If You Don't Have Autoresponder Emails You Don't Have a Business

Each day that you don't send an email to your list...or send boring, uninspired email...you lose money.

Even more importantly, you miss the chance to build relationships with your clients and prospects...

And your story remains untold.

The Sales Are In Your Story

Your story trumps the facts about your business and even your products.

No one wakes up in the morning eager to read a pitch about your product...but they will always be willing to read a good story.

Since 2007 I've been telling my clients' stories in emails and web copy. I'd be happy to do the same for you.

55 alternatives to the word “killer”

The next time you catch yourself using the adjective “killer” in a sales letter…
Consider not using an adjective at all.
Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs, as Strunk & White say in The Elements of Style (by the way, copywriters
should read this book at least once a year).
If you can’t describe your product with nouns and verbs alone chances are your product isn’t so “killer” after all.
Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever use an adjective. They can pack a wallop in the right situation.
I admit I’m as guilty of using adjectives without proper forethought as anyone else.
But I saw the adjective “killer” in yet another sales letter the other day (sigh) so I whipped out my favorite thesaurus, The
Synonym Finder, to find other options. I also like using this online thesaurus: www.visuwords.com.
If you must use an adjective, consider these 50 alternatives to “killer:”
fierce
awesome
cool
boss
smashing
mindblowing
mindboggling
magnifcient
fabulous
trippy
formidable
unforgettable
impressive
overwhelming
marvelous
tremendous
fantastic
sublime
portentous
vital
landmark
momentous
extraordinary
staggering
stunning
breath-taking
incredible
unbelievable
inconceivable
amazing
phenomenal
astounding
remarkable
exceptional
wonderful
superb
far-out
prodigious
wondrous
unmatched
nonpareil
unusual
unprecedented
staggering
rare
unique
special
superior
incomparable
singular
Not all of those words are perfect alternatives to “killer” but you get the idea. Your thesaurus is your friend.

“Killer” has to be the most overused adjective in sales copy.

The next time you catch yourself using it in a sales letter…

Consider not using an adjective at all!

Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs, as Strunk & White say in The Elements of Style

(By the way, when I was in college, a film writer told me to read that book once a month until I graduated. I did and now I read it once a year and think that every copywriter should do the same).

If you can’t describe your product with nouns and verbs alone, chances are your product isn’t so “killer” after all.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever use an adjective. They can pack a wallop in the right situation.

I admit I’m as guilty of using adjectives without proper forethought as anyone else.

But I saw the adjective “killer” in yet another sales letter the other day (sigh) so I whipped out my favorite thesauruses and quickly found 55 alternatives to “killer:”

fierce

awesome

wicked

best

cool

boss

smashing

mindblowing

mindboggling

magnifcient

fabulous

trippy

formidable

unforgettable

impressive

overwhelming

marvelous

tremendous

fantastic

sublime

portentous

vital

landmark

momentous

extraordinary

staggering

stunning

breath-taking

incredible

unbelievable

inconceivable

amazing

phenomenal

rad

astounding

remarkable

exceptional

wonderful

superb

far-out

prodigious

wondrous

unmatched

nonpareil

unusual

unprecedented

staggering

rare

unique

special

superior

incomparable

singular

hot

fly

Not all of those words are perfect alternatives to “killer” but you get the idea.

Your thesaurus is your friend

If you need thesaurus recommendations see my last post.

  • Share/Bookmark

How ten cent words will improve your copy

Perhaps the most indispensable tool for a copywriter, right behind the computer, is a thesaurus.

A thesaurus is a simple but powerful way to make your writing more compelling and persuasive.

As Strunk & White said in The Elements of Style, “Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able.”

If you find yourself using a twenty-dollar work, or you notice that you use the same word too often on a page (I try not to use the same verb more than once in a paragraph, for example), whip out a thesaurus.

Let’s take a look at some print/offline thesauruses:

Rodale’s Synonym Finder The Synonym Finder is terrific. An Amazon reviewer sums it up well: “There are 1.5 million words in “The Synonym Finder”, including variations on the same root word. That’s more than 4 times the number of words in “Roget’s International Thesaurus”. If you simply want to find synonyms, this is the book for you. It isn’t as versatile as a thesaurus that is organized by subject, but it’s more to the point and easier to use if you are simply looking for word alternatives.”

Roget’s Thesaurus Roget’s International Thesaurus, 6th Edition
is the classic thesaurus and is also organized by subject in addition to alphabetically. It’s a bit more scholarly than Rodale’s Synonym Finder.

Here are some online thesauruses:

Answers.com has a thesaurus and much more. In addition to giving you the synonyms for each word it gives you the dictionary definition and a description of the history of the word as well as information about foreign language and idioms. It’s a complete reference for words.

