Came across a fascinating post about advertising legend David Ogilvy…

…at a rather interesting site called “Letters Of Note – Correspondence Deserving Of A Wider Audience”.

The post is titled…

“I am a lousy copywriter”

…and covers a letter that Ogilvy wrote in 1955 in reply to a question asking for details about how he actually wrote an ad.

Ogilvy relates a 12 step process.  Here is my summary…

1. Find a place to work without interruptions

2. Study the competition and ads for competing products

3. Gathered research material, especially about buyers

4. Get clear on the sales problem and the objective of the campaign. Make sure the client is on the same page

5. Gather as many ideas as possible that could help in the sale

6. Write headlines

7. Write first draft of the actual main copy

8. Rewrite…if necessary (usually it will be)

9. If stuck, take a break.

10. Resume!

11. Complete the draft

12. Edit

Well worth reading the whole thing for Ogilvy’s original writing and some amusing “real world” insights into the man.

There is a process to writing good copy.  Not everybody goes about it the same way, but every successful copywriter I’ve come across has a system of some sort.

One thing that always strikes me is the importance of research – of doing your homework.  Great copy rarely appears out of thin air…it’s usually the result of application, hard work and, ultimately, testing.

Ogilvy himself was very insistent about the importance of research.  Interesting how the advertising business appears to have changed since his time.

In his day, Ogilvy epitomised the “creative advertising man”.  Yet with his emphasis on research and strong support of direct response…

…he would probably be out of place in the modern mainstream ad industry.

In emotional direct response marketing and copywriting, it’s a central principle to focus not only the results that people will get from your product or service…

…but also the feelings they will experience.

While left-brain types like myself may not necessarily like it…

..the fact is that we humans are very much emotionally driven and emotions play a much larger role in decision making than we might acknowledge.

BUT…there’s something else too to keep in mind about the human psyche as my good mate and master copywriter Pete Godfrey explains in this guest post…

*****

What Are You Really Selling?

I’ve talked long and hard about this point over the years… that you’ve got to sell the end result of your product… you’ve gotta sell how your clients will feel once they’ve achieved or experienced the benefits of your product. For example: Don’t sell a diet book, sell sexiness and self-confidence. Don’t sell Life Insurance, sell peace of mind. Don’t sell marketing strategies to business owners, sell them cash flow. By now, hopefully, you get this. But there’s more to this that I rarely mention.

If you’ve studied history, in particular the people of influence, and if you’ve read and studied “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene, then you know, people have an insatiable almost child-like appetite for Magic and Magic Powers.

In advertising, we call this the Magic Pill; and the closer your pitch is to the Magic Pill generally the more sales you make.

If you’ve ever seen the Giant Tomato ad displayed in many catalogues you’ve seen the Magic Pill in action. If you’ve ever seen the ad on TV for Bio Magnetics, an underlay you put on your bed full of magnets and you wake up without pain, then you’ve seen the Magic Pill demonstrated right before your eyes.

Point is, folks don’t want to know the mechanics of what your “thing” does. They want the intangible magic benefits your “thing” gives them. If you’re in the advice giving business, and this applies to anyone from a Business Coach to a Naturopath, they don’t want to know how you do your “thing”, they’d prefer to believe you are their magic rabbit’s foot, that you possess secrets and powers only you can provide. If you’re selling Real Estate, they just want to know you can sell their house, at the price they want, in the time-frame they want.

You can fight me on this, shake your head and tell me your clients are smarter and more sophisticated than this. But you’d be wrong.

People are people and we haven’t changed that much over the years. To ignore the power of magic and secrets and secret powers is to ignore the way people have been managed and controlled and influenced since the beginnings of time. Folks are looking for certainty in uncertain times. Give it to them with a magical twist.

PS: Never underestimate the power of curiosity.

