Copywriting took me from a 'starving artist' to a 'thriving creator'.
How did I learn? I studied the greats...
Here's the breakdown of best sales letters in last 100 years.
Steal the lessons & you'll be printing money in no time:
Copywriter John Caples wrote this sales letter in 1926 to promote a correspondence course offered by the Sherwin Cody School of English.
It is hailed as one of the most successful direct-response advertisements of all time.
I spent 2 hours dissecting each line, let's dive in:
1. Open the Loop
'Do you make these mistakes in English?'
Curiosity to spark interest. Notice John doesn't tell you 'what' mistakes otherwise you've got what you wanted and you'd click off.
It has to be 'just' enough interest without giving the game away.
Temptation works.
2. Credibility
The first question anyone has after seeing a question like that...
'Why should I listen to you?'
The best answer?
Specificity every single time.
- Not 'lots of people', '100,000 people'.
- Not 'quickly', 'in only 15 minutes a day'
But then we go backwards...
3. Proof
Okay so you've got the attention but now what?
Well, you prove your reader has this problem. So many people get excited by the sale they forget to set the foundation.
Show them they've got a problem with proof:
'for MID able' 'Ave NOO'
Readers think: 'I say that!'
4. Consquence
The next natural question is 'so what'?
Okay, you spell things wrong, mispronounce words or you can't articulate your thoughts... so?!
You have to tell people why that's a bad thing:
'Find our careers stunted as a consequence'
Eek nobody wants that...
5. Solution
The next question?
'Why should I believe you?'
You have to show your ability to solve the problem. The best way to do this? Evidence.
- Who have you helped?
- What did people say?
- How did it work?
Show them your results.
6. The hurdles
So you've provided context, you've spelt out the problem, you've shown the consequences, you've proved your authority, you've presented the solution...
Now what?
You have to overcome the invisible hurdles, what might they be?
- Time
- Money
- Certainty
7. Make it irresistible
If there's one word the human brain likes hearing it's this:
FREE.
All obligations and concerns fall away.
Offer something for free and build a stronger relationship with your audience.
Later on they'll buy.
That's all for today, thanks for reading!
It took me 2 hours to pull this thread together, If you liked this it takes you 0.2 seconds to RT it and follow along.
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