Copywriting Extraordinaire

Do you have a good story for your marketing?

2010-03-16T08:21:00.004+08:00

A good story makes people want to read and hurting when reading it. For example you can take a manga written and illustrated by Seo Kouji. The first manga I read authored by him is Kimi no Iru Machi (A Town Where You Live).

In that story the boy met a beautiful yet clumsy girl who came all the way to Hiroshima from Tokyo for one reason: she wants to live a new life. The story starts to get interesting when it was told that her family is a problematic family and she actually met the boy when both of them were young.

Now, I rarely read manga that can be put under romance category but this one stroke my heart. I clicked from one page to another at OneManga and anxiously waiting for new chapter to be published(right now it stopped at chapter 81).

Now, what this has to do with marketing and copywriting? A lot in fact. If you study every successful branding and positioning, you will realize that the fact that they are successful because they tells a good story in their campaigns.

You probably have heard these companies:

Coca Cola.
Nike.
Crocodile.

All of them have something to tell. From the clubs they sponsored (Nike), to how awesome is to use their product (Coca Cola), and you'll be able to save nature by buying their products (Crocodile).

People loved good story. Every great movie has a great story to tell. At least they tell it in a way that people remember. From explosions every two minutes... or a heavy dialogue with quotes from famous people every now and then... they always have something that hook people in to make them sit in front of the TV and make you and me watch them.

Yes, good story is probably the most underutilized way to market your product. Fortunately, not many people out there knew how to utilize story to their advantage. Now is your turn to make your story into a successful marketing campaign.

Here are few key questions you can ask yourself to start using story in your campaign:

How does my company make this product?
How can I tell it in a way people will want to know more?
What is the process used and can be told to people without damaging us?
What is a common thing everyone in the market do that they don’t tell others?

Above questions are just some of the ways you can use to discover your story. If you need help to implement your story in your marketing efforts, do tell me.

- Abdul Rahman

Do you have an asset?

2010-02-13T20:02:00.001+08:00

If you have something that you can sell to others, you can call it asset. It can be in physical form or in a form of service. Like me, I can do a little bit of programming, know how to write promotion that sells inside out, know how to use internet to make money and know how to sell thousands of ringgits of products.

This is my asset. I also have at least four websites on copywriting and marketing and with those four, I could leverage on my skill to generate even more money. It is important for you to use your asset to make money. You can start with nothing but most people don't start with "nothing" they have experiences which can be turned into info products (an asset) and this is what you should be looking for.

Start listing down every kind of experiences, knowledge so that you know what you are standing at right now. You might be standing right on top of a goldmine called experience and there might be people out there searching for it but you don't know that fact. If you are thirty plus years old, you probably know more about life than me. You can use that knowledge to create a self-help product.

You can also use knowledge in your career to create a product since most people are looking for a way to solve their problems. Try to think of a way you can use your knowledge in your field to create something you can sell. It can be in info product or it can be in consultation. Making money is simple but not easy. Remember that and do your best. Remember Thomas Edison: he failed 10 thousand times before making a light bulb.

What are you working at?

2010-01-11T23:12:00.001+08:00

Good evening reader. As of now, it's 11:09 PM, January 11. What I am writing to you today concerns about business and system.

Do you have a system working for your business?

If yes, are you part of the system, or are you detached from it? I don't think there's any way for you to be detached, other than appointing someone as a CEO and you be the chairman.

But what if you are small business, when your business has a momentum going on, do you have a set of strategies available for you to use to exploit that? And how that fits in the big picture?

Something for you to think about.

Gary Halbert's Sales Letter: How To Make ALL The Money You Want

2009-12-30T23:02:00.004+08:00

Below is a sales letter written by Gary Halbert and man, this one pulls a lot of responses. If I'm not mistaken, this one returns $41 for every $1 spent on this sales letter.

[Prehead] “The few minutes you take to listen to the enclosed free tape will
be the most important of your life – from a financial point-of-
view – because it reveals…

[Headline] “How To Make ALL The Money
You Want Making Simple, High-
Profit Trades Every Single Day The
Market Is Open… Guaranteed!

