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How To Write Winning Copy The More You Tell The More You Sell

Guest post by: Teresa Bohannon

Article Overview: Long copy versus short copy, which is better in the online world, when a sale lost forever is just a click away?

How To Write Winning Copy The More You Tell The More You Sell

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. On the surface this seems especially true with the online surfer who is used to a world filled with immediate gratification where it is so easy to just click away from anything boring.

However, 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, so you haven't lost a thing when they click away.

However, if I used my Search Engine Optimization and great headlines to lure in an avid die-hard golfer, who just recently purchased other expensive golf products online, 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, email may make it easy for your prospect 3000 miles away, to ask you a question, but if he takes the time to do so, he is also taking the time to cool off, and look around some more...perhaps even visit a website where all of his questions are answered upfront. Therefore, 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 website, so be it. If it takes a 16-page online catalog, fine. But if the 10-page sales letter tests better than the 16-page catalog, 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.

Which brings us to the next tip…

Write To Be Scanned

Your layout is very important in a website, because you want your content to look inviting, refreshing to the eyes. In short, you want your prospect to stop what he’s doing and read your text.

If he sees a block of text 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. Also use plenty of graphics, that is one of the greatest benefits of online advertising. You can include all of the pictures you want (As long as they are size and pixel depth optimized to download quickly.) without paying extra printing charges.

When reading your content, 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 page and see who the sales letter is from, then start from the beginning.

Writing your content in the form of a letter or informative article is one of the best possible online techniques. Personalize it as much as possible to counteract the inherent suspicions that come with buying something from a stranger online.

***Let me interject here that taking money through an already trusted third party payment system such as PayPal or Amazon is an absolute imperative. In this day and age of Identity Theft, very few people are going to foolishly give their credit card information to a stranger online.***

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 salesletter, 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.
For more on successful copywriting for the online world see my articles:

How To Write A Great Headline Drawing Them In And Making Them Want To Buy Your Product
What Is A USP And Why Do I Need One To Sell My Product
Quick Secrets To Successfully Advertising Your Business How To Grab Their Attention
Winning Secrets To Successfully Advertising Your Business The How and Why of Pushing Their Emotional Hot Buttons

****
It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to
be generous, frank and independent.
– W. Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915

Related Articles
  Search Engine Marketing - Why You Should Write Search Engine Friendly Copy?
  50 Power Words that Sell
  Sales Proposals Kit for Dummies
  Winning Needs a Plan, Not Just a Vision
  Learn Copy Writing - It will make a Huge difference in your Business

Article Tags: die hard, fact of the matter, golf clubs, golf products, gut reaction, headlines, immediate gratification, newcomer, offe, prospects, readership, sales pitch, search engine optimization, test results



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