Hans Klein | Direct-Response Web Copywriter

Solutions, The Missing Ingriedient From Most Outsourced Content.

By Hans | October 17, 2008

Many marketers are thrilled to discover that there are countless writers who will create their content for around a few bucks an hour.

Just head over to sites like Elance.com, post a job, and you’ve got enough content to last a year for a few hundred bucks.

Sounds great, right?

It can be. This a great solution for you if your main goal is to get search engine rankings. You can easily afford to beef-up your sites fast to quickly turn a profit. Search engines can’t judge writing quality after all (though this is changing).

However, over the years, I’ve seen this content in a lot of places where it’s not doing the site owner a lot of good — where it fails to connect with loyal customers or readers.

I once talked to a well-known marketer on the phone after I wrote an article for him. He summed-up the problem with outsourced writing the best, “A lot of writers go in-depth into the problems and history of the topic. I like your articles because you go in-depth into solutions, case-studies, and give explicit examples. This is what readers really crave.”

Typically, the average outsourced writer’s article/report follows this pattern:

A. History of the problem. Ex., An report about dog training might begin with the history of how dog training was developed.

B. Causes of the problem. Ex., “A dog barks because….”

C. The characters in the problem. Ex., “Dog training is very difficult process between you and the dog. You must change your behavior to get results.”

Do you see what’s missing from this equation? There’s not even a taste of specific solutions. It’s all about the problem.

Consider: What makes somebody say, “Wow, that was an amazing article or report! I am going to pass it to a friend.”

It’s not so much how well-written is. Or how attractive it looks.

It’s about the difference your report made in his/her life.

Did it give him a new outlook on life? Did it show her how to make more money in a believable and relateable way? Did it show him a better way to run his business to make life easier and more profitable?

These solutions come from personal experience and research. It’s true you get what you pay for. When you outsource to a low-cost writer, you’re paying for writing. Which is fine if this what you need. But, you’re not paying for the key ingredients that makes your content stick.

Give your readers at least a taste of the solutions you have to offer to strengthen customer relationships and increase your sales. Instead of readers or customers being turned off, they return and buy. You’re offering solutions.

Technorati Tags: outsourcing, outsourceing, writers, internet marketer, marketer, internet marketing, writing, copywriter, internet copywriter, copywriters, web copywriters

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Email Copywriting Secrets To Boost Your Bottom-Line.

By Hans | October 2, 2008

In the past couple of months, I listened to two calls with Matt Furey about email copywriting. If you’re not familiar with him, many consider him to be at the top of the game when it comes to email. He gave some great nuggets.

This then gave me the idea of going through my email and dissecting his and other top marketers’ emails. Considering I had about 270 emails from Matt Furey alone for the past year, this proved to be a tall task.

So, to start with I began by analyzing a few dozen of Matt Furey’s emails.

Here are some copywriting secrets I uncovered and you can use to boost your bottom-line:

1. He likes to start many of his emails with quotes that offer “wisdom.” He’s the only marketer I’ve seen do this. This tactic positions himself as an expert because he then proceeds to decipher the quotes. He does this by connecting the meaning to the lives of his readers.

2. He does some interesting things with purposeful misspellings. For example, he uses the misspellings, “Fitnuss” and “Muney.” He also might have several misspellings in a single sentence. In other words, he does it almost in a fun way and does not try to hide it.

This unlike other copywriters that create purposeful missepllings and try to make it sound like a mistake with the goal of sounding “off-the-cuff” or like “an average person.”

Matt Furey’s misspelling are not deceptive and gives a genuine felling that he’s an average, relatable guy.

3.Often opens with “Top of mind” news, such as football game results, magazine mentions of himself, Olympics, popular culture gossip or mention of whatever is happening at the time.

By far, the most common topic is sports news. For most of his market, they are likely passionate fans of the NFL or the Olympics.

And, even if they’re not, those interested in fitness are not likely going to be turned off by it.

4. Often his wisdom or points is contrarian to mainstream thinking. He likes to give life lessons that you would not hear from the media or authority figures. At the same time, he does it in such a way that it rings true with his readers. They would likely strongly agree with what he’s saying because it’s “common sense.”

5. Has stories of the disadvantaged or little guy succeeding with his system. In several of his emails, he tells stories of how somebody with strong physical or mental limitations succeeded.

This overcomes reader objections. They may think, “If he or she succeeded, so can I. My limitations pale in comparison.”