[Subhead] “Now, at last, you can beat the market every single day it is open – in good times or bad – right from the comfort of your own home. And most days, using the amazing ‘Early Morning Secret’, you can make several hundred of several thousand dollars the first 45 minutess the market is open… with almost ZERO RISK… and then… go play a round or two of golf, go fishing, spend time with family or friends… or… whatever you feel like doing!”

[Subhead] (Note: This trading system even works on the worst trading days imaginable… such as… September 17, 2001, when the market reopened after the horrible terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. That day, the Dow Jones Industrial Index had its worst point drop in its 105-year history… 684.81 points to be exact. But, you still could’ve made plenty of highly-profitable trades that day… if… you knew what to look for. Hard to believe? Maybe so. But it’s true! Please take a few minutes to read this letter, and let me explain why…)

From: Scott L. Haines
Ocala, FL
Friday, 9:37 a.m.
December 28, 2001

Dear Friend,

I’ll bet you remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Nearly everyone does. And nearly everyone (especially investors) remembers how this disaster shut down all the major stock exchanges in the United States for nearly an entire week.

When the market reopened on Monday, September 17th, it experienced the largest point drop in history. The Dow dropped 684.81 points for a percentage loss of 7.13% in just one trading day. The Transportation Index did even worse. It dropped 404.81 points for a one-day percentage loss of 15.12%. The NASDAQ fell 115.82 for a one-day percentage loss of 6.83%.

All in all, it was one of the worst days in the history of the stock market.

[Subhead]But Here Is Something Almost
Nobody Bothered To Notice…

On the very same day, on the NYSE, 1144 stocks advanced in price and 63 of those stocks actually went up to new highs!

On the NASDAQ, 1409 stocks advanced in price and 35 of those stocks skyrocketed to new highs!

On the AMEX, 285 stocks increased in price with 12 of them hitting new highs!
This means that… on one of the worst days in the history of the major markets, a total of 2838 stocks actually advanced in price… and… a total of 110 of those stocks went up in value to a price higher than they had ever sold for before.

[Subhead]How About A 165.3% Gain
In Just That One Day?

That’s what a company called InVision Technologies (INVN) experienced. And what about a company called Viisage Technology (VISG)? It went up that day 142.2%! Or ICTS International (ICTS) which skyrocketed 113.3%! Or Avistar Communications (AVSR) which made a gain of 100.1%!

Aside from those triple digit gainers there were many stocks that made double digit percentage gains like American Science and Engineering (ASE) up 97.6%... or… Vicon Industries (VII) up 83.7%... or Hi-Shear Technology (HSR) up 76%... or Identix (IDNX) up 71.4%... or… Olympic Cascade Financial (OLY) up 52.2%!

Enough. I think I’ve made my point… which is…

[Subhead]If You Know How To Pick The
Righ Stocks… You Can Still
Make Dozens Of Highly-Profitable
Trades… Even If… The Rest
Of The Market Is Falling Apart!

But, how in the world can anyone (especially given today’s economic turmoil) pick winning stocks day after day? Is there any way… for real… to beat today’s stock market? YES! And, get this…

[Subhead]It’s Easy!

I know that’s hard to believe… but please… listen up for just a moment.
Late in 1999, I received an invitation to attend a $3,995 per person seminar by one of my mentors, marketing genius Gary Halbert. It was being held at the Airport Hilton in Phoenix on the 10th, 11th and 12th of December. Gary hadn’t done a seminar in years, so I was anxious to go. As soon as I finished reading the letter, I called and immediately signed up.

After all, Gary is world famous for his nearly $7,000 per person Key West College of Millionaires seminars. So at $3,995, this new seminar seemed like a bargain. Not necessarily cheap… but bargain. Anyway, the main reason I signed up and went was because Gary promised to reveal all of the marketing and advertising secrets he has used and accumulated over the last 30 plus years to make untold millions and millions of dollars.

(Will continue tomorrow)

Copywriting, Sheep, Lilac and Dragon

2009-12-12T18:46:00.001+08:00

If you are wondering why today's post has sheep, lilac and dragon in it, let me tell you about the challenge James Chartrand gave in his guest post at Copyblogger.

He tells the reader to write about copywriting and connects it with these three words: sheep, lilac and dragon. One paragraph for each word.

That's why I came up with this post. Now, please enjoy my attempt to connect these words with copywriting.