Thesaurus.com is similar to Answers.com. It gives you encyclopedia and dictionary information in addition to the thesaurus.

If you enjoy mind maps you’ll enjoy Visual Thesaurus. Go to the website and in the white box type a word. Then select “look it up.” A box will come up. Select “try.” After a few seconds it will expand and grow. It’s like a living thesaurus. The desktop version works faster than the online version. It’s $19.95 per year or $2.95 per month.

If you have a favorite thesaurus please share it in the comments.

  • Share/Bookmark

Is the money REALLY in the list?

I hear this all the time and you probably do too: the money’s in the list!

As an email copywriter you might expect me agree with that.

I do agree that a list is of great importance to your business. Whenever I send an email I get many more visits to my website than when I put a link to it on Twitter or Facebook.

Except there’s one problem… this “The money’s in the list!” attitude usually results in endless emails that are just boring pitches.

So what should be in your list?

Your art.

Your gifts (no, I don’t just mean free reports or ebooks….I also mean the generous sharing of your ideas).

Your superpower.

Your stories.

Your magic.

Notice I haven’t said anything about open rates and click thrus and opt-ins and opt-outs.

That’s because the people on your list aren’t buying your products…

They’re buying relationships and stories and magic.

When you send an email your sole motivation should be to connect with your reader and make a difference in their lives.

Respect the bond that exists between you and the people reading your email.

The irony is, if you remember that it’s your magic that is in the list, not money, then it’s likely that the money will follow eventually.

  • Share/Bookmark

Oh how I love a good metaphor.

You already know how important stories are.

Metaphors are like mini stories.

I would argue that the right metaphor is even more powerful than a story.

A metaphor is a comparison between two or more unrelated objects.

A friend of mine regularly uses metaphors in her emails to me and they are brilliant.

They are so good I copy and paste them into a document filled just with her metaphors.

Here are a few examples:

“Her blood pressure was lower than the Mississippi Valley.”

“There are more wires involved in that desktop than there are pit vipers in India.”

“He ate like a human forklift at a three county landfill.”

“He started snoring like Gunga Din’s chainsaw.”

“…eating like Kirstie Alley in a Fettucini Alfredo factory.”

“I feel like I’m trying to teach Aristotelian logic to Mike Tyson.”

I’ve asked her how she thinks up these metaphors and she just says that they pop into her head spontaneously as she’s writing.

Here are some other metaphors I’ve found from various places:

“”The sun was behind the wood, very red, looking over the paling of trees like a farmer inspecting his own hogs.” (Flannery O’Connor)

“Burst of energy just hit me like a train carrying 10 tons of espresso.” (Dooce.com)

“The landing at JFK was like being on the back of a motorcycle when it crashes through a brick wall.” (Dooce.com)

“All over me like melted cheese on a radiator.” (Elizabeth George)

“As loose as the rivets on a Southwest Airlines 737.” (source unknown)

I’m no expert on how to write metaphors but I do know that the more specific they are, the better.

For example, saying “You look like a madman” just wouldn’t have the same chops as “You look like you might have swallowed a mad dog.” (Flannery O’Connor)

I also know that you should read Gary Bencivenga’s bullet about metaphors.

He says you’ll be one of the most persuasive people on the planet if you master metaphors.

Or, as Aristotle said, “The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor.”

  • Share/Bookmark

A headline formula that has sold billions

If a copywriter sold $6 billion worth of products over the years,
would you listen to what he had to say about headlines?
I should think so.
Ted Nicholas is this kind of copywriter.
Ted says the headline is 90 percent responsible for the
success of any piece of copy.
Most copywriters take shortcuts with headlines at
some point, to the detriment of the sales letter.
One symptom of this is the long-winded headlines
you see on many online sales letters.
Rather than take the wrong kind of shortcuts, Ted
recommends his “fill-in-the-blank” shortcut for
writing headlines.
Headlines fall into one of these 11 categories:
1. How to (Blank)
2. Secrets of (Blank)
3. Stacked Benefits
4. Problem/Solution
5. How to/Guaranteed
6. Get Benefit Fast, Regardless…
7. Solve a Problem…
8. Visualize it…
9. Ways To/Reasons Why
10. Problem Solver…
11. If…Then
Here’s an example he gives of a Problem/Solution headline:
“No More Bad Hair Days! Here’s a Proven
Way to Maintain the Perfect Look Any Day
of the Week!”
The next time you brainstorm headlines for a sales letter,
pull out this list.

If a copywriter sold $6 billion worth of products over the years would you listen to what he had to say about headlines?

I should think so.

Ted Nicholas is this kind of copywriter. Sadly, the last time I checked, his book   Magic Words That Bring You Riches (my favorite)  is out of print.