6. Keeps his readers up-to-date on where he is in the world. For instance, he might say, “It’s new years and I am standing in Times Square.” This is proof to readers because it shows he’s living a full life (what his product’s also happen to offer).

7. Often the solution to his opening stories is 1 specific exercise inside his product. He may give hints on what it is, but never gives the whole thing.

This is opposed to trying to sell all of the exercises or knowledge inside his product or service. He only takes one at a time.

8. His longer emails usually contain a metaphor or second story that simplifies concepts to the reader. For instance, in one he compared one of his exercises (again he take one at a time) to the movement of a cat. Then, he talked about how he was watching animal planet and he saw the amazing strength of a tiger. He went on to point-out, that you too can gain amazing strength by using his exercise.

9. He’s known for his controversial style, but it’s not really too controversial. He talks about controversies where 99% of his audience is on his side. Those that are not on his side are not going to be customers anyway. In one instance, he goes out of his way not to anger reader’s when he says he doesn’t care who wins a big upcoming football game. He wishes both teams well. This is interesting because taking a side really could piss off his customer base and make them dislike him.

His reader’s are split on which team is better.

10. In multiple emails, he does not promote a single product. They’re designed purely to build anticipation or get customers to check magazine mentions of him. This is a far cry from the hard sell many marketer’s use.

11. He sometimes starts an email with the wrong way to achieve a goal (physical or mental) and then gives a taste of a right way solution, which also happens to be in his product.

12.One email varied from his usual style where all he did was give a tip list and then had a small link to his product/service without a call to action.

13. He often tells a brief “discovery story” of how he learned one his techniques or exercises. Often the discovery is from China or an exclusive unlikely source. These stories are usually a couple sentences long and aren’t the main story.

To discover more of Matt’s copywriting secrets, get on his lists over at: http://www.MattFurey.com. I have a gmail account set-up just for promotional emails. You can then go-back and use the search feature to find what you’re looking for when you have time.

Technorati Tags: email copywriting, matt furey, dan kennedy, internet marketing, direct-response copywriting, web copywriting, direct-respone, email marketing

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What Good Copy Does.

By Hans | August 28, 2008

Often prospective clients come to me knowing they want good copy. They’ve heard how important it is.

It’s what allows you to make more money from your existing traffic. Instead of 1 out of 200 people buying from you, 5 out of 100 take the jump.

This means you work less driving traffic. You can outbid the competition for prized ad space. And affiliates flock to promote your site.

Understanding this is all well and good. But, there’s a common pitfall many marketers make. They don’t understand why copy makes such a big difference.

The result is sales pieces with countless sales destroying mistakes.

You see, copywriting is what puts your product and offer in the best possible light. This is not done through bragging about why you’re the best. It’s by emphasizing the value you offer.

Here are some examples:

* Let’s say you offer a money-back guarantee. You can state this and be done with it…Or, you can make it matter. You can tell your prospects it means their investment is 100% risk-free. They essentially get to take your product or service for a “Test-run” before making a final purchase decision.

In other words, a meaningless offer seen many times before is not overlooked. It becomes a major influencer in the consumer’s purchase decision. Do you see the power of that?

A guarantee that would normally be overlooked now tempts the prospect into buying.

* Let’s say you offer a solution on how to get rid of migraines. You might focus on the benefit of getting rid of migraines… Or, you might tell the story of how you stumbled upon the solution and have successfully used it on others. The reader can now do the same. What your prospects focus on changes.

* Let’s say your price for your product on how to rid yourself of migraines costs $97. You can state this as is… Or, you can give a justification for your price. Tell your readers to imagine all of the time he or she regains. Unproductive days can now be lived to the fullest. In other words, the $97 is not buying the product. It’s buying the prospects’ life back.

The bottom line is that it’s not your copy that makes you a lot of money. It’s how you use your copy (or what it does) that puts more money in your pocket.

When you fully understand this, you get far more from your copywriter and your sales skyrocket.

Technorati Tags: copy, copywriting, direct-response, direct-marketing, direct-response copywriting, web copywriting, internet marketing, web copy

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The Irrelevant Versus The Meaningful.

By Hans | August 11, 2008

One of the biggest challenges in persuasion is being able to explain elaborate concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

Examples you’ve experienced might be: Explaining an “adult world” concept, such as money to a young child. Or, a tech guy explaining computer problems to somebody who barely knows how to send email.

Folks just want a white or black picture… when the world is full of grey.

The result is most persuaders make these common deadly mistakes:

1. Go off on tangents. There’s a phrase in copywriting called, “Clearing the throat copy.” This term describe the copy before the writer gets in the groove.