Sheep - Everyone thinks of something. The problem is everything think their own way. Is there anyone who think exactly the same thing? For instance, is there any people in this world who have exactly the same thought? Not a chance. However, there are set of rules that we can follow --- because people are like a sheep. They follow certain rules, and human are no exception to that rule. One thing that we can remember about people is that they move towards one thing and that is - their self-interest.

Lilac - You might ask, what lilac has to do with copywriting? Well, there are a lot of things that I can associate Lilac with copywriting. Lilac, as you know, is a purple-coloured flower that is very beautiful and many people loved them. So does copywriting. Copywriting is beautiful and seducing, and made people want to know that art. So it's the same with lilac. We love both of them --- and they are something we cherish in our lives.

Dragon - Dragon spits fire, and copywriting spits fire of desire into people's heart. Did you realize that copywriting make a spark of desire into a burning lust for a product? From just, "I want to know more about the product", copywriting made the reader to be someone who said, "hey! This is the product I need" even though at first he's the most sceptical person in this world.

So that's it! I hope you enjoy my 30 minute attempt (with 15 minutes of procrastination and idling around the work desk) trying to come up with an idea to connect those words with copywriting.

Few Things I Learned About Copywriting

2009-10-18T00:44:00.003+08:00

I forget when I became a copywriter. To be exact, I became a copywriter by chance. I don't choose it. It choses me.

At first, I only thought copywriting as a way for me to make money but later, I found out that there are many things you can learn with copywriting. I for example, learned that we need to empathize with others or else, they will leave us.

I also learned that we as a copywriter must first understand people, before they understand us. By leading them from our understanding, we make them realize that we are offering to them is the best for them at the moment and they should be willing (or even glad) that we are giving them the opportunity.

However, it is easier to say than done. I have seen, edited, written so many sales letters that the line between good or bad has been blurred. I mean, right now I am having an even harder time to choose which one of my works is the best.

Yes, I do know the data speaks the truth, but the same formula won't work twice. Or it might work only for that niche.

In seeking the Truth in copywriting, I see that human is something that... in conflict. We have mind and heart, but we always conflict with each other. Some people would love to spend their time doing works that doesn't benefit them in any way (materially) but would spend thousands of dollars doing things that will satisfy their inner self.

And then we have another type of person who would do everything to be practical, or pragmatic. It seems good choice... until we say how extreme they are in their way of living.

Not all of course. Most people are in the middle. I, too, could be considered to be in the middle.

Not a bad thing though.

To become a copywriter is to be someone who understands others. To try to understand human nature even though it's hard since we are clouded with our own prejudice.

To become a copywriter means to open our eyes and see the world as-is, and use that as a tool for world domination.

I Still Don't Get Social Media

2009-10-11T19:07:00.002+08:00

So what is social media? I looked up at Google and I saw few definitions:

According to Wikipedia:

Social media is content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies.

According to Search Engine Watch:
A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction.

So, we can agree that social media is something created by people, or the masses. (Maybe I should call them the Sheep)

The problem with social media is, some of the things we "vote" are not a popular item. For instance this one. I doubt this will go high up in Digg or Reddit because there are no entertainment value in it.

How can we find posts or stuffs that will interest these people?

That's the question. How do I know what I post will interest you people?

Funny? Thought provoking? Hate-filled post (especially to US government)? Cartoons that could make you laugh?

Hm... I don't know.

Let me know what you want so that I can post something that could make you come back here again and again using Digg, Reddit and those social media websites.

Long Enough To Make a Point

2009-09-09T22:38:00.002+08:00

I should have said "sorry, I don't do a daily blog post" because I break my own promise to you. But no, I won't do that today. I will explain that later, and will explain what I will do for this blog in the future.

Today, what I would like to do is to give you a link to Leo Babauta's new post, Do Interesting Things. Most of his articles are long, but this one is not long (and tiring), but it is long enough to keep people interested in reading till the end (and avoid skimming).

Here's the link, and I'm sure you'll like it.

Analysis of Gary Halbert Sales Letter - Part 2

2009-08-05T22:55:00.003+08:00

Update: Just got a report from my client about a sales letter I wrote for him - it converted 13% - damn happy with that result.