*****

With more than a decade of experience in the marketing arena, Pete Godfrey, AKA “The Wizard of Words”, has developed a keen eye as to what it takes to succeed in business. As one of Australia’s most successful and highest paid copywriters, Pete has the uncanny ability to turn the written word into money. That’s why clients stand in line and almost beg him to do their promotions.

His client list contains many of the world’s savviest entrepreneurs including Mal Emery, Pat Mesiti, Tom Caraccio and Rowena Helps, Rick Otton, Daryl and Andrew Grant, Bill Zheng, Matt and Amanda Clarkson, Roberta Faddoul and many others. This “working class rebel made good” is also a copywriting trainer, having trained hundreds of budding copywriters including Bret Thomson, Bill Dimitrovski, Kevin Francis and Steve Plummer.

Pete also writes an offline, 12-page monthly newsletter called The Emotional Ad Writing & Marketing Letter (http://www.emotionaladwritingletter.com ) for Business Owners, Sales Professionals and Entrepreneurs. His irreverent style and no bullshit attitude offends some, attracts others. To see more on Pete and to get a FREE Bonus copy of his valuable report – “The Ultimate Copywriting & Marketing Secret” valued at a very real $99… go to his blog at  http://www.petegodfrey.com

…and what to do about it if you’re a copywriter or a serious marketer.

Here’s an article from the great Drayton Bird that originally appeared over at Clayton Makepeace’s “The Total Package”.

Titled “What Some Famous Copywriters Taught Me”…

…with this subhead…

“Few copywriters study enough. And many who commission copy study even less. So the partially-sighted serve the blind. No wonder most copy isn’t very good.”

My observation over my own years in business is that few people in any line of endeavour study enough.

Anyway, here’s what Drayton has to say…

*****

I’ve always liked this old New York joke:

A man asks for directions. “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”

“Study,” comes the reply.

I started studying how to write copy before I even got a job in advertising. I sat in Manchester Public Library and read everything I could find. I have never stopped. If others have done the job before you, start by studying and copying the best people you can find. It’s the only way to learn.

Most copywriters study little, if at all. They think the key is ingenuity and clever ideas. They put their faith in flair and luck. They “pick it up” as they go along. That is why most copy is so bad.

Their chances of success are not improved by those who employ them or commission copy, few of whom know much about the subject either.

Of all the kinds of copy, direct response is the hardest, yet few clients pay very well for it. To make big money you have to get a royalty deal, which is a rare and wonderful beast outside North America.

If you pay peanuts you get monkeys, so most copy is not very good. A shame, as it is perhaps the cheapest ingredient in success.

I have never specialised in any kind of copy: I take my money where I can get it. But the principles that apply to one kind of copy apply to all kinds of copy. What’s more, I have found they apply equally to all messages designed to get results – speeches, articles, presentations: you name it.

Here are some of the people I learned from. Maybe you will, too.

I suspect I learned most from John E. Powers – possibly the first really professional copywriter.

He talked about what a product does for the customer, rather than what it is. He popularised the free trial offer and the money back guarantee. To this day many do not realise the effectiveness of those three things.

In an interview he said, “The first thing … is to have the attention of the reader. That means to be interesting. The next thing is to stick to the truth, and that means rectifying whatever’s wrong in the merchant’s business. If the truth isn’t tellable, fix it so it is. That is about all there is to it.”

His two chief weapons were honesty and giving reasons for his claims rather than just plain boasting. He also said to his interviewer, who was from Printer’s Ink, the advertising trade paper, “Never read any of those advertising publications. They ain’t worth reading.”

That was in the 1890′s, so nothing much has changed.

To this day many people think unsubstantiated boasting works – look at most car advertising. It doesn’t. Not in real life. Not in copy. And if you don’t explain why you are so good, people tend to disbelieve you. Both these facts are unknown to many marketers, but my partners and I have had considerable success just by applying honesty.

And to this day people still imagine a bad product can be saved by advertising. It can’t; in fact good advertising kills bad products faster.

Claude Hopkins was perhaps the most able copywriter ever – so good that allegedly by 1917 his boss used to give him a blank cheque every year and let him set his own salary.