Anyway, Ted says the headline is 90 percent responsible for the success of any piece of copy.

Yeah, I  know. In my last post I argued that openings are the bee’s knees, but let’s hear Ted out.

Most copywriters take shortcuts with headlines at some point, to the detriment of the sales letter.

One symptom of this is the long-winded mega headlines you see on many online sales letters. These often top out at 50-100 words or more.

Rather than take the wrong kind of shortcuts, Ted recommends his “fill-in-the-blank” shortcut for writing headlines.

Headlines fall into one of these 11 categories:

1. How to (Blank)

2. Secrets of (Blank)

3. Stacked Benefits

4. Problem/Solution

5. How to/Guaranteed

6. Get Benefit Fast, Regardless…

7. Solve a Problem…

8. Visualize it…

9. Ways To/Reasons Why

10. Problem Solver…

11. If…Then

Here’s an example he gives of a Problem/Solution headline:

“No More Bad Hair Days! Here’s a Proven Way to Maintain the Perfect Look Any Day of the Week!”

The next time you brainstorm headlines for a sales letter, pull out this list.

And, yep. This applies to email subject lines too.
  • Share/Bookmark

The most important part of a sales letter

So what’s the most important part of a sales letter?
The headline?
The P.S.?
The proof?
This is debatable, of course. But today I’m going to
argue that the opening is the most important.
The opening of a sales letter is so important
that Herschell Gordon Lewis devotes more than
100 pages to the subject in his book Sales
Letters That Sizzle.
For the most part, people don’t read every word
of a sales letter.
They skip around, look at the headlines and subheads,
look at the P.S.
The brilliant anecdote on page three might not get
noticed at all.
You have a better chance of people reading page three
if you wow them with your introduction.
According to Lewis, “Changing the opening — the first
few paragraphs — has the capacity of generating a huge
increase (or decrease) in response, often far more profound
than letter length.”
So rather than simply wonder if long or short copy will work
best for your product, focus on the opening too.
With the right opening the copy length is less significant.
And with the right software, you’ll be able to write openings…
and entire sales letters… in mere minutes.
INSERT LINK HERE
Lewis recommends provocative openings. “Fire your biggest
guns first!”
Here are 10 opening examples from real sales letters.
1.  If You’re Like Me…
2.  Ask a Provocative Question.
3. What If…
4. Suggest a Cataclysmic Decision. For example,
“The decision you make today can…”
5. I [We} Need Help.
6. Congratulations!
7. I Invite You…
8. I Have a Free Gift For You.
9. As You Know…
10. I Have Something Good For You.
Choosing the right opening is critical because the
reader might not even see your USP or main benefits
without the proper opening.

So what’s the most important part of a sales letter?

The headline?

The P.S.?

The proof?

This is debatable, of course. But today I will argue that the opening is the most important.

The opening of a sales letter is so important that Herschell Gordon Lewis devotes more than 100 pages to the subject in his book Sales Letters That Sizzle.

For the most part, people don’t read every word of a sales letter.

They skip around, look at the headlines and subheads, look at the P.S.

The brilliant anecdote on page three might not get noticed at all.

You have a better chance of people reading page three if you wow them with your introduction.

According to Lewis, “Changing the opening — the first few paragraphs — has the capacity of generating a huge increase (or decrease) in response, often far more profound than letter length.”

So rather than simply wonder if long or short copy will work best for your product, focus on the opening too.

Here are 10 examples of openings that Lewis provides in his book:

1.  If You’re Like Me…

2.  Ask a Provocative Question.

3. What If…

4. Suggest a Cataclysmic Decision. For example,

“The decision you make today can…”

5. I [We} Need Help.

6. Congratulations!

7. I Invite You…

8. I Have a Free Gift For You.

9. As You Know…

10. I Have Something Good For You.

Choosing the right opening is critical because the reader might not even see your USP or main benefits without the proper opening.

And, oh yeah. This applies to email copy too.

  • Share/Bookmark

It’s About The Stories…Not Your Products

“Programs don’t make great presidents,” said political scientist Jim Morone after President Obama’s State of the Union speech. “Stories make great presidents.”

He went on to say that the president failed to persuade the American people as a result of not having stories.

This is a reminder that stories are key to persuasion.

And, yes, it means that stories make for a great business. Not products.

What’s your story? Are you telling it to your customers?

  • Share/Bookmark

Today I’m mixing marketing and politics.

Oh oh.

But here goes…

Yesterday I came across an article with the headline,
“White House, Dems, Planning Massive Re-Sell Of Health Care After It Passes.”

My first reaction was to roll my eyes.

I mean, from a marketing standpoint, isn’t it pretty lousy
to have to do massive re-selling AFTER the purchase?

