big claim. I was then able to say this in the email copy:
"A slew of studies now suggests this Nobel Prize-winning molecule can work wonders to fend off viruses and other dangerous invaders. In one study, it reduced the number of cells invaded by viruses by 100 times."
Coming up with this powerful claim really didn't involve any advanced math...just some dogged persistence. Had I just stopped at looking at the full-text study and not taken the second step of finding out what "2-log reduction" actually meant, I would have completely missed out on being able to make that dramatic claim.
By the way, that one email increased revenue generated by the sales page by a whopping 33% in its initial testing. That's pretty huge when you consider it's the only variable that changed...the sales page remained the same, and it was already a high-revenue-generating sales page.
I don't just look at studies. I also do a lot of research into the biggest frustrations, pain points, hopes, and desires of my target prospect. As a result, I’ve been able to write successful promotions for things like prostate supplements (even though I don’t have a prostate) or for other health problems like arthritis or high blood pressure or diabetes that I don’t personally experience.
A few years back I was hired to write a promo for a sinus supplement called “My Sinus Miracle”. I’ve never had sinus problems, so I really dug in and did some deep research on my avatar so I could get inside their head.
I did phone interviews of sinus sufferers in my neighborhood, and found some great online forums that helped me find the words my prospect uses to describe their pain points. That promo turned out to be one of my more successful controls, and it’s been performing strongly for more than 3 years as an online sales page.
I also have another “secret weapon”. I’m a marketer who knows how to write sales copy. In fact, I’ve held positions as a marketing director, brand manager, and associate group publisher (and have an MBA in marketing).
I even launched and ran the Healthy Directions supplement business when I was at Phillips Publishing…growing it to more than $23 million in sales ($38 million in today’s dollars) within the first 3 years. So I know the supplement business inside and out!
elBENBO: What’s the difference between writing long form sales copy for print vs writing it for the web?
THE KIMPIRE: Honestly there’s not much of a difference, at least the kind of copy I generally write. I’m referring to long-form copy, whether it’s for a sales page or video sales letter (VSL) or a direct mail magalog.
If you’re sending out a printed piece in the mail like a magalog or other format, you’re going to have additional copy to write such as the front and back cover (or envelope) copy, any inserts, and sidebars if it’s a magalog or other self-mailer.
If it’s a sales page or VSL, you’re going to have additional copy to write like the emails or Facebook ads to drive traffic to it, and possibly any upsells, cross-sells, or down-sells for the sales funnel.
Other than these things, the approach to writing the main headline, lead, body copy, and close copy is generally the same. I’ve written multiple direct mail controls over the years that have been converted by my clients into online sales pages or VSLs without changing a single word of the headline and running copy…and they’ve performed great.
One of my most successful controls, for a supplement called “CircO2”, I originally wrote as a direct mail magalog. It was then converted into an online sales page and also tested as a VSL, without changing a single word of copy. I actually have two versions with different headlines and leads that are both used regularly. The same exact copy I wrote more than 3 years ago for a direct mail piece (that’s still mailing) is doing gangbusters online and on Facebook.
elBENBO: Can you explain more about how to turn a web or print sales letter into a VSL? People ask about this all the time. When it can’t be just word-for-word used, what do you do to turn into a video for your clients?
THE KIMPIRE: The only tweaks I would generally make are to think about what I want to show up above the video...the main headline and subhead (generally it's the main headline of the sales page if that works, but it might need to be something different).
I might also work something early on in the lead to sell them on viewership. However, I generally do this all the time in the copy to sell them on "readership"...i.e., teasing about what you'll discover by reading/watching further.
And the call to action in the close copy will obviously need to change as well...telling them to click the button versus call a toll-free number or mail the order certificate.
But to be honest, I've had multiple direct mail promos turned into online sales pages or VSLs by my clients and 99% of the time haven't had to do a thing. They've used the copy word-for-word. They may leave out several of the sidebars, although they will sometimes incorporate those into the sales page design as well.
My CircO2 promo is just one example. The same exact copy I wrote for a direct mail promo more than 3 years ago is not only still being mailed regularly, it's been converted word-for-word (except with the call to action in the close) into a high-performing sales page and a VSL and used online, to drive Facebook traffic to, and for affiliate email lists.
Okay, that’s it for part 3.
Standby for part 4 tomorrow.