From his book Scientific Advertising (1923) I learned many things, but principally that copy is “just salesmanship”. Your copy should do what a good salesman would do.

A salesman gives every good reason for buying; a salesman forestalls objections; a salesman is not brief. Yet little copy does a complete selling job, and many still imagine brevity works best. It doesn’t. Time after time, for nearly fifty years, I have seen long copy beat short.

John Caples was the master of testing. I used to re-read his book Tested Advertising Methods regularly when I was young. I still turn to it. From it I learned many, many things – but especially that – as another good man, Richard V. Benson, put it, “There are only two rules in direct marketing. Rule 1: Test everything. Rule 2: Refer to rule 1.”

Two of my other teachers admired him. David Ogilvy, with whom I worked for some years, was one. He told me that he and Rosser Reeves agreed that they learned all they knew from Caples.

He also told me one night over dinner that the secret of success was charm – and that “the customer is not a moron: she is your wife”. So I try to avoid the usual crass, copywriter’s English and treat the reader like an intelligent person. It seems to work.

David was a great student. He encouraged me in my belief that study was the key.

His book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, had an enormous influence on me in my first big job as a creative director: I used to test things he mentioned, like the use of certain words which increase readership. Then when I wrote my own first business book, Commonsense Direct Marketing, I copied his idea of making it very personal. People are more interested in people than theory.

Reeves’ book Reality in Advertising sold the idea of the USP. I learned that you need to be able to offer something different and better to succeed. So I spend a lot of time looking for it. And I still find that giving a competitive argument usually increases response – yet few bother to do it.

Many years ago a friend asked me if I’d like to go and work for Reeves as a creative director; I wanted to stay in England for some personal reasons so I said “no”. I suspect I would have learned a lot, though.

Vic Schwab was partner in one of the first specialist direct response agencies, back in the ’30′s. He wrote a book called How to Write a Good Advertisement. I have had the same copy for 40 years. And I still refer to the list of 100 headlines in it when I’m stuck for idea.

There are many others I knew and am indebted to. Bill Jayme, Gene Schwartz, Joe Karbo, Monroe Kane, Murray Raphel, Denny Hatch, Joe Sugarman and Gary Halbert.

And I still study in the hope that one day I’ll really know what I’m doing.

*****

There are very few people in the field of direct response marketing and copywriting who have been active as long as Drayton Bird.  As you might expect, he knows what works in direct response marketing…

…and what doesn’t.

Might be worth listening to what he has to say at…

www.DraytonBird.com

www.DraytonBirdCommonsenseMarketing.com

…and he’s going to be speaking live here in Australia in March 2012.

Details at…

www.MastersOfMarketing.com.au

Another guest post from friend and copywriting ace Pete Godfrey.

This one is talking about one of the most important elements in your marketing…

…and that’s getting the attention of your audience in the first place.

Couple of notes about the article…

1) Pete talks about “The Collier Principle”. He explains it a little more in the article, but just to clarify, Robert Collier was one of the all-time copywriting greats.  His book “The Robert Collier Letter Book” is essential reading for any serious copywriter.

2) Pete also mentions Matt Furey and Dan Kennedy.  Dan should need no introduction, he’s one of the giants in the field today of direct response marketing and copywriting.  Matt is a very successful marketer whose primary field is strength and fitness.

With that out of the way, over to Pete…

*****

How to Get Attention in a Cluttered Market: 3 Golden Copywriting Nuggets

Below, you’ll find 3 Copywriting nuggets you should use constantly to boost your bottom line. These 3 are all about getting attention, because that’s where you start. Use them.

Copywriting Nugget #1: The Collier Principle

As you know, it’s getting harder to get your prospect’s attention. Without attention, there are no sales. The clutter these days is mind boggling and it’s critical, absolutely critical you do not underestimate the difficulty of getting your market’s attention. Remember the old AIDA Formula.