Hopefully it will hold for a long time.

Anyway, here's the second part of the analysis.

He begins the second page with bullets of who needs his money-making secret. He listed down 8 types of people who needs his secret from a salesman who needs more leads to "someone who needs anything to sell".

And he asks the reader, if they say yes to any of the above, they should try his crazy idea. And then he introduced his book called...

"How to Make Maximum Money In Minimum Time!"

He talked about how he sold from door to door selling encyclopedias and what problems he faced even though he got good at selling it.

Later in the same page, he talked about his RCS (Remote Control Selling) and "Killer Advertising". For those who don't know, naming an idea and credit it to yourself will boost your credibility significantly, and make people curious (because no one talked about it before).

He then talked about the benefit of RCS, in his words:

And, what RCS lets you do is, sell almost anything to almost anyone without ever meeting your customers in person...

Or Even Talking to Them on The Phone!

Below of that subhead, he talked about how it can be used by anyone whether you are a housewife, a student or someone who is unemployed.

That's the end of the second page analysis of Gary Halbert's Sales Letter.

Since I skipped a day yesterday, I will make 2 posts tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Analysis of Gary Halbert Sales Letter

2009-08-03T20:18:00.004+08:00

Hi, today I would like to share with you an analysis of a sales letter written by the late great Prince of Print, Gary Halbert.

The sales letter is about a sales letter with a headline "The Amazing Money-Making Secret Of A Desperate Nerd From Ohio". I will only explain the first page of the letter for today as I don't have time to share a full analysis with you today.

The first paragraph of the letter used his typical "If... this may be..." opening. It is used to qualify the right audience.

Right in the second paragraph, he already explained why he is desperate. This is a good way to start as he, right after a first paragraph, he explained why he is in desperate condition.

In this letter, he is introducing himself as "once broke, now rich". He tried to bond with the readers quickly (and he was successful with this).

Of course, he also builds credibility by showing how powerful his campaign was. He made his proof/claim powerful by making it into a sub headline (More Than 7,300,000 Replies!).

Right after the subhead, he wrote paragraphs to support his claim on how powerful his campaign was.

He ends the letter with a subhead Who Needs This Secret?

Note: you've got to read the letter to understand it. Do email me at uniquelyislam [at] gmail dot com to get it. I will continue analyzing this letter tomorrow.

Quick Update

2009-08-02T16:08:00.000+08:00

Damn. It's 2 August today and it's my good friend's birthday. I didn't know what to buy for her.

Well, I do know this: I haven't updated this blog for more than 2 months! What the heck. I should continue my journey on becoming a copywriting extraordinaire. Now, I think the best way to learn copywriting is to study, and analyze winning ads, or controls.

And maybe, the best way to learn is to post it here and use this blog as a stepping stone for me to see what others think of my analysis. Since I am learning and using English (right now) as a second language, I should speak to a lot more people, especially those who came from Britain and America.

I disliked the way I speak right now. It seems... stilted. Unnatural.

That's my goal - to be a good writer in 2 languages. Malay (my mother tongue language) and English.

And to do that, I have to begin by writing for this blog in the next 30 days - straight.

Bye people. You'll see me writing here for 30 days.

WTF. Frank Kern and his email...

2009-05-02T11:46:00.004+08:00

Howdy,

I just opened up my email and I found Frank Kern's email and I found out one principle that he used that made me click that damn link.

Curse him!!!

Anyway, want to know what he did with his email? Let us examine it together.

Subject line: I have totally hooked you up.

I just uploaded this brand new pdf to my blog for you:
http://www.frankkern.com/blog-report.html

No need to opt in or anything. You can get it straight
from the blog post here:

http://www.frankkern.com/blog-report.html

I had to pull a few strings with the author to do this
for you but I'm happy to do it ...and I know you'd do the same
for me :-)

Enjoy!

Frank

P.S. After you read this you'll agree that it's far better than what
the other guys are charging you big bucks for.

Please leave your thoughts here on the blog:
http://www.frankkern.com/blog-report.html

See the line "I know you'd do the same for me :-)"?

That's reciprocating principle from Dr. Cialdini's book. Darn, he's good. A blatant use, but it worked.

Curse Frank.