You see it over and over again where the opening copy is written out of the writer’s own perspective… and it takes a while before the good stuff the reader cares about comes.

Each sentence should offer valuable insight. Not doing so is like trying to explain multiple complex concepts at once! It makes it nearly impossible to understand your original idea.

2. Lecture others without listening to their concerns first. It’s impossible to explain a concept if you have no idea of what your listeners can relate to. This is why you should know concerns, desires, passions, and every detail about them.

This is why the research phase to your copywriting is so vital. You must know what to say that’s going to trigger the right feelings.

Listening, while reassuring the speaker of the validity of his/her perspective is the most powerful way to research and get-in tune with your prospects.

3. Demand of the listener, “You must absolutely take action” without giving a compelling reason of why it’s in the listeners’ best interest to do so.

To persuade, you must give reasons of what’s in it for the prospect to take action. This is opposed bullying where you just saying you’re right without reasons.

For example, a hard-sell salesman once was trying to get me to sign-up for a credit card. He kept repeating after I declined, “Am I missing something here? This is a great offer.” A genuine explanation of why it was a great offer was not given.

The bottom-line is that when you’re completely in-tune with who you’re speaking to, you know exactly what to say. Your words become meaningful rather than irrelevant and far-off.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, web copywriting, direct-response copywriter, copywriting research, direct marketing, direct-response, copywriter

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How To Transform Average Copy Into A Polished Gem With Editing.

By Hans | July 28, 2008

If you want to transform your average copy into pro quality, it’s often just matter of editing.

You see, good editing has little to do with spelling and perfect grammar. Far more important is focusing on creating the right meaning.

Here are 5 editing techniques you can spend time on to boost response:

1. Avoid long sentences. Short sentences are easy to digest. Long ones make you stumble. They also create confusion. Short ones quickly get your point across.

2. Use picture language. Look for sentences where you can add verbs describing an action. Examples are, “Smash,” “Crush,” and “Explode.” Avoid low imagery verbs, such as “Grow,” “Went,” and “Opened.”

3. Take out words implying work. Replace them with words implying your product is responsible for results. For example, you would not say, “Save time by applying the product.” You would say, “The product saves you time.” In this example, the word “Applying” indicates effort.

4. Eliminate unnecessary words. Most people ramble when explaining concepts. They go off on tangents. And words that do not add meaning to a sentence are used. You should make sure every word does a job.

5. Review to make sure the copy resonates with the target audience. Everything should make sense. Your questions and assertions should ring true. Your audience should nod their heads along in agreement as they read.

With all of this said, your copy does not have be perfect to close sales. But, every difference you can make improves your conversion rate — which, ultimately ends up determining your success.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, copy editing, copy, web copy, direct-response copy, copywriter, web copywriter, internet copywriting, online copywriting

Topics: Copywriting Lessons | 1 Comment »

An Unlikely Internet Marketer

By Hans | July 17, 2008

Today I had a meeting with a local church about how they can use the internet.

If you’ve been in internet marketing long, then you know the amazing potential it has to transform any organization. And, at the same time, you’re probably aware how it’s often dismissed.

Folks just want an attractive website to feed their egos. End of story.

With this common mindset in mind, I set about to open eyes. And show them how the internet can be used to take a small organization… and skyrocket their reach.

What’s more, it doesn’t require a lot of additional money, time, or effort.

To do this, I began by explaining the internet offers 3 main benefits:

1. Saves you time by automating tasks an employee or volunteer used to do.

2. Cultivates a more loyal community with strengthened relationships (which also happens to result in more revenue).

3. Attracts new members by allowing you to connect with them and communicate an effective welcome message.

Next, I moved on with an example. I found a church of the same denomination that was doing a lot of things right.

This turned out to be very effective because the Reverend knew the other church. Right away, a connection was made: “If these folks just like us are doing it, so can we.”

Then, step-by-step I showed how this other church was:

* Using live video over at UStream.tv. Every Sunday, the service was streamed live. If folks fail to show-up, they can still see the broadcast.

* Collecting names and email addresses to follow-up with.

I gave the example of how you can set-up a sequential follow-up email system to follow-up with new members, educate about church principles, and promote new events.

“Just send-out an email and you can instantly have 25 people sign-up.”

* Promoting weddings and other revenue generating services.

* Posting sermons on YouTube and how you can cultivate a following as an authority. Your reach can go way beyond those who show-up in church.