A = Attention

I = Interest

D = Desire

A = Action

Without attention, there is no interest, there is no desire and there is defiantly no action (money in your bank). THIS IS CRITICAL! Too many folks I see are blasé about this; they don’t give this enough thought.

One way to get attention is by using the Collier principle. To paraphrase Collier…

“You must enter the conversation already going on inside your customer’s mind.”

To do this, you’ve got to clearly understand your market so you can get in there and bond with them, talk their language, and talk about things that concern them now.

Another way to use this technique is by tying in popular TV shows with your promotions (this acts like an anchor as well).

For example…

• A Day Spa could easily tie in that new show “10 Years Younger in 10 Days.”
• A Naturopath could use “What’s Good For You”
• Financial Planners “Deal or no Deal”
• Accountants “Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?”
• Dance schools “Australia’s Got Talent”
• And “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” could be used by just about everybody

Copywriting Nugget #2: What are you really selling?

Remember what you are really selling is not your “thing”… you’re selling the benefits of your “thing”… you are selling how you customers will feel once they experience the benefits of your “thing”. The examples I keep coming back to are Diets and Life Insurance because they perfectly sum up this nugget.

Diets: You are not selling diets but sexiness, confidence etc (how they will feel once they have lost the weight). Life Insurance: Not selling Life Insurance but peace of mind. I keep drumming this into you so you really get it; not just in your head but in your gut.

Let’s look at the headlines below…

“Learn How to Dance The Tango in 3 Easy Lessons!”

“Dance The Tango Like a Seasoned Pro & Be The Envy Of Friends & Family

in Just 3 Easy Lessons!”

The first headline assumes people what to learn something. The second headline targets the main benefit “Dance The Tango Like a Seasoned Pro… in Just 3 Easy Lessons!” PLUS it targets the real motivating force behind this buying decision “Be The Envy Of Friends & Family…”

You could even use the old Caples’ standby…

 “They Laughed When I Said I Wanted to Dance The Tango…

But When I Started Dancing Like a Pro in 3 Easy Lessons…”

 Copywriting Nugget #3: The Enemy in Common

This is a great way to bond with your prospect. You see, by using a common enemy, you connect with the prospect, and you’re seen as the saviour against these greedy foes. Plus, it really rattles their cages. Really stirs up the emotions that are already there. It’s a great way to break through the fog and get your prospect’s attention.

Example headline… 

“How to Beat The Banks, Sack Your Landlord & Say Goodbye To The Uncertainty Of Renting…

Here’s The Quickest & Easiest Way To Own Your Own Home NOW!”

The prospects for this headline were renters… people unable to get a home loan. They were sick of renting, sick of greedy landlords taking their hard-earned money, and frustrated and angry at the banks for refusing them loans. This headline cuts right through the fog and narrows in on exactly what they are already thinking. Can you see how emotional this is? Have a think about your market. Is there an enemy in common that you can tie into what you provide?

I want to stress how powerful this click is when used correctly. It sets up an “us” against “them” scenario. It’s a great positioning tool as well.

For example:

• Matt Furey sells against the weight lifters. 

• Dan Kennedy sells against ad agencies and wasted advertising dollars.

A good line to use is: “Secrets They Don’t Want You To Know.” Just insert your particular “they”.

RECAP OF PETE’S 3 COPYWRITING NUGGETS

1.Never underestimate the difficulty in getting attention

2.   The Collier Principle.

3. Never forget what you are really selling.

 4. The enemy in common builds an instant “us” against “them” mentality.

***** 

With more than a decade of experience in the marketing arena, Pete Godfrey, AKA “The Wizard of Words”, has developed a keen eye as to what it takes to succeed in business. As one of Australia’s most successful and highest paid copywriters, Pete has the uncanny ability to turn the written word into money. That’s why clients stand in line and almost beg him to do their promotions. His client list contains many of the world’s savviest entrepreneurs including Mal Emery, Pat Mesiti, Tom Caraccio and Rowena Helps, Rick Otton, Daryl and Andrew Grant, Bill Zheng, Matt and Amanda Clarkson, Roberta Fadoul and many others. This “working class rebel made good” is also a copywriting trainer, having trained hundreds of budding copywriters including Bret Thomson, Bill Dimitrovski, Kevin Francis, Steve Plummer etc. Pete is a coach as well and coaches a small exclusive group of entrepreneurs in his $29,995 per year Private Wealth Group.