Personality Letters That Settle Most Accounts

2009-05-01T19:53:00.004+08:00

Wow, it's been... 3 months since I last posted in this blog.

That's a long time.

Anyway, today I want to share with you something that I found in one of my folders. I don't know who wrote it or from what book, but it's a good stuff, and I'm sure all of you direct marketers would love what I wanna share today.

Personality Letters That Settle Most Accounts

Make Your Letter Talk

Men neglect at long range--they cheat in the crowd. It's the stranger that is sent off with scant consideration.

When a man dodges payment, he dodges creditors. Neighbor are easiest remembered--close-at-home debts are first repaid.

Get close to your man. Keep your debtor in sight. In your letter, "talk it over" with him personally.

Most accounts are lost because the debtor feels sheltered by the mass--because your letter comes as one of hundreds put out to delinquents you follow in droves.

Make the man who owes you money feel your presence. Stand him out alone. Get to him with your reminder on the day.

Talk to him man to man. Make his debt a matter between neighbors. Keep a shrewd but kindly eye upon him. Let your letter show precisely--and undeniably--why it is an advantage to him personally to pay you in particular.

Go to him with your letter as you would in person. Let him feel that you know and read him.

Make your letter talk.

Perry Marshall Dissected

2008-11-17T11:12:00.004+08:00

If you've been reading Perry Marshall's stuff, you know how good his stuffs are. You could be reading from A to Z, without doing anything else but reading his thing. Since he's quite close with John Carlton, that might explain one of the reasons why he's so good in writing his promos.

However, instead of being his fan boy, why don't I just dissect one of his e-mail promotions he sent to me, and see what tricks he used to make me bit my lips in anger for not having the money to join his club.

I used SnagIt to capture his e-mail and do some quick highlighting across that email.

4-man... urrgh... have to find more money to jump in...

Now in Twitterland

2008-10-09T19:38:00.002+08:00

Howdy,

If you want to see what I'm working on in my life as a student, internet marketer, and as a copywriter, you can do so by following me at Twitter.

Here's the link:
http://www.twitter.com/arahman

See ya. ;)

Perry Marshall Guerilla Marketing E-Mail

2008-09-06T22:44:00.003+08:00

Hi, just received an e-mail from Perry Marshall on Guerilla Marketing (which you can get for free at this link).

What I like about this particular e-mail is the story told in it. It's so riveting that I really want to re-read it. He's such a good copywriter.

Anyway, I'm going to reproduce it here (I have not asked for permission, but if you think it is illegal, please tell me at uniquelyislam[at]gmail.com, thanks).

I'm sure you will love this e-mail as much as I do.

Hi Abdul Rahman,

April 19, 1775: The shot was fired that was
heard 'round the world.

At the Battles of Concord and Battle Road in
Massachussetts, the British met a surprising militia
formation of American farmers. The Redcoats marched
in plain view while colonial minutemen hid behind every
house, tree and fencepost.

The score: Americans lost 93, but the British lost 273.
It was a humiliating start to a war they would eventually lose.

That's Guerilla Warfare, my friend. Traditional warfare is
"playing by the rules," but Guerilla warfare means re-defining
the rules, even as the game is being played. It's tossing
conventional wisdom out the window and becoming your
opponent's unseen enemy.

Every week I talk to people who are sick and tired of
playing by the rules, and not winning nearly as much
as they could or should.

They're sick of pulling that black checkbook out of
their top desk drawer, giving money to some media rep
and not knowing if that money is coming back, when
it's coming back, or how they'll ever know.

They're sick and tired of dialing for dollars every
day, trying to get in to see prospects who need what
they have but aren't willing to listen to "just another
peddler."

They're sick and tired of competing only on the
basis of price, when they know that what they sell
is worth far more than what they ask for it.

In marketing, the old rules go something like this:

-"You've just got to get your name out there."

-"Make more phone calls than you made yesterday."

-"You have to prove to your customer that you're willing
to work harder, drive more miles, and bend over further
to get his business."

Today, those rules are a recipe for suicide.
Here's what some of the NEW rules are:

-When you automate the most labor-intensive parts of
your sales process, you only have to spend time with people
who are ready and willing to buy something from you

-Every marketing and advertising dollar you invest is
held accountable for ROI. It comes back to you with
friends attached.