* Using a blog so their pages can be easily indexed and ranked in the search engines.

* Staying in touch with the community through podcasts. All you need is a microphone, http://Audacity.Sourceforge.net, and a computer.

Plus, I shared other techniques, including:

* Setting up a community on http://www.Meetup.com. There happens to be a lot of existing groups that teach the same message as the church.

* Signing-up for PayPal.com and adding donation buttons along side videos, in newsletters, and on the website.

* How you can get top rankings on Google.com with Google AdWords in only 5 minutes and starting with $5.

After explaining all of this, there was excitement. However, they were still focused mainly on creating the right design.

This, of course, is important. But, out of all the things I talked about, it is not the highest priority.

So, to reframe the situation I said, “Many people think that having an attractive website is very important. However, far more important is the usability of the site… and, most important of all, is the meaning you create.

For instance, let’s say you add images of events at the church. The meaning of these pictures is it tells the first time visitor that this is a place where he or she is welcome. This is the right place for him or her.

After all, everybody has different opinions on what the most attractive design is.”

After I said this, it turned out that they had indeed been arguing about what is the most attractive design. I then pointed out that they can use Google Analytics to see who is right — find-out which design keeps visitors on the site the longest.

They were receptive to this idea.

Overall, the main takeaway from this experience is you can transform foreign concepts to your customers into ones they can relate to by finding common points of reference.

Some examples are:

Getting a kid to eat vegetables by pointing out that Pop-eye does it to get strong.
Selling your traffic generation software by comparing it to a ”print-money on-demand ATM machine.”
Explaining your alternative health treatment by showing how people just like your prospect had success.
Offer your money generation system by telling your rags-to-riches story. You were where the customer was and now you’ve got to where they want to be through the information in your system.
Promoting a restaurant by saying it’s homemade food full of love and care just like you mom used to make.

When you give your prospect a clear image he or she can relate to, it becomes no-brainer to listen to what you have to say.

Technorati Tags: internet marketing, church marketing, web marketing, online marketing, marketing, copywriting, nonprofit marketing

Topics: Marketing Lessons | 1 Comment »

Marketing and Copywriting Secrets For Alternative Health Businesses.

By Hans | July 10, 2008

If you have an alternative health business, then you’re well aware of the problems plaguing western/traditional medicine.

Underlying causes of problems are being shoved to the side. Drugs with sometimes dangerous side-effects are pushed as the only reasonable solution. Much unneeded suffering takes place.

For these reasons, the alternative health market is rapidly growing. People’s awareness of holistic health is changing.

However, there is a major problem holding back many alternative health practitioners, coaches, and information product creators.

Open-up any local alternative health magazine and you see what I mean.

Business cards are the only ads you see.

Name, contact information, and, if you’re lucky, a short slogan is given.

Persuasion is absent.

Problems, concerns, and desires are unaddressed.

Here’s what can be done instead:

Shift your mindset about business. View marketing and sales as a vital ingredient to reach, connect, and help as many people as possible. Moreover, charging and accepting lots money is a good thing. It’s an energy transfer where you’re being rewarded for the value you’re delivering. Offering services for free or at a low price (and for nothing else in return) is a one-way energy transfer. You’re ability to help others is limited.
Provide education. There is a massive amount of confusion surrounding health. Many well-educated and credible experts give contrary information. As a result, you can’t expect your prospects to understand why they need your services. Write reports, self-publish a book, write a newsletter, and continually give solid content to build relationships and cultivate a loyal following. This is especially important if you offer a product or service where you’re very limited on the claims you can legally make.
Offer backend products and services. Your product or service is not all your customer needs to heal. You’re doing a disservice to him or her by not making it easy for him or her to do business with you again and not recommending other valuable products and services. Collect e-mail and snail mail addresses so you can follow-up.
Ask for and assume the transaction (or “sale”) will take place. Tell your prospects and customers why you offer a valuable service and why the investment is worth it. Explain why health is the most important wealth.
Be sure to explain the full-range of benefits your product or service offers. Too often I see ads for alternative health practitioners where they tell you what they do, but leave the customer without a clue of why they should want to do it.
Make your prospects feel comfortable. Taking advantage of an alternative health business can be intimidating to first time customers. They don’t know what to expect or whether they’re making a wise decision. Establishing credibility, giving client testimonials (social proof), supplying educational material, and telling prospects step-by-step exactly what they can expect relieves worry. In addition, reiterate the benefits the customer receives throughout your interactions.