Pete also writes an offline, 12-page monthly newsletter called The Emotional Ad Writing & Marketing Letter (http://www.emotionaladwritingletter.com ) for Business Owners, Sales Professionals and Entrepreneurs. His irreverent style and no bullshit attitude offends some, attracts others. To see more on Pete and to get a FREE Bonus copy of his valuable report – “The Ultimate Copywriting & Marketing Secret” valued at a very real $99… go to his blog at  http://www.petegodfrey.com

Are you a direct response copywriter (or marketer) who’s tired of not getting any respect and acclaim from advertising industry types?

Tired of simply producing results and making tons of sales…

…but not being recognised for your creative genius?

Fed up with missing out on invitations to the “cool” industry events and the chance to mingle with hot-looking members of the opposite sex?

Well, fear not!

Because the great Dean Rieck now reveals…

“6 secrets for winning pointy plastic creative advertising awards”!

Never before has it been this easy to come up with your own creative that will put you at the front of the line for one of those pointy plastic creative advertising awards!

Forget getting results for those pesky clients…

…focus on the real game…

…and impress those cool mainstream advertising types!

Hey, you might even get lucky and score a job offer with an “edgy” advertising agency…

…and be able to leave the low-life world of direct response marketing behind!

But seriously…

…here are 3 great reasons to read the post…

1. It’s funny and you’ll have a good laugh

2. Read it carefully and you’ll discover 6 tips for getting better results

3. Great piece of writing from Dean.

Another reminder that Christmas is on the way in my mailbox today…

…in the form of the Christmas Appeal letter from the Salvation Army.

And I found a couple of useful little reminders of copywriting techniques in there.

I’m a regular supporter, so normally it’s a question of fill in the boxes and return.

However, the letter caught my eye because…

…it had a story to tell.

Here’s the core of the story…

“Many young people who arrive on our doorstep have had horrific childhoods. Sophie, who’s now 18 was ignored by her stepmother and her father used violence to solve problems.

Sophie had never experienced the kind of Christmas Day that most of us take for granted. A special family day with no violence, no shouting and lots of laughter, love and joy.

In fact, Sophie was so unhappy that at just 15,  she decided that fending for herself on the streets was better than living at home.”

The story has a happy ending, of course, when a Salvo Officer invited “Sophie” (the story is real but the names are changed) to spend Christmas with her and her family.

There was a little more to the story than that, but not too much.

And it’s a simple story in 3 basic acts (Setup – Complications – Resolution).

So, nothing fancy.

But it…

1. Grabbed my attention

2. Illustrated the good work of the Salvos (following the “show don’t tell” guideline)

3. And tugged at the heartstrings a little.

Couple of other things…

1. On the donation form, very helpfully are suggested donation amounts.

2. For the Christmas Appeal, the Salvos include a little “involvement device”.  It’s a little Christmas card they give to a homeless person on Christmas Day.

Did all this “work”?  Well, let’s just say I gave a slightly larger donation than I originally intended.

And if you’d like to help the Salvos help out at Christmas…

…here’s their site in Australia…

“Salvation Army Australia”.

Came across these 3 videos from copywriting giant John Carlton.

Hopefully there will be a few more.

 #1 How To Write

#2 Bad Ads

#3 Features Versus Benefits

I’ve written before about how the tabloid press and publications like “National Enquirer” can be a source of fantastic, attention-grabbing headlines.

Noticed this report today about the retirement of the man who wrote this classic…

“Headless Body In Topless Bar”

…read all about it, of course!

