Welcome to the eigth part of this mini series on "More Effective Copywriting".
The More You Tell, The More You Sell
The debate on using long copy versus short copy never seems to end. Usually it is a newcomer to copywriting who seems to
think that long copy is boring and, well...long. "I would never read that much copy," they say.
The fact of the matter is that all things being equal, long copy will outperform short copy every time. And when I say
long copy, I don't mean long and boring, or long and untargeted.
The person who says he would never read all that copy is making a big mistaking in copywriting: he is going with his gut
reaction instead of relying on test results. He is thinking that he himself is the prospect. He's not. We're never our own
prospects.
There have been many studies and split tests conducted on the long copy versus short copy debate. And the clear winner is
always long copy. But that's targeted relevant long copy as opposed to untargeted boring long copy.
Some significant research has found that readership tends to fall off dramatically at around 300 words, but does not
drop off again until around 3,000 words.
If I'm selling an expensive set of golf clubs and send my long copy to a person who's plays golf occasionally, or always
wanted to try golf, I am sending my sales pitch to the wrong prospect. It is not targeted effectively. And so if a person
who receives my long copy doesn't read past the 300th word, they weren't qualified for my offer in the first place.
It wouldn't have mattered whether they read up to the 100th word or 10,000th word. They still wouldn't have made a
purchase.
However, if I sent my long copy to an avid die-hard golfer, who just recently purchased other expensive golf products
through the mail, painting an irresistible offer, telling him how my clubs will knock 10 strokes off his game, he'll likely
read every word. And if I've targeted my message correctly, he will buy.
Remember, if your prospect is 3000 miles away, it's not easy for him to ask you a question. You must anticipate and
answer all of his questions and overcome all objections in your copy if you are to be successful.
And make sure you don't throw everything you can think of under the sun in there. You only need to include as much
information as you need to make the sale…and not one word more.
If it takes a 10-page sales letter, so be it. If it takes a 16-page magalog, fine. But if the 10-page sales letter tests
better than the 16-page magalog, then by all means go with the winner.
Does that mean every prospect must read every word of your copy before he will order your product? Of course not.
Some will read every word and then go back and reread it again. Some will read the headline and lead, then skim much of
the body and land on the close. Some will scan the entire body, then go back and read it. All of those prospects may end up
purchasing the offer, but they also all may have different styles of reading and skimming. So...
Write To Be Scanned
Your layout is very important in a sales letter, because you want your letter to look inviting, refreshing to the eyes.
In short, you want your prospect to stop what he's doing and read your letter.
If he sees a letter with tiny margins, no indentations, no breaks in the text, no white space, and no subheads... if he
sees a page of nothing but densely-packed words, do you think he'll be tempted to read it? Not likely.
If you do have ample white space and generous margins, short sentences, short paragraphs, subheads, and an italicized or
underlined word here and there for emphasis, it will certainly look more inviting to read.
When reading your letter, some prospects will start at the beginning and read word for word. Some will read the headline
and maybe the lead, then read the "P.S." at the end of the letter and see who the letter is from, then start from the
beginning.
And some folks will scan through your letter, noticing the various subheads strategically positioned by you throughout
your letter, then decide if it's worth their time to read the entire thing. Some may never read the entire letter, but order
anyways.
You must write for all of them. Interesting and compelling long copy for the studious reader, and short paragraphs and
sentences, white space, and subheads for the skimmer.
Subheads are the smaller headlines sprinkled throughout your copy.
Like this
When coming up with your headline, some of the headlines that didn't make the cut can make great subheads. A good subhead
forces your prospect to keep reading, threading him along from start to finish throughout your copy, while also providing
the glue necessary to keep skimmers skimming.
The next, and very important chapter "The Structure of AIDA" - Attention, Interest, Desire, Action will be with
you real soon.
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Apart from this article on How To Sell More, there are a number of other marketing articles to help you
determine which strategies and tactics are suited to you and your online business.
Go back to Your Affiliate Coach Article Page and select
the article series you need the most.