The bottom line is you can rapidly grow you alternative health business by focusing on your prospects. Understand where they’re coming from and express how you can change their lives.

Technorati Tags: alternative health, holistic health, alternative health business, holistic health business, alternative health marketing, alternative health copywriter, holistic health copywriter, holistic health marketing, acupuncture marketing, health coach, yoga marketing, massage therapy marketing

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Keys To Selling Software Products

By Hans | July 4, 2008

Most people’s first instinct to tap into a market is to create e-book, audio, or video products.

However, few people realize that software can be far easier and more profitable to sell.

What’s more, the barriers to creating top-selling software can be minimal. Come-up with an idea and find a coder to get rolling. It’s not uncommon for a software that generates tens of thousands of dollars to be whipped-up in hours and for a few hundred bucks (I’ve heard two stories of this happening for under $100).

Simply put, if you’re not always thinking about software ideas to create for your market, here’s why you should:

Software provides a real solution and creates an near guaranteed impact on your customers’ lives. There is no theory or learning curve. The result is a greater percentage of satisfied customers.

For instance, with many information product businesses, 5% of your customers are going to be your top customers. But, if more of them are actively using your products, this number is likely to go-up (Equaling countless thousands of dollars to your bank account).

You don’t need extensive credentials to stand-out. The software either works or it doesn’t.
It’s easier to charge a nice chunk of change because folks are used to paying a lot for software. This is opposed to an “e-book” where people’s frame of reference for price points are traditional books (under $20 bucks).
It allows you to stay in front of your customers day-after-day. With other types of information products, they’re read and never looked at again. Software stays in front of your customers long into the future.
Sets you apart from the competition. If a competitor only offers an e-book, audio, or screen capture videos, software makes you stand-out. You provide a type of solution others don’t.

Simply put, software is an often overlooked information product you should consider creating.

Of course, there is a downside. You often have increased customer support questions. However, you can overcome this issue with the help of good programmers, testing, and technical FAQ instructions. Simple software limits this issue as well.

Once you have created your software products, there are a few keys to selling them. These include:

Create screen capture demos or add screenshots so the prospect can visualize owning it. These make it a lot easier to understand how the software works.
Explain how the software does all of the work, not the customer. For instance, the benefit of the software is not that it “allows you to save time,” but it “saves you time.”
Add proof it meets your claims. You don’t need lots of credibility to sell software, but you still need your prospects to have trust in you that your product works.
Explain features, but go-beyond them. Spell out why each one is important to your customers’ success and well-being (Do they save time? Make putting it into action easier? Make the tool more effective?)
Focus on the story of how the software was created, instead of your own story (like you might with a product where you’re the “expert”). For instance, maybe the calculations the software does were developed through rigorous testing to ensure their accuracy. Or, you got the idea for the formulas used in the software from a certain expert.

The key difference between selling software versus other information products is that they provide instant rewards for the customer. The customer has to do relatively little to get some type of immediate gratification.

This is a major strength you can use to skyrocket your software sales.

A key mistake software sellers make is to not spell-out what the tool does for the customer and how this changes his or her life. Sure, your copy is often going to be geared toward a technical minded crowd. But, they are just like everyone else. They need to know what exactly your tool means to them.

Technorati Tags: software copy, software copywriting, internet marketing, information products, e-books, copywriting, program copywriting, software copywriter, copywriter

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The Power of Qualification.

By Hans | July 2, 2008

You may have heard the quote attributed to Bill Cosby, ”I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”

When it comes to writing copy, many traditional advertisers often try to appeal to everybody who might buy the product. For instance, the target market of an ad might be for men 18-29 years old (a diverse group full of countless millions of people).

Direct-Response marketers do the opposite. The copy is designed to only appeal to those who are likely to buy. The target market is a tight, well-defined group.

Those who do not fit in the group are either addressed in a separate ad or not at all.

The reason for this is that if you’re trying to appeal to large audiences, your copy is weakened. You can not speak directly to the interests, desires, and problems your target market has.

Instead, of talking to just one person, you’re talking to multiple. No one gets personal attention. On the other hand, writing for just one type of person allows you to tailor your sales message to meet his or her needs.

For example, let’s say you were buying a car. A salesperson may try to sell you by saying, “Many folks like to buy this car because of its great fuel mileage.”

Another salesperson takes another approach. He notices that you have bumper stickers from all of the places you traveled and learns that you enjoy outdoor sports. He then tries to sell the same car by saying, “Despite having abundant leg room, lots of storage space, and being able to easily handle your outdoor sporting equipment, the car still gets great fuel mileage to save you money on long trips.”