-All that Madison Avenue talk about "branding" and "image"
is a bunch of BS. It doesn't work. It's a waste of money.
But... when your advertising really works, it's the best place
to invest your money, period.

-You can become a well-known expert, even a celebrity
within your industry, by exercising the power of media and
publicity. When you have that kind of status, it
becomes easy to get appointments and close sales.

Watch for the Guerilla Marketing packet in the mail --
and stay tuned for future updates.

To your success,

Perry Marshall

So, what lesson can we get from this e-mail? Simple. This e-mail, as you noticed do not contain any call to action, but it does build anticipation for this Guerilla Marketing package to arrive.

God knows how much I want this stuff. :D

The Admiral Byrd Transpolar Expedition Letter Swipe File

2008-09-01T16:54:00.003+08:00

All I know about this sales letter is that Gary Halbert recommend wannabe copywriter to hand copy this piece. And I tell ya, it's a good read too. I've read this letter at least 3 times and I still wanting to be part of the journey.

Click here to download it.

In the next post, I will write about how this letter was constructed.

Nilus Mative Investing Shop Sales Letter Swipe File

2008-08-31T23:47:00.005+08:00

Just browsing through my swipe file in my hard disk and I found Nilus Mative's Investing Shop sales letter. This sales letter promotes his newsletter and the interesting thing about this sales letter is how straigh forward it is in giving you the offer.

This sales letter is perfect example for this formula:
1. Here's What I Have
2. Here's What It Can Do For You
3. Here's What I Want You To Do

I like the story in this sales letter as well.

So, if you want to get this sales letter, click here to get it.

Irritated.

2008-08-06T22:16:00.004+08:00

Just visited one website, BumpZee to try out their stuff. I am trying to install their widget on my anime blog and lo and behold! I can't even find the link to download that Wordpress plugin.

What that has to do with you marketers?

Simple - just don't make your readers irritated. Another word, don't make them think that you suck.

Even though you got cool feature like small, niche community and updates on my community, that don't give you any license to stop short and do one thing wrong.

Fortunately, I found the link hidden in the instruction (another proof that people do skim and scan online a lot) and currently troubleshooting any possible errors in it.

Imagine if it's ADD guy trying to use BumpZee. Will he search for it, or will he get so angry and leave the website once and for all? Don't make people suffer or you lose your audience as fast as Bugatti Veyron went from Penang to Johor in just few hours.

Want Gary Halbert's Swipe File?

2008-07-25T19:14:00.009+08:00

If you are interested in getting your hands on the swipe file of the one of the best known copywriters on the Internet... then this will be the most important little letter you'll ever read!

We all know that kind of If... Then... opening. It was made popular by Gary Halbert in his newsletter and he loved this If Then stuff. Anyway, this is just a quick post. I'm going to upload every single sales letter I can find at www.thegaryhalbertletter.com and post it here with all the relevant links.

Why?

Most people are so lazy of finding all those sales letters themselves. Since I want to spend my time other than studying for my STPM (known as the 2nd toughest pre-U exam in the world), so I've taken the liberty to search for sales letters I can find in Gary Halbert's letter and post it up here. Hope you're okay with that.

What format will I use to upload? It will be in PDF... or DOC... or any format that I prefer.

Opps... I just read our beloved Prince of Print's website and I found that little tiny paragraph that states that everything we found there are copyright-protected... so I won't be giving you the PDF or DOC but I'll give you the direct link instead.

Okay, without going any further, here are some of the sales letters I found in Prince of Print's website:

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/2005/04-25-05.htm (Caleb O'Dowd Sex Enhancement Pill)

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/Newsletters/2005/06-28-05.htm (Eye Center of Tennessee)

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/2007/october_2007_pandora/pandora_october_2007B.htm (James Sheridan Sales Letter --- for Agora, I think)

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/Newsletters/zjlk_personal_computer.htm

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/2007/youtube%20newletter/youtube%20newsletterd.htm (Not Gary's stuff but... Gary loved that sales letter)

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/zslj_bill_gates.htm (He consider this as the best sales letter that he has ever read)

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/Newsletters/2005/07-29-05.htm (Sales letter he wrote for Agora)

Lawrence Bernstein has one category devoted to Gary Halbert. Click here to see his archives.