But then I thought about it some more and have to admit
that they are on to something…

After a customer makes a purchase you SHOULD keep
talking to them about what they purchased.

But not in a sales-y way.

You see, most marketers, after a customer makes a purchase, start sending pitches for new products.

On to the next shiny thing.

But imagine how that makes your customer feel about what they just purchased from you.

That’s why a series of consumption emails is so important.

These emails help the customer understand what they
just purchased and help them use the product.

There’s no selling in these emails, although there is a subtle
tone of re-selling of what they just purchased, to affirm that they made the right decision.

Yes, I’ve written about this before. I obviously need to keep harping on it because I still don’t see many marketers doing this.

If you don’t have any consumption emails, it’s probably
because you don’t have the time to do it yourself or can’t write scintillating, relationship-building copy.

So I’ll give you a 20% discount off my regular rate if you place your order for consumption emails before the health care bill goes to vote, sometime later this month or in February.

I’ll dig into your product and write about in a way that will make your customers want to start using it right away

Even better, the thought of asking for a refund won’t
even cross their minds.

And the best part?

They will be more likely to buy from you again.

I believe so strongly in consumption emails that I’m willing
to give you a discount.

So what are you waiting for?

  • Share/Bookmark

Marketing lesson from a December rose

As the new year began, I thought about the rose bush in my flower garden that still had many pink blooms.

Here’s a photo:

I live in Wisconsin so this is quite a feat. All the other flowers had died and were pruned back, bracing for the winter that was to arrive in full force a few days later in the form of a blizzard.

I confess that in the summer I hardly paid attention to the rose bush, except for the times the thorns scratched my hands, even when I was wearing gloves.

There were so many other flowers that captured my attention: the hibiscus, petunias, irises, morning glories, day lilies…and my favorite… the peony bushes. It’s always something of a tragedy when June begins and the peonies begin to die.

But this past December I think I may have taken more pleasure in those pink roses than I did in the rest of the flower garden in the summer.

You see, those pink roses remind me of a copywriter/marketer/entrepreneur (or anyone in any field) who perseveres.

Maybe these people aren’t standouts or #1 in their field.

Perhaps they screw up kind of a lot and are even “prickly” at times, like the December rose.

Put them in a room with other marketers, especially those who are newbies full of enthusiasm and hype, and maybe you wouldn’t notice the quietly confident “December rose” marketer.

But as the months and years pass, and the other marketers give up and fall by the wayside, the December rose is still standing, even after several frosts and bitterly cold weather.

Don’t give up.

As Yoda said, there is no try. Do or don’t do.

  • Share/Bookmark

Is marketing for the birds?

When I look out at my bird feeder the scene out there often
reminds me of an online business in action.

You see, when I started feeding the birds a few months ago, everything was peaceful for a few weeks.

Only the best kind of birds showed up at the feeder.

The cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, flickers,
etc.

Then the house sparrows discovered the feeders and emptied an entire feeder in one day.

Argh!

The house sparrows are the rodents of the bird population.

In fact, it’s even permissible to shoot them because they
are considered an “invasive species” and are a threat to native birds.

But I’m no Emma Peel and don’t know how to use a gun (and my neighbors would take issue with that anyway).

So I did some research and figured out how to scare away
the house sparrows while still attracting the desirable birds.

All you have to do is hang a few strands of fishing line
from your feeders.

But before I could feel smug about my success the squirrels found my feeders.

The squirrels knocked down the feeders and made my life
miserable for a while as I tried to outwit them.

They weren’t baffled by the “baffle” on my feeder.

Duct tape with the sticky side facing out didn’t work
either.

Putting vaseline on the post has seemed to do the trick
so far.

It’s fun to watch the squirrels hop in a flower pot
after they get vaseline on their paws and furiously roll around in the dirt in a desperate attempt to wipe it off.

It reminds me of prospects who find out my rates (which are
pretty modest) and run away. :-)

Feeding the birds and outwitting squirrels is a good metaphor
for any online business.

Before I figured out how to keep the squirrels and house
sparrows away, my feeders had a ton of traffic.

There were more birds in my yard than any other yard near my house.

But traffic is overrated, as I soon discovered. If you aren’t
attracting the right prospects, all the traffic in the world doesn’t mean much.

So how do you attract them? With copy, of course.

Good copy will filter out the wrong prospects as effectively
as fishing line and vaseline.

And it will attract the right ones like the Nut ‘N Berry
seed blend the birds around here love.

See, marketing really is for the birds.

  • Share/Bookmark

This blog copyright © Anita Ashland: Autoresponder Copywriter

Powered by Flexibility Theme for WordPress

Tired of slow, unreliable Wordpress web hosting? Try the host recommended by WordPress.org!

Switch to our mobile site