The difference between the two is the second one is about you. Not everyone else.

It tells you specifically what’s in it for you when you own the car. The first one gives a benefit, but it may not be very important to you.

In sales copy, narrowing the group you’re talking to can be very effective and explode your response rates.

You can do this by qualifying your readers (telling them that your sales message is or is not for them).

Often you will want to do this right away in your headline, prehead, subhead, or intro copy.

For instance, one of the most commonly swiped phrases is, “If you want to lose 10 pounds in a week from now (or whatever your benefit is), then this will be the most important letter you will ever read. Here’s why:”

Notice how if you do not want the benefit described in the formula, then you instantly know that this product is not for you. Otherwise, you are told it is vital to your future. The target audience in the example above is not everybody who wants to lose weight, but only those who want to lose it for an upcoming event.

Other examples include:

* “Attention: Small Business Owners, Discover…” You simply say directly who the copy is for. If you’re selling a product for golfers, you might say, “Attention: Golfers…”

* “If you have 5 minutes a day, then you can lose 5 pounds of fat in less than 7 days from now.” This qualification here, having “5 minutes a day,” is something everybody can say yes to. For products where the market has failed a lot with other systems, this type of qualification can be very powerful.

* ”Dear Golfer,” If you don’t have the readers name, then you can let him or her still know it is for him or her by getting as specific as possible in your greeting.

Essentially, all you’re doing is picturing who you’re selling to (and, at the same time, you’re aware of who you’re not). Then, you tell him or her why your product or service is for him or her.

When you give a benefit and its one your reader cares deeply about, then you are using the power of qualification.

The bottom line is you should not try to appeal to everybody. If there are two different groups who are in need of your product, create two different ads.

For instance, you may sell a course on internet marketing. It works for those looking to start a new business from scratch and offline businesses who are looking to start using the internet to generate new business.

These two groups have completely different concerns. Thus, you need to speak to them in two different ways.

Technorati Tags: selling, qualification, copywriting, internet, website marketing, advertising, marketing

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Questions In Salescopy.

By Hans | June 15, 2008

When folks write their first ad, a common technique is to begin by asking a lot of questions. For instance, in a weight loss ad, folks might start with the headline, “Who else wants to lose 10 pounds fast?” and then proceed to ask questions in the intro copy, such as “Are you fed-up and tired of being overweight?”

Questions can be powerful. They cause your reader to answer. This interaction then brings them into the salescopy.

However, a common mistake is to ask questions where your reader answers the wrong way. Remember, salescopy is like you were talking with your prospect one-on-one.

When you ask, “Are you fed-up with being overweight?” up front, this is a lot like going up to an acquaintance or stranger and asking this question. If you don’t have the relationship with your reader, the reaction to this question won’t be what you want.

It may be interpreted as offensive (if you have the relationship, it may be different).

What’s more, many questions that are often asked have much worse answers than this one. The worst kind of question is when the answer is a big fat “No!” For example, “Are you jealous of others who are skinny and in great shape?”

There is a very good chance many of your prospects won’t agree with this statement. They may not think of themselves as jealous.

Instead, you want your target audience to agree with you. The goal of a question is to show you are on the same side as your prospect. Empathize with them. Show them you understand what they’re going through.

When you do this, your prospects see you as someone they can trust. You become an expert who should be listen to.

Here are some guidelines when choosing questions:

* The response of your target market should be overwhelming agreement with your sentiment. Ask yourself, “Is my target market going to nod their head in agreement?”

* You can use them to qualify your readers. You should only care about the response to the question from your target audience. If those who are never going to buy disagree, this is good. It tells them that this product is not for them.

* You can use questions as transitions and keep your readers glued to your copy. Some connector questions include, “Why is this the case?,” “What’s the bottom line?,” “What’s next?,” and so on.

Simply put, questions can be tricky and require you to be in-tune with your target audience. When in doubt, use statements, instead of questions. For instance, “Do you want to lose weight?” can be transformed into “If you want to lose weight…”

Technorati Tags: copywriter, copywriting, questions, sales questions, direct-response, web copywriting

Topics: Copywriting Lessons | 1 Comment »

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Solutions, The Missing Ingriedient From Most Outsourced Content.

Email Copywriting Secrets To Boost Your Bottom-Line.

What Good Copy Does.

The Irrelevant Versus The Meaningful.

How To Transform Average Copy Into A Polished Gem With Editing.

An Unlikely Internet Marketer

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