*Still under progress. Check out this blog more often, or you can just subscribe using the Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Click here to be notified through RSS.

Writing

2008-06-10T20:22:00.007+08:00

This is just a thought on writing... and don't expect it to be anything grammatical structured or a masterpiece or a good one.

Just a rambling thought of mine.

---

I noticed that when I write effectively (less of B.S. and more of salesmanship principles), my vision for that work is different than just "write word". I'm not even thinking of "selling".

I'm thinking more of "what is in it for them?" And while thinking so, it will increase my chance of creating persuasive sales letter even more.

Instead of thinking of the layout of that ad, I will write whatever I think will attract people and I will stop whenever I think I'm not adding any relevant point in the copy.

Sometimes, I will write too much (go into details too much that I revealed almost all of the secrets I'm selling). Or I will write reasons that shouldn't be there too. Reasons that could backfire and kill the "getting the sale" process.

I know most of you especially the pros believe that the fastest writing is the best writing and it is true.

Some will write from A to Z of the ads and some will do it in part (like me: I will create the outline of the ad in my brain and then I will write it from A to Z, depending on my mood at that time).

I will write anything that comes into my mind (most of the time, I will write the offer first) and I don't really care if it is bad, I just write it... though sometimes I get back (while writing) and just cancel it. A habit I got from the school I think.

Below is what I will write *first* when I write any ads. The product is of course, doesn't exist at all.

And this is a rough draft too.

---

Buying "ACME guide book for IT department manager" is probably too expensive for you considering this is just an e-book with interviews with the top experts in software industry.

But compared to seminars you attend yearly (that cost you $5,000 per seminar), new whitepapers you read weekly to know the latest, the best way to solve your problems (and risk getting new promotions from one to another every week), this e-book is no brainer for you.

You can get it at just $197 and backed up with our awesome 12-month full money back guarantee and you keep all the bonuses you received.

Remember, you could ask us to give you your money back if you think, in the first 5 minutes you read this guide, it can't solve you problems dealing with your IT department.

---

Everyone is different, even the way to write the ad is different to every copywriter.

Here's More Winning Ads For You

2008-06-06T15:36:00.010+08:00

Lurking around the web and trying to find more and more ads to add into my swipe file and I found some nice stuff.

Here they are:

For example, you can download Claude Hopkin and Maxwell Sackheim from Credible Copy.

If you want a very good online sales letter, you can see it all at Stansberryonline.

The website not working for you? Use this link. Or go to Google and type "site:http://www.stansberryonline.com/" (without the quote)

Early to Rise Bootcamp 2007 is a good read too.

This list won't be complete without Gary Halbert's famous Water Ad.

Want to read Gary Bencivenga's online sales letter? You can find it David Rosengarten's website.

Do I have Gary's work on financial field? Yes I do. Click here to get it.

Do you worship John Carlton? Here's his stuff: http://www.trsdirect.com/ and another one.

If the rumor said Clayton Makepeace writes for Alan Weiss is true, you can see it all by using Google: "site:investingshop.com/reports" (without quotes of course)

Last but not least, Mal Decker's legendary ads can be found here.

More swipe file materials:
25 Headlines For You
More Ads

If you like this post, please vote it in PlugIM. Thanks!

Ads, Ads! Do You Want Another Ads To Be Put Into Your Swipe File?

2008-05-11T20:45:00.004+08:00

Howdy,

Here are some of the sales letters (all online) which I have in my hard drive. I know most of you have it as well. ;)

Harlan Kilstein's Sample

Bencivenga B 100 Seminar

Business of Copy Six Figure Copywriting

Hypnotic Marketing

JP Maroney's Speaker 101 Crash Course

Mark Joyner's Farewell Package

Shortcut Copywriting Secrets

Product Launch Formula v2

*Still under progress. I will update this post and I will tell you when I update it. Some of the files are seriously large and I don't have the time to upload all of them.

Next, I will motivate myself and hopefully all of you will feel the same as I am by posting 9 Commandment of Success by Zaccheus (in Og Mandino's book, The Greatest Success in the World)

"Cherish each hour of this day for it can never return." - Og Mandino

Cheers! :D

25 Headlines Swipe File That May Inspire You

2008-05-10T15:26:00.008+08:00

Howdy,

I haven't posted here for more than 2 months and I think maybe I'll add these headlines into this blog and I hope it will be beneficial to you.

1. Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes (Maxwell Sackheim)
2. Confession of a magazine reader (David Ogilvy)
3. How to Make Your Telephone as Easy to Use as Your Telephone
4. Do you have a courage to earn half a million dollars a year?
5. Tori Spelling Lost 36 lbs. With NutriSystem! (The use of celebrity's name to create a headline? Interesting)
6. My Big Mouth Could Make You A Millionaire! (Robert Allen)
7. At 60 miles an hour in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock (David Ogilvy)(I like this headline!)
8. Exercise Your Heart Without Beating Up Your Legs
9. About This Stock and Bond Business
10. Your First and Last Chance To Get Free!
(With sub-head: My 6 great body building prizes to help give you smashing strength and he-man build!)(I got this from Ben Settle, if I remembered it correctly, or Ryan Healy... I don't know)

(All of the headlines I listed below are stolen from online sales letters)

Some of the sales letters are assumed have been written by Copywriters Board member such as Jason, John, and Mike. Please visit CB to learn more about salesmanship multiplied (copywriting).

11. $187,296 in 24 Hours! (Agora's sales letter)
12. How I Became A Six-Fure Copywriter In 273 Days... (Jason Leister, Business of Copy)
13. China's Deliberate ECONOMIC ATTACK ON AMERICA! (Agora)
14. "The Amazing Secret Behind The Single Most Successful Piece of Advertising In The History Of The World" (John "Angel" Anghelache")
15. How to Get Your First Real Copywriting Client in...

"14 Days Or Less!" (Ryan Healy)
16. Professional Copywriter Unleashes Hell On Ice-Cold Underperforming Sales Letters (Mike Humphreys)
17. "Who Else Wants The 3-Step Hypnotic Marketing Formula Backed by 8 Years of Multi-Million Dollar Results?" (Joe Vitale, probably)
18. "7 Secrets To Tap You Into The HOTTEST Cashed Up Online Market For Copywriters" (Ben Settle)
19. At Last, Learn Everything You Need to Know To Get A Fast, Profitable Start In Public Speaking... In Just Six Hours... (JP Maroney)
20. Grow Rich The "Lazy" Investor's Way
21. In The Last 30 Days, 2 Online Marketing Heavy Hitters Set Out To Prove One Thing... Anyone Can Build And Make Money From An E-Mail List!
22. I'm Going To Give You All The Tools I Used to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Virtual Empire
23. This Money-Getting System Has Been PROVEN For Times In A Row, Bringing In Over $23.8 Millions... In Just Under 24 Hours (Frank Kern and John Carlton? Can anyone comment?)
24. Who Else Wants Proven Advice To Write Super Responsive Ads And Sales Letters... From 44 Of The "Top Money" Marketing Minds Of All Time? (Daniel Levis)
25. Don't Spend A Penny More On Advertising Until These Marketing Masters Transform Your Sales Message Into A MONEY MAGNET!

Next, I will post a boatloads of online sales letter which I believe will help you. I am learning from it and I know you will! :)

Sincerely,
Abdul Rahman

P.S I just noticed one thing: my readers are waaaaayyyy better than me in copywriting. What an honour to have someone better than me reading my tiny little blog! :D

P.P.S Yoosh!!! Time to work!

The Right Hook

2008-02-21T23:32:00.000+08:00

Every good sales letter has their unique hooks. Just take a look at sales letter made for Agora; I believe all the letters I have read from Agora contained their own unique hook. You can also read sales letter made

Some of them use specific event as the hook and some of them are using the pleasure, place or story as the hook. It doesn't matter what type of hook you're using as long as it can capture people's mind.

One great copywriter once said that your hook is already there, hidden, and your job is to find it. You present that hook by telling a story to your audience. The best example of using story as the hook is Dan Lok's Ruthless Secrets.

If you want to find your hook, you should ask your clients everything about that product. Ask them if there's anything unusual when he is creating that product. You can also ask where he finds the idea to build that product. There are plenty of ways to find hook, and you can always find it if you want to.