In the meantime:
If you get Kim’s new “Million Dollar Controls” program by Friday, November 20th at midnight EST, and if you email me your receipt by that deadline (not after), you will get a $200 discount, plus I will give you a special bonus:
“elBenbo’s Copywriting Capers: Season 2”
This 2+ hours of audio training contains dozens of insights, ideas, methods, and lessons I learned while working as a freelance copywriter for some of the most brilliant marketing minds on the planet. In many ways, these are some of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned.
And, I daresay you can’t even find a lot of this in any book or course.
Here are a few of the secrets inside this training:
* A 4-word question that can “close” more freelancing clients than any fancy one-liners, sales techniques, or manipulative tricks ever can. (Just say this at the start of every conversation you have with a client lead and watch what happens!)
* A market research secret invented by Frank Capra (one of the single most financially successful Hollywood movie directors who ever lived) to know whether your sales copy will be a hit or not before running even a single test.
* The (admittedly bizarre) “why I don’t shop at Walmart” secret for getting an insane level of engagement & sales from your email list, social media followers, & other online leads almost any time you want.
* How to turn a financially withering client dry spell into a book of high-paying clients who want to give you all the work you can stand.
* The 2 worst things you can do when it comes to doing market research for a freelance copywriting assignment. (I know this first hand after watching one of my best clients — who paid me a small fortune in fees — have to rewrite half of one of my sales letters. Embarrassing!)
* The single “ripest” & most profitable market for copywriters looking to do their own thing to get into. (I’ve sold in this niche twice and can assure you it’s rife with hopelessly inept marketers who only succeed because the market is so rabid to buy… and that’s why it probably won’t take much to clean up in it if you have even average copywriting skills.)
* Why (with rare exception) the single dumbest thing a copywriter can do is run their copy through a mastermind group for feedback. (And this is just as much the case if the group is full of savvy or even “world class” copywriters.)
* The one mistake even experienced freelancers make when it comes to so-called “handshake deals” with clients.
* elBenbo’s 2 rules for freelance copywriting success. (One is to never work for free — the other is something far less obvious but just as important to getting paid, getting paid on time, and getting paid the maximum amount you can command.)
* Why you should take any training, teaching, or advice from the early “Web 1.0” gurus from the 90’s and early 2000’s with a big, fat grain of salt. (Hint: when you see a lot of the stupid advice they still give to this day, you will realize a lot of those guys would have been dead in the water if they hadn’t gotten in early, when all you needed to do was have a decent sales letter and a circle jerk network of marketers all giving each other testimonials. This won’t be popular with a lot of goo-roo fanboys who hear it, but it’s for their own growth…)
* The only two people (other than myself, of course) I recommend learning email marketing or email copywriting from.
* The absolute BEST kind of JV partner to do business with if you want to use your copywriting skills to make a lot of money very quickly.
* Why all the stupid copywriter checklists you see floating around social media should be avoided like the bubonic plague if you want to make any real money as a copywriter.
* How to know if something you write about in an email is truly controversial (which is perfect for getting a ton of engagement and probably also a ton of sales, too) or you’re just pandering & virtue signaling for likes and ego boosts like your Facebook friends do all day long.
* A clever way to pump up your writing speed while also attracting more clients.
* How to be the only copywriter your clients won’t dare want to fire, get rid of, or displease. (And this has a lot less to do with talent, skill, or how effective you are than most would assume.)
* What to do with your pricing terms that can often attract nothing but the best clients while also making it far more likely they’ll run your ads without a bunch of pointless edits & changes.
* The “nothing special” copywriting secret I used to write a long-running control nobody could beat (all the way up until the day they retired the offer) in one of the most competitive & cutthroat markets on the internet.
* Why you should probably run from any client, JV partner, or anyone else you want to do with business with if they natter on about using or needing a “nurture sequence.”
All right, enough.
To get these bonuses along with a $200 discount off Kim’s Million Dollar Controls program, do this:
1. Buy it at the URL below by Friday, Nov 20 at midnight EST
2. At the checkout use coupon code: BEN200
3. Forward your receipt to ben@bensettle.com by the above deadline — if you send me your receipt after that deadline, you will not get any bonuses
NOTE:
You will need a smart phone to access these bonus videos.
And it'll have to be newer than when Steve Jobs walked the earth.
Here’s the link:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com/ep-kim
Ben Settle