It’s from the “New York Post” and was written by Vincent Musetto.

The story behind the headline is here at “The New York Post: Topless No More”.

Well worth a read.

Some other classic headlines mentioned in the article…

“Somoza Slain By Bazooka”

“Ford To City: Drop Dead”

…and one I particularly like…

“Kiss Your Asteroid Goodbye!”

(from the Post in 1998 after a meteor passed the earth).

In direct response copywriting, it’s sometimes a good tactic to admit to a small (and fairly trivial) flaw in the product on offer.

Two reasons for this…

1. Most people know that very rarely is something “perfect”.  By admitting to a small flaw you come across as more believable and increase the trust level with the prospective client.

2. You’ll most likely reduce refund rates, without reducing the original level of response.

Now, there is another situation where it’s pretty much essential to own up to a flaw…

..in fact you even want to highlight it.

And that, of course, is where…

…the flaw is significant and noticeable, but it’s not so bad as to ruin the product completely.

In those circumstances, you have the opportunity to run a special promotion.

The “rain damaged stock” sale would be a good example of this.

I was reminded of this tactic the other day when at the greengrocers where I saw this little sign…

“Did you know that grape seeds are high in antioxidants?”

…displayed along with the grapes.

Now, in Australia at this time of year, seedless grapes appear to be out of season so we’re back to the regular ones which have the pips.

There’s a reason why seedless grapes were invented, of course!  I’ve often seen grapes advertised as seedless…

…but I don’t recall ever seeing “with seeds” being promoted as a compelling feature.

But…that little sign admitting the small “flaw”…

…and even pointing out a little-known benefit…

…made me feel a little better about buying some grapes for my morning fruit salad.

(Kev’s fruit salad “recipe” shameless borrowed from Anthony Bova over at “Spartan Health”…

…grapes, apples, pears, kiwifruit, tinned peaches (in winter), fresh mango (in season)…

…plus anything else that’s in season that takes’s my fancy e.g. blueberries.)

So, keep this idea in mind for your copy and if the opportunity arises even use it as the basis for a promotion or sale.

OK, as I write this, it’s still June 12 in the USA…

…but it’s morning on June 13 here in Australia.

Which means…

…I forgot that June 12 is the birthday of one of the greatest copywriters of all time…

…the incomparable “Sir” Gary Halbert.

(And I forgot despite a very thoughtful email to remind me from Gary’s son Kevin.)

Here’s what Gary’s son had to say about his father…

*****

As with most great copywriters, my father loved stories. He had an incredible appetite for books and movies which helped make it easy for him to find the interesting story behind products and services.

He would take in 4 or 5 movies a week and while growing up, Kevin and I were always tagging along.

Pop would just grab the paper and scan it for a movie he had not already seen.

The movies were always playing in Westwood or up on Hollywood Blvd. and we would immediately head out to wherever the movie was playing next.

If there was time to kill, we would head to a bookstore where he could spend hours on end if need be.

To encourage reading, he bought us any book we wanted as long as we read it and I do the same for my kids.

If there was no time to hit up the bookstore, we would go right afterward.

So as you can imagine, my simple ritual is to take in a movie and go to the bookstore on his birthday which reminds me of how he taught us to enjoy life.

*****

Interesting to note that Halbert, like so many top copywriters, was a lover of stories and the movies.

Now, if I had remembered it was Gary’s birthday, I would have been quite happy to spend yesterday afternoon at the movies and browsing bookstores (I highly recommend Kinokuniya in Sydney). Make a note for next June 12.

Two resources to check out…

Firstly, “The Gary Halbert Letter” is a veritable treasure-trove.

Secondly, copywriting ace Michel Fortin conducted 2 interviews with Gary in 2005, I recall.  These are jam-packed with insights and tips that will be of great value to anyone involved in direct response marketing or copywriting.

Here’s the link to those Gary Halbert interviews.

Gary Halbert…I salute you!